The Oakland Raiders to FINALLY sign Russell

[M Dogg™]

JaMonster should be practicing wit the on wed. Also look for C-Pepp to make the start at QB for the Raiders this week.

Life is getting better. JaMonster... get your ass in practice... we need you to start by next year, and Culpepper, make sure the offense knows how to run with a fast, gianormus rocket thrower at QB, and lets get some wins. With Culpepper at the QB, We may not beat the Broncos, but we can beat the Browns... lol.

[Bay Area Jat]

Looks like its almost official Culpepper is prolly gonna be starting sunday against the Bronchoes

On the final play of Sunday's 36-21 loss to Detroit, while getting pressure from Lions defensive end Kalimba Edwards, McCown accidentally smashed his index finger into the helmet of Oakland offensive tackle Cornell Green, slightly cracking it. McCown could nLooot grip a football Monday. The Raiders are uncertain whether McCown will be able to play Sunday against the Denver Broncos, yet others around the league are skeptical. Quarterbacks with similar injuries have, in the past, been sidelined three to four weeks. It has been speculated within the Raiders organization that McCown could miss the same amount of time. It's also possible that, when McCown shows up for work Wednesday, he can grip a football and play on Sunday. Yet slightly cracked bones are not easy injuries for quarterbacks to overcome. (NFL Network)

[M Dogg™]

Deal exceeds Russell's financial goals, but holdout hinders playing time
ESPN.com news services

Updated: September 12, 2007, 8:20 PM ET

The devil, they say, is in the details. And the early details on the six-year contract that JaMarcus Russell officially signed Wednesday seem to indicate the former LSU quarterback and first overall pick in the 2007 draft landed a devil of a deal.

One that even his mother acknowledged was worth the prolonged negotiations and the loss of all of training camp in Russell's rookie season.

"Oh, it was worth the wait," said Zina Russell-Anderson, who accompanied her son to the Bay Area, referring to a holdout that had dragged on for more than six weeks. "It was well worth the wait. It's a great contract."

At least financially, that appears to be the case for Russell, who Wednesday afternoon took part in his first practice.

Negotiated by agents Eric Metz, Ethan Lock and Vance Malinovic, the contract carries a maximum value of $68 million, a league rookie record. There are $31.5 million in guarantees and an additional $3 million in 2010, provided Russell simply reaches minimum playing time benchmarks.

But the real strength of the contract, hammered out in four days of marathon face-to-face negotiations, lies in its attractive payout schedule.

Russell, 22, can earn $34.5 million over the first three seasons of the contract, an increase of about 65 percent over the $20.95 million Houston Texans defensive end Mario Williams, the top overall selection in the 2006 draft, figures to bank in the first three years of his deal.

In the first four years of the contract, Russell can make $44 million.

When the negotiations began, Russell's representation team set a maximum cash-flow goal of $30 million for the first three years and $40 million for the first four seasons. The final deal, which required at least seven drafts, 30-plus pages and hours of tediously poring over contract language on Monday night and Tuesday morning, exceed those targets.

The downside, of course, is that Russell missed important practice time, and likely forfeited any chance to win the starting job.

Russell mostly took part in individual drills Wednesday, but also ran some plays for the scout team. Coach Lane Kiffin said he looked in good shape and was not rusty, but said he will have to figure out how to make up for the lost time with extra practices that don't limit the time of the starting quarterback.

"He's at a definite disadvantage," Kiffin said. "You're talking about hundreds and hundreds of reps in preseason and being in games. We can't simulate what he missed. That's put him in a tough situation."

Russell staged one of the longest holdouts by a rookie in recent history. In 2002, offensive tackle Bryant McKinnie, the first-round choice of the Minnesota Vikings that year, missed the first eight games of the regular season. In terms of top overall picks, no one has held out longer than Russell since Auburn tailback Bo Jackson declined to sign altogether with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1986.

During his three seasons as the LSU starter, Russell completed 493 of 797 passes for 6,625 yards, with 52 touchdown passes and 21 interceptions.

Adjusting to the NFL is has not been easy of late for quarterbacks. The three quarterbacks taken in the first round a year ago all started games last season. But they all were in training camp and played in the exhibition season. Denver quarterback Jay Cutler, who started the final five games as a rookie last season, said he doesn't believe he ever would have gotten in if he hadn't participated in training camp.

"He's an exceptional athlete, exceptional quarterback but it's a position where if you rush somebody in there bad things can happen," Cutler said. "He's going to come along fine but it's going to take a little bit."

For now, the Raiders are just happy to have their quarterback of the future under contract. His teammates said his late arrival wasn't much of a distraction because they didn't expect him to play much early in the season anyway.

"Coming in we kind of already knew that whether he was here or not, he probably wasn't going to be the starter for the first game, so we just moved on," receiver Ronald Curry said.

Information from ESPN.com senior NFL writer Len Pasquarelli and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

[M Dogg™]

Injured finger, foot put McCown's starting status in doubt
Associated Press



Updated: September 12, 2007, 8:34 PM ET
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 ALAMEDA, Calif. -- The Oakland Raiders once again aren't saying who their starting quarterback will be. This time the issue is Josh McCown's health, not an attempt at a competitive advantage.

Coach Lane Kiffin kept secret his decision to start McCown over Daunte Culpepper in last week's opener against Detroit, hoping to make the Lions prepare for two quarterbacks.

McCown got the nod based on his better knowledge of the offense and went 30-for-40 for 313 yards and two touchdowns in a 36-21 loss to the Lions. He also threw two interceptions and fumbled late in the game to kill the Raiders' attempt at a comeback.

McCown did not participate in team drills in practice Wednesday because of an injured right index finger and a sprained right foot.

He hurt his finger on the final play of the opener when he hit the helmet of offensive lineman Cornell Green on his follow-through. He threw before and after practice with gloves on both hands and said he felt fine. He also hurt his foot in the first half.

"That's more the concern," McCown said. "It's pretty sore. It's actually very sore. It's kind of day to day and try to get back into it so I can get better at pushing off on it."

Culpepper played with the first team in practice and would start against Denver if McCown can't go. Culpepper didn't join the Raiders until July 31 and wasn't as familiar with the offense. However, he looked good in preseason as he tries to regain his Pro Bowl form.

Kiffin said his decision on this week's starter would depend on when McCown could return to practice but that Culpepper would be ready to start if needed. Andrew Walter is the third-stringer, while newly signed top draft pick JaMarcus Russell has a two-week exemption until he needs to be placed on the roster.

"I have great confidence in all our quarterbacks, especially the first two in Josh and Daunte," Kiffin said. "As I said before, I feel both of them can put us in a situation to win."

Receiver Ronald Curry, who had 10 catches for 133 yards and a score in the opener, said it didn't matter much to him which quarterback played Sunday in Denver because he had worked with all of them in training camp.

"If it was Week 15 or something it would, but we just broke camp and have been working with different guys, nobody was a solidified starter at receiver or quarterback spot so you pretty much work with Josh, Andrew and Pep at the same time," Curry said. "So I'm pretty much comfortable with anybody that's up in there."

Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press