A blog I enjoy reading recently asked this question. His argument is that “he simply makes too much money to stand around and watch” and “he needs to be on the field.”

The blog actually broke down all aspects of the argument, but those are a couple of the main points. And they make sense. Unfortunately, the Raiders haven’t been effective in pass protection and the team’s discipline on the football field hasn’t been on par with the rest of the NFL. In fact, it’s been much much worse as the team is at the bottom of the league when it comes to committing holding and false start penalties.

The problem you run into when thrusting Russell into the lineup at this stage of his career is that he has no experience. Remember, he wasn’t even around for training camp because the Raiders took far too long to strike a deal that made him the highest paid rookie in the NFL. If you put him behind an offensive line that hasn’t kept Daunte Culpepper and Josh McCown from getting sacked, you’re running the risk of injuring him early in his career or worse.

I’m all for rookies getting experience, but quarterbacks should take their time. In my mind, that’s one of the most underrated ideals in pro football. Looking at impatient teams turn from their young (inexperienced) quarterbacks early on in their careers for aging veterans — Chicago turned to Griese, Arizona to Warner — is a sad thing to watch. These teams are clearly flawed at other positions, but because of the pressure placed on coaches by the media to make a change and the tremendous need to win early and often to avoid being let go, many feel it necessary to go with the players who will help the team win now … not the future.

Subscribe to The NFL Minute

This post is tagged Controversy, JaMarcus Russell, Quarterbacks