Oakland Raiders finally show timed passing game

This blog post was written in the head of this blogger before it was obvious the Oakland Raiders were going to win their first 2010 NFL Preseason game, 17 to 9, against the Dallas Cowboys under the Hue Jackson / Jason Campbell offensive regime. Because, even with dropped and tipped passes, what was most interesting and pleasing about the Oakland Raiders, was the real, timed, precision passing attack.

What was impressive was that from the snap of the football, to the quarterback's footwork, to the quarterback's hitch step, to the throw, to the receiver's routes, the Oakland Raiders quarterbacks are obviously drilled in the classic Bill Walsh fashion, with the objective of getting the ball out of the quarterback's hands and to the receiver as quickly as possible as part of a timed set of movements between passer and catcher.

Yes, Jason Campbell completed 7 of 13 passes. Yes, Darrius Heyward-Bey didn't have a catch. But the passes got out of the quarterback's hands with remarkable quickness, and little wasted movement.

It didn't matter if it was Campbell or Carrie Prejean's husband Kyle Boller at the helm, the passing personality was the same. Once the little things like the kind of pass thrown and how high it's delivered are worked out, the Raiders will be ready for what's going to be a good year.

Jamarcus Russell's not the issue

But the entire difference in the Oakland Raiders offense is that it's the most efficient in the passing game it's been since the John Gruden / Bill Callahan era. It's not that Jamarcus Russell isn't there, because if Russell's head was in the game, as some claim it was not, he too would have been part of this new approach for the Oakland Raiders' offense.

What you will pay attention to is what happens when the ball gets to the receiver; what I'm paying attention to is what happens to cause the ball to get to the receiver; that's the big difference in this 2010 team.

Oakland Raiders fans should be excited for what's to come, because with more practice and a clear offensive game plan (it was preseason) the Raiders' passing game will be so hard to defense, it will be lethal.

Indeed, it already is.

Jamarcus Russell - former Oakland Raiders QB in court

Image via Wikipedia

The sad story of Oakland Raiders 2007 NFL 1st Round Draft Pick Quarterback Jamarcus Russell continues. Jamarcus Russell appeared in court Wednesday, in Mobile, Alabama. According to WKRG via Pro Football Talk, a friend, Marcus Stevenson, tried to take the fall for Russell.

When he did that, Stevenson was arrested on a charge of possession of a controlled substance, as PFT reports. But the WKRG report is more interesting:

Stevenson, when questioned by prosecutors, said he and Russell had partied at clubs the night before and returned home around 7:00 am on July 5th. "We were still hanging out," said Stevenson, who told the judge that Russell took a woman to his bedroom when he went to sleep in the early hours of the morning. The woman was gone before police arrived that afternoon, according to the testimony.

If you're reading that, are you thinking perhaps the woman had something to do with the police bust? Also, it's obvious Jamarcus Russell was in a state of denial about his future, electing to party like a rock star after his ouster by the Oakland Raiders.


WKRG.com News

Additionally, Jamarcus Russell seems to have talked one of his friends into taking the fall for him. Jamarcus Russell pleaded not guilty last month to one count of possession of a controlled substance.

And regarding his NFL and pro football career, Russell rejected an offer from the UFL to join a team in that league. Instead, another former Raider Jeff Garcia, will join the UFL.