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I'm an LSU homer, but I still think JaMarcus Russell's the guy.
JaMarcus was not picked first overall because he is the most polished quarterback in the class. He was not picked first overall because he was the smoothest of players. JaMarcus does not have the coolest head. He's not very fast either.
JaMarcus was picked first overall because he has once-in-a-decade potential.
I know from experience that he is not an easy guy to watch. Early in his career at LSU, there were many plays where he would panic. This would lead to either a sack, a fumble, a pass overthrown by about 20 yards, or a throw out-of-bounds that would go deep into the stands. In 2004, there were flickers of brilliance, but he was extremely raw. 2005 saw a big improvement, but there would still be a lot of those panic moments. Controversy began when Matt Flynn filled in for an injured JaMarcus Russell and performed brilliantly, routing Miami's excellent defense in a 40-3 victory. Many called for Flynn to start over Russell for the next season.
Les stood by his gun. JaMarcus started 2006, and it turned out to be the right choice. JaMarcus made a huge improvement that year. His throws were more accurate, he was much calmer, and he wasn't as panicky. There were still a few moments, but that's part of the package.
One criticism I heard of JaMarcus was that he wasn't smart and didn't know what was going on. This is an incorrect assumption. JaMarcus almost always knew what he was doing. The problem is, those moments when he didn't know what he was doing, we knew it, his teammates knew it, the defense knew it, everybody in the stands knew it, their mothers knew it, the defense's mothers knew it, etc.
Every quarterback has moments when they don't know what they are doing, but a good lot of them can pass it off and act cool. JaMarcus is not a good actor, and when he gets frustrated, you can tell.
Some say there's bad JaMarcus and good JaMarcus. Bad JaMarcus is as bad as anyone's bad. Good JaMarcus is the best quarterback I have ever seen.
For all the flustered moments, all the headaches, all the "what the hell are you doing?" moments, there would usually be a moment of pure brilliance. Not many people can do what JaMarcus can do. JaMarcus has an arm that will challenge Terry Bradshaw's for "strongest of all time". He can flick 50-yard bombs while getting leveled. He has deep accuracy. He isn't fast, but he is hard to tackle when on the move, and he can throw on the run too.
The bottom line is, please be patient when JaMarcus has his bad moments. Like Terry Bradshaw before him, he is not the easiest quarterback to watch, and he will make a few mistakes, but the rewards for sticking with him are great. I'll be watching. GEAUX TIGERS.
JaMarcus was not picked first overall because he is the most polished quarterback in the class. He was not picked first overall because he was the smoothest of players. JaMarcus does not have the coolest head. He's not very fast either.
JaMarcus was picked first overall because he has once-in-a-decade potential.
I know from experience that he is not an easy guy to watch. Early in his career at LSU, there were many plays where he would panic. This would lead to either a sack, a fumble, a pass overthrown by about 20 yards, or a throw out-of-bounds that would go deep into the stands. In 2004, there were flickers of brilliance, but he was extremely raw. 2005 saw a big improvement, but there would still be a lot of those panic moments. Controversy began when Matt Flynn filled in for an injured JaMarcus Russell and performed brilliantly, routing Miami's excellent defense in a 40-3 victory. Many called for Flynn to start over Russell for the next season.
Les stood by his gun. JaMarcus started 2006, and it turned out to be the right choice. JaMarcus made a huge improvement that year. His throws were more accurate, he was much calmer, and he wasn't as panicky. There were still a few moments, but that's part of the package.
One criticism I heard of JaMarcus was that he wasn't smart and didn't know what was going on. This is an incorrect assumption. JaMarcus almost always knew what he was doing. The problem is, those moments when he didn't know what he was doing, we knew it, his teammates knew it, the defense knew it, everybody in the stands knew it, their mothers knew it, the defense's mothers knew it, etc.
Every quarterback has moments when they don't know what they are doing, but a good lot of them can pass it off and act cool. JaMarcus is not a good actor, and when he gets frustrated, you can tell.
Some say there's bad JaMarcus and good JaMarcus. Bad JaMarcus is as bad as anyone's bad. Good JaMarcus is the best quarterback I have ever seen.
For all the flustered moments, all the headaches, all the "what the hell are you doing?" moments, there would usually be a moment of pure brilliance. Not many people can do what JaMarcus can do. JaMarcus has an arm that will challenge Terry Bradshaw's for "strongest of all time". He can flick 50-yard bombs while getting leveled. He has deep accuracy. He isn't fast, but he is hard to tackle when on the move, and he can throw on the run too.
The bottom line is, please be patient when JaMarcus has his bad moments. Like Terry Bradshaw before him, he is not the easiest quarterback to watch, and he will make a few mistakes, but the rewards for sticking with him are great. I'll be watching. GEAUX TIGERS.
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