Cornerback Chris Johnson might be the only Raider capable of getting into the end zone. (Yes, the wrong end zone. And, yes, he was flagged on the play ... semantics.) And to say that fans are disappointed with the current haplessness is an understatement along the lines of suggesting that JaMarcus Russell is sorta chubby.
But I come bearing good news.
According to Football Outsiders' quarterback rankings for Week 4, Jam-Jam wasn't the NFL's worst passer. In fact, he tied Jason Campbell for 23rd overall, ahead of Kyle Boller, Trent Edwards and Mark Sanchez.
That's right, Russell might have just completed 12 of 33 passes for 128 yards in a losing effort against the Texans, but he didn't throw an interception and he only lost one fumble. Sure, the 48.5 QB rating doesn't exactly scream "That's what we were expecting when we drafted him first overall!" but it's his best effort of the season.
Still, it's probably too early to plan the parade. Via the Outsiders: "It's hard to pity an NFL quarterback making first overall pick money, but that's the emotion we have when we watch Russell play. The guy is clearly overmatched, and while he has a big arm, he simply isn't an NFL quarterback. Certainly not on the Raiders, at least. The scary thing is that the options behind him aren't any better."
Okay, so things are bleak in Oakland, maybe as bleak as they have ever been. But don't let that obscure what happened Sunday: three other quarterbacks had worse efforts than Russell. Sure, it's not much, but this is the Raiders. They're in no position to be making demands.
Related: this doesn't strengthen Jason Campbell's case that he's a legitimate NFL quarterback. Just the opposite, in fact.
