New era begins in Week 17 for Raiders

By Anthony Carroll  |   Tuesday, December 25, 2007  |  Comments( 14 )

Oakland Raiders
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Oakland Raiders head coach Lane Kiffin must be caught up in the spirit of the season. The 32-year-old finally gave fans the gift they've all been waiting for.

For the final contest of the 2007 season -- a meeting with the AFC West rival San Diego Chargers -- rookie quarterback JaMarcus Russell will start his first NFL game. The news came just a day after the first overall pick turned the ball over four times in 38-point loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

That means the end of the '07 season will mark the beginning of a new era in Oakland.

The Raiders will finally have a "quarterback of the future" after five years of searching for a signal-caller.

Since 2003 -- the year that marked the start of the franchise's slump -- nine different QBs have attempted 20 or more passes for the silver and black. The not-so-impressive list includes Rich Gannon (OK, he was impressive), Rick Mirer, Marques Tuiasosopo, Rob Johnson, Kerry Collins, Andrew Walter, Aaron Brooks, Daunte Culpepper and Josh McCown.

The only other passer to add to that list is the 6-foot-6 Russell, who has attempted 35 passes in three appearances this season with 13 completions, one touchdown and three interceptions. Russell has a 24.6 passer rating; however, there's no better player to be under center in Week 17.

The former LSU standout signed a whopping six-year, $68 million contract earlier this season, and he spent the first 12 weeks of the year waiting for the go-ahead from Kiffin. The rookie was finally given the nod in Week 13, but he is yet to complete over 10 passes in a single game.

Last week was the first in which Russell even attempted double-digit throws, and it wasn't a pretty sight. Kiffin was the first to admit that.

"Where do you start?" the coach asked. "Ball handling in the run game. Footwork in the passing game. Decision making, timing, accuracy. You name it. It was out there on film yesterday. He's got a long ways to go."

In Russell's defense, it wasn't a particularly great environment for a rookie. Jacksonville allows only 17.5 points per game, was in front of a home crowd and was just one win away from assuring postseason action.

But it was needed.

Kiffin understands the dynamics of dealing with a young quarterback in the NFL. It shouldn't be easy, especially in the early stages.

"That's definitely part of the learning curve," he said. "We can talk to him about it all the time, about what not to do and see it in practice. Unfortunately, it came out [Sunday] and he's got to learn from those mistakes that you can't do that in this league."

Russell experienced something he can't when he's on the practice field in Alameda, Calif.: a true beatdown.

It was a day of confusing defensive looks, constant pressure from the D-line and offensive blunders. It was hopefully something the rookie will learn from and not be traumatized over.

"Things didn't go too good," Russell admitted after the game.

The hopes are that things only get better from here.

Week 17 may be the official end of the season for the Oakland Raiders, but it marks the beginning of a new era for a franchise that desperately needs change.

Anthony Carroll can be contacted at acarroll@realfootball365.com
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About Anthony Carroll

Anthony Carroll began writing for RealFootball365.com on Sept. 26, 2005, making him one of the longest tenured contributors to the “365” team. As a senior writer, Anthony has taken on the task of delivering original content to the silver and black faithful year round, despite having to deal...
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