http://www.ibabuzz.com/raidersblog/2...up-and-weight/
You may have noticed in a CNN-SI column by Don Banks a rather heavy reference to quarterback JaMarcus Russell.
“At this point, quarterback is again a concern, because no one knows if JaMarcus Russell is ready to take over the starting job. There are rumors that he’s close to 300 pounds and not exactly prepared for his close-up,” Banks writes.
Russell’s weight was indeed a topic of interest in the hallways (plus the restaurants and bars) of the NFL scouting combine, where both information and gossip are generously doled out.
The highest estimate I heard was 320 pounds, and assumed it was only in half-seriousness, someone exaggerating for effect.
The reason I never mentioned it was I never spoke with anyone who had actually seen Russell. It was always from someone who saw someone who talked to someone else. I couldn’t even begin to trace the validity.
By contrast, I had no problem writing about the issues between Lane Kiffin and Al Davis because I had talked to people with direct knowledge of the situation, even if they weren’t comfortable being quoted as a source.
Russell could be a svelte 250 or a porky 275. In the limited clips I’ve seen of Russell his clothes are too baggy to determine what kind of shape he is in.
When Russell was hidden from view last year during the contract stalemate, stories tended to take on a life of their own. Remember how Russell’s family didn’t want him playing in Oakland? Something about not enough pass protection. That story went away as soon as the contract was finally finished.
One area of at least minor concern is that so few people have seen him. I’ve talked to a player or three who work out in Alameda, and none of them have seen Russell. They have no idea what kind of shape he is in but are extremely curious to find out.
I talked to someone else in the organization whose business it would be to know Russell’s current level of conditioning, and got nothing but a shrug. Didn’t have a clue.
What would any of us do in our early 20s with a sudden guarantee of $31 million? Buy a lot of nice things. And a lot of good food.
You’d hope Russell will arrive at the post-draft minicamp having undergone a Warren Sapp-like transformation in terms of weight and conditioning, sending a message that he is ready to assume his role as the starting quarterback and is a serious and dedicated professional.
Russell is compared with Daunte Culpepper, but he was no more like Culpepper last year in terms of body type than a pillow is like a rock.
Considering the financial investment the Raiders made, you’d hope it included a fulltime trainer and nutritionist, and that Russell shows up at the postdraft minicamp with six-pack abs and a loose-fiitting uniform.
And if Russell has been living the good life, he still has plenty of time to get there.
JaMarcus Russell ballooning to 300lbs among other Raider problems
JaMarcus Russell ballooning to 300lbs among other Raider problems
Linear Mode
