Comments on: Rich Gannon on JaMarcus Russell

By: American Football NFL » Oakland Raiders: Was Rich Gannon’s Offer To Help Sincere?

Sat, 09 Jan 2010 06:00:26 +0000

[...] back and broke down every one of JaMarcus Russells’ pass attempts. He wrote a detailed report concluding and suggesting that Russell could be great with his [...]

By: American Football NFL » Oakland Raiders: Could Former Raiders Fill Holes In The Coaching Staff?

Sat, 02 Jan 2010 06:01:47 +0000

[...] this off-season he offered a detailed report on JaMarcus Russell’s problems. Then went on to say Russells problems could be fixed with [...]

By: Frank

Frank — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 20:50:10 +0000

Jets Fan here. I am so glad the Raiders have fallen on hard times, especially considering the pain I have been through for 2+ decades as a Jet fan. Considering the history the Jets and Raiders have I am reveling in your pain. Conversely – considering the history the Jets and the Raiders have, its a shame your franchise has gone down like this. Someone please get rid of Al Davis. Two of the founding AFL franchises (Buffalo) are slipping into obscurity because out of touch owners can’t let go. Its a shame that fans have to deal with this after being dedicated for so long. As a rival/comrade and founding AFL franchise fan, its only right to have the Raiders be a competitive team again. Good luck and I hope Oakland is relevant again in the near future.

By: Dominic

Dominic — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 22:58:26 +0000

Hapless, hopeless, helpless, heartless and just plain horrible.

Words alone cannot explain this team and its players…

It starts right at the top and filters down through the QB and onto the field of play.

Does anyone have the clout to tell Al…Tom…Jamarcus that they suck and it finally sinks in deep anough that they do something…hell anything?

Rich…please put back on your uniform!!!

By: Dominic

Dominic — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 23:23:44 +0000

Ok let’s put all this hell is one hand basket!!!

Defensive read: terribly slow, inaccurate and non-existent for the most part…I know this is the O-line and centers call most of the time for the line…but he never gets people in position on his own. This is why they have two in the backfield on either side of him. So he does not have to think…ummmm!!

Command and/or knowledge of the offense: Looks like he is running a basic package that a fill in or last minute QB would run. This is not because of the line as it has given him plenty of time; this is due to his thought process and ability to make instinct decisions. I would think 3 years with this offense and he should have it down…ummmm!!!

Leadership: He walks on the field slowly, walks to the huddle slowly…walks to the sideline slowly…talks slowly…i.e. he does a lot slowly and others will follow the body language of you’re so called on field leader…maybe too relaxed for a leader!

Instinct: I don’t know where to start!!

Throwing motion: Almost always out of position to make an accurate throw. He is so damn nervous, scared or unaware that he relies on his arm and not his feet. This is the pro’s come on now!

Feet: 3 step drop, a little lazy and sloppy…Full drop timing is off, feet are out of position, never set when he throws, seems to want to roll on a full drop. Roll Out, please he cannot throw to the corners so why roll?!?!?

Passing: See above and relate to this area…cant throw and out…over throws deep passes…throws in front of wide open crossing receivers…at 6’8″ should be able to throw a screen but has had many balls batted down…does ok on passes over the middle?!?!?!

Question: does he have a depth perception problem?!?!?!?!

Overall: Came into camp like a fat cat with a pocket full of money and a gut full of beer. With additional work they did in the off season I think he should have got better. Three games in his stats show he is the worst QB in football. Games 1 to 3 46, 47 and 22 passer rating…please… Is this what we pay for AL?

I have been going to the games since I was a kid. I am 42 now and still sit in section 104 and honestly this is the first time I have said it and meant it…my ticket are up for sale and I am tired of paying the salary and the Raiders ticket…time for a change AL.

By: CoachingHopeful

CoachingHopeful — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 08:59:32 +0000

Pitchers can correct their mechanics, but when they’re as “wild” as Russell has gotten, it’s a very, very tough road that few come back from. I wish him the best, but Hackett has to be drilling him every day on how to do it right and Russell just keeps regressing in every way. That’s not encouraging. The thing about Russell is that he’s got all the baggage that comes with a #1 pick (huge contract, hype, future of the franchise tied to him, etc.), so benching him won’t happen until the team has to concede failure.

Maybe Al Davis can spring for a few thousand to fly Slack in during a bye week and teach him about the grip, wrist, elbow, shoulder, etc. The guy is a walking reference tool on how to throw a football properly! Even that won’t help the bad reads and lack of composure, though. I’ll never understand how so many highly paid NFL scouts can always drool fall in love with guys who only look the part of a stud football player, yet they keep doing it every year and their jobs are secure.

By: stan

stan — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 17:57:14 +0000

If pitchers can correct their throwing motions, QBs can. We know that pitchers can fall into a variety of bad habits in terms of foot placement, arm angle, grip, release point, follow through, etc. Any one of these flaws can sometimes be the difference between a MLB all-star and a has-been sent back to the minors.

Throwing a football accurately and powerfully requires a somewhat similar set of fundamentals — all of which can be improved/corrected.

By: Homyrrh

Homyrrh — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 03:45:54 +0000

But indeed, it’s hazardous to one’s mental well-being to watch a #1 pick perform so dreadfully awful. It cannot be a problem with hand-size or poor grip…at his size he’s pretty much hocking a softball. Gannon, again, is just plain correct: the guy just has painfully awful technique and it’s disappointing that some coach or coordinator somewhere didn’t tell Al Davis or whomever that a D-IA/FBS starter without a udimentary understanding of how to throw a football should be giving balls to officials, not throwing them to receivers.

By: Homyrrh

Homyrrh — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 03:42:48 +0000

Yeah, footwork is critical for being accurate…but only relative to where your upper body, and especially your throwing arm motion, is going. A poor release, poor follow-through, etc. has given me a lot more accuracy woes than not getting my plant foot perpendicular or not executing a perfect shift of weight back-to-front. Throwing a short-mid in/out (basically anything under ~15 yards) without even going through your footwork is cake with some experienced mechanics and the requisite, intuitive timing, but regardless of how great your footwork may be, a QB oculdn’t hit a hitch if his release point is off or his wrist isn’t rotating.

Also, Gannon’s completely right about leaning away from throws. It’s almost the natural thing to do if you’re not conciously stepping into throws and getting that torque along your shoulders/torso/hips.

By: Chris

Chris — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 00:29:06 +0000

Just to be clear, I meant I was agreeing with you brandon that he might disagree with my focus on footwork. My response sounded overly harsh when I re-read it; you make a good point.