Editor’s note: This is the eighth installment of The McGinn Files, a weekly series looking back at NFL drafts of the past 35 years. The foundation of the series is Bob McGinn’s transcripts of his interviews with NFL general managers, personnel directors and scouts annually since 1985.
It never ceases to amaze how two time-tested scouts, at the time each 78 years old, could evaluate a quarterback so thoroughly and reach such a different conclusion.
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Before the draft in 2007, I was able to interview 16 personnel men for NFL teams regarding quarterback JaMarcus Russell of Louisiana State. In that group, two expressed major reservations, five expressed minor reservations and nine were all in.
No one offered more of a dissenting voice than C.O. Brocato, the colorful national coordinator of college scouting for the Tennessee Titans who was in his 33rd year as an NFL talent evaluator.
“He’s going to go in the first round,” Brocato said several weeks before that draft. “I have him to go in the second or third, and I really don’t like him there.
“The guy’s got size and has an arm, you can’t deny that. He can throw the football. But he’s not real accurate. He’s got four receivers at LSU that all catch the hell out of the football no matter where he throws it. They’ve always told me you’ve got to be pretty accurate.”
Russell ended his three-year career at LSU by completing 61.9% of his passes, including 67.8% as a redshirt junior in 2006. His completion mark in the NFL was a mere 52.1%.
The other septuagenarian was Al Davis, the legendary owner of the Oakland Raiders who would control the team’s entire operation until his death in October 2011. It was his decision, made despite overwhelming opposition from his personnel and coaching staffs, that Russell would be the team’s selection with the No. 1 pick in the draft.
“The entire room wanted Calvin Johnson,” Bruce Kebric, the Raiders’ lead college scout who spent 31 years with the organization, said last week. “Al had the first Hispanic coach (Tom Flores) and the first black coach (Art Shell, at least of the modern era), but he never had a great black quarterback and he was searching for one.
“For his legacy, he wanted two things at the end: the fourth Super Bowl win that Jon Gruden took away from him, and a black quarterback who was talented.”
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That spring, I polled 18 scouts responsible for the entire country to identify the best player in the draft regardless of position. All 18 said Johnson, the wide receiver from Georgia Tech.
“He’s one of the easiest picks of all time,” said A.J. Smith, the general manager of the San Diego Chargers. “Who’s the one guy you’re betting the house on will be a performer, won’t embarrass you, won’t get the money and run south? This is the one guy.”
Johnson, who went second to the Detroit Lions, went on to enjoy a spectacular career before retiring abruptly after nine seasons. On the other hand, Russell’s three-year career was an unmitigated flop.
Kebric reflected on a profession that can be as humbling as it is rewarding.
“It would be a very simple business if someone could come up with a way to measure somebody’s heart,” said Kebric. “That’s what it’s all about. You can measure all the other stuff. You can measure the intelligence, how high they can jump, how fast they can run. People ask, ‘Why is this guy a first-round bust and a free agent is a star?’ Because they wanted it more.
“With JaMarcus, it all gets down to motivation. He was willing to coast on his God-given ability. One thing I can guarantee you, in all the years that I was in pro football, there was nobody that I ever scouted at that position that had more physical attributes than JaMarcus Russell. Who else had those measurements and arm strength?
“Make the comparison with (Tom) Brady. Brady’s a skinny guy, he can’t run, he doesn’t have arm strength. But as Lloyd Carr said, ‘I have never coached an individual who was better prepared and worked harder than this guy.’
“And you ask why one guy plays 20 years and wins six world championships, and one guy’s a bust?”
Even now, a decade after his final season, Russell remains one of the most unconventional quarterback prospects of all time.
To begin with, Russell’s stature and bulk were unheard of. At the combine, he measured 6-5 ½ and weighed 265 (he was 256 at pro day). His arms were measured at 35 inches, his hands at 9 5/8 inches.
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“He’s kind of like Daunte Culpepper’s strength,” said Jerry Angelo, general manager of the Chicago Bears. “Can’t tackle the guy.”
When Culpepper came out of Central Florida in 1999, drafted at No. 11 by the Minnesota Vikings, he was 6-4, 247. Ben Roethlisberger, who went from Miami (Ohio) to the Pittsburgh Steelers as the No. 11 choice five years later, was 6-5, 241.
“Imposing, Shaq-like figure underneath center,” an AFC personnel man said of Russell. “Rare quarterback in the Culpepper mold, but he did it in the SEC rather than the MAC.”
In the last 35 drafts, just three other quarterbacks weighing 250 pounds or more have been selected. The list includes Kansas State’s Josh Freeman (6-5 ½, 250), first round (No. 17) by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2009; Virginia Tech’s Logan Thomas (6-6, 251), fourth round by the Arizona Cardinals in 2014, and Ohio State’s Cardale Jones (6-5, 250), fourth round by the Buffalo Bills in 2016.
“If you’re going to judge it on talent alone, (Russell) is a bigger version of Steve McNair (6-1 ½, 224),” Indianapolis Colts president Bill Polian said. “Which was pretty damn good. Certainly he has the capability of leading you to a Super Bowl.”
On January 3, 2007, Russell and the Tigers blew out Notre Dame 41-14 in the Sugar Bowl, where the QB out-dueled Brady Quinn and finished with 332 passing yards and two touchdowns in the air, plus a rushing touchdown.
By mid-January 2007, a month or more before the combine and LSU pro day, three evaluators for a team with a selection in the top half of the first round had filed reports on Russell.
The team’s GM gave Russell a grade of 6.90, which meant a late first- or early second-round pick.
“Makes playing the position look easy with his ability to effortlessly shoot the ball downfield or touch it on a swing pass out of the backfield,” the GM wrote. “With his height, he is able to look over the top of the pocket and deliver the football downfield without obstruction … he will need more precise timing in his footwork at the pro level and a year to absorb all of the coverage nuances, but this is a ‘wow’ prospect … this is a rare physical talent who could answer more of the mental questions if he stayed (at LSU) for one more year, but by the time the draft process is over he will certainly be a top-10 choice … my only concerns were his ability to handle ‘hard’ coaching and the mental part of the game. In (mid-November) his offensive coordinator, Jimbo Fisher, stated that all of those questions had been answered with flying colors … in addition, he is also a capable leader, one that others have followed since the ninth grade.”
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The team’s veteran personnel executive gave Russell a grade of 7.10, which meant cinch first-round pick and a consistent, solid performer for the next 10 years.
“Spins a laser-like spiral to puncture defenses with high rpm’s,” the executive wrote. “Keeps receivers on track throughout their routes down the field. Places air under deep throws, lobs passes over defenders and pulls the string on swings. What separates him from others is his innate accuracy and touch … doesn’t appear to have complicated reads and will look deliberate. May lock on to receivers and predetermine his decision at times … is relaxed in the pocket but steps up with authority against blitzes … almost impossible to sack with his physical stature … when flushed, he is accurate throwing on the run and keeps his eyes down the field … would be the type of quarterback you could build everything around … better than all three from a year ago (Vince Young, Matt Leinart, Jay Cutler), physically and throwing the ball … if his intangibles, work ethic and smarts pan out he has a chance to be special.”
The team’s area scout gave Russell a grade of 7.20, which basically meant the same as the executive’s 7.10.
“This would be the first player I would take in this draft if he were available when we pick,” the area scout wrote. “If his character and intelligence check out he should be a Pro Bowl QB for years to come … I would not call him a scrambler. He is a pass-first QB. But he has the ability to effectively take off and run … he can make all the throws and with accuracy short, mid and long … has a tendency to stare down his wide receivers too much, the one area he needs to and can improve on. He usually throws to the open man. At times, he will force the ball into coverage because he has confidence in his arm and his accuracy, which he should have … this guy makes things look easy. It looks like the game comes natural, too.”
In the weeks before the draft, the other scout who cast a thumbs-down on Russell was Rich Snead. As the Titans’ director of player personnel, Snead had been part of the group that selected Young with the No. 3 pick the previous year.
“Vince was much more natural,” Snead said. “He couldn’t always tell you why he did it (at Texas) but you never saw him do the stuff this guy does. Force the ball into coverage. He’s very deliberate, and he’s not the athlete that Vince was. I think on the board he’s OK, but I just don’t see him being a quick decision-maker in the game. It’s like he comes out and he’s got one guy.”
At the combine, Russell did the physical exams, interviewed with clubs and took the 12-minute, 50-question Wonderlic intelligence test, scoring 24. He didn’t throw or run a 40.
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More than 100 NFL scouts and coaches assembled at the LSU indoor facility on March 14 for pro day. Russell ran the 40 once on the FieldTurf surface (Kebric clocked 4.80, others had him in the 4.83-4.85 range). Russell then threw for close to an hour in a workout scripted by Tom Martinez, the quarterback coach from San Mateo, Calif., who had been tutoring him after having worked with Brady for years.
“I have never seen a better workout,” Kebric said. “Most people there said the same thing. The touch was just amazing. There’s probably never been a more powerful quarterback. How many quarterbacks do you know that played in the National Football League, weighed 256 and ran 4.8?”
Joe Haering, the Buffalo Bills’ southeast scout, said: “Good player. Physically, he has everything. The only question is if he can grasp your system. You talk about big, strong, accurate.”
Donovan McNabb was in the prime of his career in Philadelphia but Eagles GM Tom Heckert still made a thorough evaluation of Russell.
“I think he’s going to be really good,” Heckert said, adding that he didn’t foresee a way Russell might bust. “He’s got a cannon for an arm. I guess you could compare his size to Culpepper but he’s better than Culpepper was. More of a true quarterback … he’s got a little southern drawl-type stuff. Not a rocket scientist, but I think he’s going to be fine.”
In addition to Kebric, Davis had dispatched new head coach Lane Kiffin, offensive coordinator Greg Knapp and quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo to Baton Rouge for pro day. When Kebric asked Davis why Angelo Coia, a former NFL wide receiver and one of the Raiders’ area scouts, also was in attendance, Davis replied that Coia had witnessed Roethlisberger’s pro day and “I see Ben Roethlisberger in this guy,” Kebric remembered Davis saying.
The next day, Kebric, Coia and Kiffin went on to see Johnson at the Georgia Tech pro day in Atlanta. Johnson (6-5, 239), who had run 4.37 at the combine, blew out his workout with a 42 ½-inch vertical jump and 11-7 broad jump. His arms were measured at 34 5/8.
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“After seeing the two of them work out Angie (Coia) said, ‘I’d take Calvin,’” said Kebric. “He knew receivers.”
With the pro day circuit in the books teams began the final deliberations on their draft boards.
“He’s done everything you want to see a quarterback do,” Angelo said. “I mean, he’s played in (and won) big games on the road, Arkansas and Tennessee in particular. Like Culpepper, got a huge arm. He’s accurate.”
Would the No. 1 pick be too rich for Russell?
“No,” replied Angelo. “His traits are rich.”
An NFC personnel director compared Russell to Grambling’s Doug Williams (6-4, 220), the 17th pick in 1978 by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
“JaMarcus is a natural-born leader,” the director said. “Big arm. The one thing that everybody will question is his slow feet. He’s better than (Byron) Leftwich coming out and I thought he was better than Culpepper coming out.”
The Bills were in the market for a quarterback after J.P. Losman, their first-round choice (No. 22) in 2004, had played himself out of favor. They ended up taking Trent Edwards late in the third round.
“I wouldn’t want to be taking a quarterback (early),” said Tom Modrak, the assistant general manager in Buffalo. “Honest to God, I’d have to be thinking about (Stanford QB) Trent Edwards. Not one Division I player was on offense with him (at Stanford).”
Marc Ross, the Bills’ national scout, also liked Edwards but expressed concern about Russell.
“He’s got it all, that’s not a question,” said Ross. “It’s if he’s going to put in the time. He played at a higher level (of competition) than Roethlisberger, obviously. He’s big, he moves good, he’s got an unreal arm. He’s come a long way. Early in the year, he had some shaky games. Even last year (2005), he was so inconsistent. You’re just hoping on the upside with (him).”
Russell became the first passer taken in one of the worst quarterback classes ever. Eleven were drafted, including Notre Dame’s Brady Quinn in the first round (No. 22) and Houston’s Kevin Kolb, BYU’s John Beck and Michigan State’s Drew Stanton in the second.
Of the draftees, the only one with a winning career record is Stanton (11-6). The best passer rating was Kolb’s 78.9. It could be argued that the best player was Matt Moore, the free agent from Oregon State who started two games this season for Kansas City and played well (100.9). He’s 16-16 with a passer rating of 82.8. Edwards might have been the best before he suffered a concussion that short-circuited his career. His record was 9-4 at the time of the injury; he wound wind up 14-19.
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As badly as the Raiders bombed on Russell, the Browns whiffed on Quinn, too. Chargers GM Smith and the Colts’ Polian voted for Quinn in my pre-draft poll of 18 scouts on the best quarterback that favored Russell, 15-3, over Quinn.
“Everybody is so afraid to pass a quarterback because they may be the franchise guy a la Dan Marino,” said Bill Kuharich, then-vice president of player personnel for the Kansas City Chiefs. “But to take one to take one, you just don’t do that. Look at Akili Smith and Andre Ware and (Cade) McNown and (Tim) Couch. You just can’t afford to bust out with the money you’re paying now.
“I go back to (GM Jim) Finks. Finks used to tell me (in New Orleans): ‘If you’re in the top eight take an offensive lineman or a defensive lineman. They’re the safest pick. You’ll get criticized because you pass the flashy player but when it plays out …”
In Al Davis: Behind the Raiders Shield, Kebric’s 2017 book written with longtime Raiders personnel executive Jon Kingdon, both men said that Kiffin lobbied Davis hard to bypass Russell and draft Johnson. After vetting Russell, the scouts told him of his weight-gain problems, abuse of a liquid concoction known as “Purple Drank,” lukewarm attendance at pre-combine workouts and psychological evaluations that foretold issues involving learning, execution and focus.
Kebric said his top three-rated players in the draft, in order, were Johnson, Oklahoma’s Adrian Peterson, who went No. 7 to the Minnesota Vikings, and Russell.
“I’m sure Al made the decision even before we got together,” Kebric said in reference to pre-draft meetings. “We knew we were taking JaMarcus as soon as his workout was done.
“There was a conflict there because Lane (Kiffin) and Greg Knapp were West Coast-type offense guys and Al was a vertical guy. Al’s idea of a quarterback was Daryle Lamonica. He never liked (Kenny) Stabler because he didn’t have a big, strong arm. JaMarcus fit the whole thing.
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“With Al, you could push him to a point. This is where Lane made his mistake. Lane pushed and pushed and pushed for Calvin. But once you push Al to a point he explodes and just says, ‘F— you.’”
Not long after the draft the agents for Russell, Ethan Lock and Eric Metz, informed the Raiders that their client wanted a significant portion of the guaranteed money in the form of a bonus. According to Kebric, Davis frequently was strapped for cash and, as a result, instead sought to guarantee base salaries on some of the Raiders’ previous high first-round picks. “Al’s hands were tied because he wasn’t the guy that owned the Houston Texans or who owns the Patriots,” he said. “Al doesn’t have anything but the team. It’s not that we didn’t want to sign him. We can’t sign him.”
By mid-August the other 31 players selected in the first round were signed and practicing with their new teams. Finally, on Sept. 12, with the Raiders already 0-1, Russell agreed to a then-rookie record six-year, $68 million contract with about $31 million guaranteed.
Backing up Josh McCown and then Culpepper, Russell made his debut in the second quarter of Game 12 before a standing ovation and his first start in Game 16. In 147 snaps his passer rating was 55.9.
“It was a total waste … a very unfair situation,” Kebric recalled. “He was brought in late to a situation where the head coach and the coordinator did not want him. He didn’t fit what they were doing.”
In 2008, Russell was the starter when Davis fired Kiffin after four games with an overall record of 5-15. If there was a high-water mark of Russell’s career, it would be the 27-16 victory over the Texans as a seven-point underdog in Game 15 and the 31-24 victory over the Bucs as an 11-point underdog in Game 16. It knocked the Bucs out of the playoffs and marked Gruden’s final game in Tampa Bay.
Russell’s completion percentage was just 53.8% in his second season, he fumbled 12 times and went 5-10 in 88.4% playing time, but at least there was some hope his career could become at least respectable.
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“Take a look at the last two games of the year and you think you have a star,” said Kebric. “Gruden told me the next spring, ‘You’ve got something special there.’”
During his three years in Oakland, Russell told Sports Illustrated’s L. Jon Wertheim in 2011 that 11 of his family members or friends died. In March 2009 his uncle, Ray-Ray, a major figure during his early and later years in Mobile, Ala., died while awaiting an organ transplant.
“The counselor in me says that when Ray-Ray died, it just floored JaMarcus,” Angela Stallings, a school psychologist and counselor at Russell’s middle school, told Mark Purdy of the San Jose Mercury News in 2010. “He lost his groundwire, so to speak.”
When Russell reported for the offseason program heading into the 2009 season, Kebric said he weighed slightly more than 300 pounds.
“He didn’t look good, he was out of shape,” said Kebric. “By then people had totally given up on him. At one point in time Al just realized he was wrong.
“He was not a highly motivated person. He was a lazy person. Nice guy. Very personable and outgoing. Really a good guy. Would do anything you asked him to do. But he just drifted.”
Tom Cable, who replaced Kiffin, benched Russell after nine games in favor of Bruce Gradkowski. Another journeyman, Charlie Frye, started the last three games rather than Russell. The Raiders finished 5-11, becoming the only team in league history to have seven consecutive seasons of at least 11 losses.
As the 2009 season ground down, a pro personnel director for an NFL team evaluated the 24-year-old Russell.
“He hasn’t shown the ability to build off 2008, where he flashed ability,” the executive wrote in his report. “He has the ability to make every possible throw. Very good touch on his short and deep passes. Has the ability to stretch the field with his big arm.
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“Poor body frame and conditioning. Hasn’t been able to grasp a leadership role. Looks confused and disinterested at times. Poor performances and too many critical mistakes. Poor mechanics. Sloppy playing style. Very loose with the ball in the pocket. Flat-footed style. His ball location is off. Takes sacks. Too high on his sideline throws. Bad accuracy when he goes to his second and third option.
“Disappointing player who has lost the confidence of his teammates.”
Russell reported back in spring 2010 before the Raiders traded for Washington’s Jason Campbell. On May 6, Russell was released. Since the common draft in 1967, only one other No. 1 overall draft choice was cut that quickly in his career. It was defensive tackle Steve Emtman, but his release was more the result of injuries than performance.
Two months later, Russell was arrested and charged with possession of a controlled substance after police in Mobile found codeine-laced syrup in his home. A grand jury declined to indict him.
Russell tried out for a few teams in 2010 and then the Bears in 2013 after his weight reportedly ballooned to 315. He wasn’t signed, in effect ending his football career.
His final passer rating was 65.2. His final completion percentage was 52.1%. His final record in 25 starts was 7-18. He fumbled 25 times.
“Like I told Al, we bring him to Oakland, give him $30 million and we let him run the streets of Oakland,” said Kebric. “He’s from the south. It’s a totally different mentality, Louisiana to Oakland, California.
“He wanted to be structured. I think JaMarcus respected the people at LSU. I don’t think he respected the people he was around (in Oakland). He knew that Lane didn’t like him. Cable was a total joke.
“He had great talent but he was mishandled from day one. We couldn’t sign him, and we gave him no discipline. If he didn’t have a diet to follow during the week he was going to end up at IHOP because that’s his background. We should have hired a dietician.
“LSU woke him up at 7 in the morning. Took him to breakfast, took him to study hall, take him to class, take him to the meetings and they put him to bed at night. We didn’t give him structure. It was a disaster.”
(Top photo: Allen Kee / WireImage)
Next up: Larry Fitzgerald