The name JaMarcus Russell will forever be the albatross around the neck of the Oakland Raiders franchise. It seems no matter how far removed we are from JaMistake the longer his shadow grows. Until Oakland rises from the ashes of this dismal decade the name of Russell will haunt our Silver and Black dreams.

Of course if some other sucker makes the unimaginable mistake of giving Russell another NFL check then the curse of JaBust will be lifted.

Thankfully the New York Jets exist. Hopefully the reports of their interest in Russell are real. Maybe the best thing that could happen to Raider Nation is the worst thing possible to happen to the career of Mark Sanchez.

No secrets the Jets were a mess in 2012. The Tim Tebow circus came to town and before you can say biggest draft bust ever Russell-mania could be on the way as well.

But hey one man’s trash is another’s treasure…so they say. Russell recently expressed his desire to get back into the game and judging by his 300-pound physique you know he’s serious. Maybe nothing will come of this but if nothing else just know the reality of Russell retuning to the NFL is becoming very possible.

Just when you thought he would disappear forever JaMarcus Russell has reemerged from the depths of football obscurity thanks to a piece penned by Kristian Dyer of Yahoo! in which the former draft bust proclaims his desire to mount a comeback. Russell is said to be getting himself in shape which is definitely a relative term.

According to the article Russell currently tips the scales at 308 down from 320. So obviously he’s taking this effort very seriously.  He’s also working out with LSU alum and former NFL receiver Mike Clayton and will eventually make his way to the TEST football academy where a team of former athletes and a full training staff will get Russell ready for the greatest challenge of his…ummm…career?

The cynic in me wants to lampoon Russell like Manti Te’o in a celebrity roast. However I do sincerely hope Russell finds something in him that will fuel his passions.

If I’m being honest I don’t see any way in which Russell ever makes it back to the NFL as anything more than an emergency QB. Not only does he have a long way to go in order to get into playing shape but he’s years behind the NFL learning curve now. With all the success rookie QBs are having these days who is going to spend an hour on a project veteran?

That said if the only thing that comes of this process is Russell finally challenging himself, getting in shape and hopefully realizing he has a life ahead of him that requires effort to accomplish his goals then it will be worth it. Although something tells me this might be more about Russell’s need for income than his supposed love of the game.

But that’s just the cynic in me talking. Hard to quiet that voice when the name JaMarcus Russell pops up.

Andrew Weber-US PRESSWIRE

Not that it matters in the grand scheme of things but Brian Billick says his Baltimore Ravens had JaMarcus Russell as the “highest rated player” he’d ever seen on a draft board. Now Billick’s admission means little to nothing. It’s not like his testimony will hold up in court should Mark Davis seek legal action to recoup the $30-millon Russell jacked from the Oakland Raiders.

NFL.com is doing a draft do-over series and naturally they’ve got the Raiders talking Calvin Johnson in their 2007 mulligan. It is all too easy to look back at it and see what Megatron has done and where Russell is to make that assessment.

It is also all too easy to make jokes at the expense of the Raiders and Al Davis for the disaster that was JaWalrus. Now Davis bears plenty of blame for his enabling of Russell. But as far as drafting Russell number one overall goes, that is a mistake plenty of NFL teams would have made if given the chance.

Who wasn’t blown away by Russell’s performance against Brady Quinn in his final collegiate game? Many are on record saying JaMarcus had the best pro day anyone has ever seen of a quarterback.

To be fair there were also those that saw just who Russell really was and advised against giving him a huge contract. But the talent was real. When he actually tried JaMarcus showed a real knack for playing the position including some clutch performances during his short career.

As stated previously none of this matters. The facts are what they are and were it not for Ryan Leaf’s Hudson Hawk routine then Russell would be the de facto biggest draft bust ever.

What this does illustrate is just how big a gamble the NFL draft is. All the so-called experts were lining up to praise Russell the day he was draft. Mel Kiper compared J-Russ to John Elway before he even crossed the stage to shake the commissioner’s hand. Once Russell ended his holdout and got to taking snaps all of a sudden all those so-called analysts began to distance themselves by moving on to the next flavor of the month.

Billick’s admission was related to all of the hype surrounding Texas A&M prospect Ryan Tannehill who has shot into the top 10 in many mock drafts. Nobody is saying Tannehill is the next Russell but the risk is always there. Just don’t expect the men who hyped up Tannehill to own it if the Miami Dolphins use their pick on the new Ryan Leaf.