Should the Prince of the Purple Stuff be unable to come up with the cash in the next three months, his dream home will be put up for public auction.

Which begs the question: who really wants to live in the former home of JaMarcus Russell? To me it would be the NFL version of the Amityville Horror. Only instead of the spirits of a murdered family terrorizing the inhabitants of the house it would be the millions of hopes of Raider Nation slaughtered by Russell that would haunt the new dwellers.

I know, I’m beating a dead manatee…err…horse.

But hey, I’ve got a right to. I had this dude’s back like Starter jacket and all he did was slack off worse than Kevin Federline on EDD checks with a pound of Purple Kush.

I’m guessing Russell underestimated his ability to find future employment once he was removed from the teat of Al Davis. Funny thing about the NFL is that it is an unforgiving business. Much like the business of money lending. Life lessons JaMarcus is content to learn the hard way.

Personally, I feel like the bank should take back Russell’s home and just leave it empty. It would be a testament to the manner in which he left the Oakland Coliseum on most Sundays with 5 minutes left in the fourth quarter.

Here in Los Angeles, mid-way through the third quarter, CBS took the Raider game off the air in favor of the Detroit Lions.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: The Oakland Raiders do not deserve to play in the NFL.

Sad efforts like the pathetic 44-7 loss to the New York Giants today barely merit membership in the UFL.

Ahmad Bradshaw had more total yards by himself than the Raiders, out gaining the Silver and Black 165 to 124. The most crushing of his large gains was a 55-yard reception when Bradshaw converted a 3^rd and 24 on a screen pass thanks in part to outside linebacker Ricky Brown going down injured.

How can we add insult to injury?

That is now four consecutive games in which Tom Cable’s play calling has produced less than 200 yards of total offense. Nothing is working. The running game is non-existent. The passing game is laughable. The play calling is unimaginative. The opponents can see what’s coming from a mile away.

The injuries along the offensive line haven’t helped any but neither has the coaching staff. The only adjustment the coaching staff is making right about now is updating their resumes. Cable shoulders the blame as the man who sits atop the pile of toxic waste that is Raider football in 2009. However, the head coach is not alone.

JaMarcus Russell’s work ethic would only impress Kevin Federline. Not cutting Russell any slack, but I don’t think working with Paul Hackett is something that would motivate anybody to clock in early and stay late. Hackett is quarterback kryptonite.

Hackett nearly pissed away a Heisman trophy winner in Carson Palmer at USC. Were it not for Norm Chow, Palmer would be playing in Canada.

The good news is that JaMarcus won round one of the Bust Bowl as he bested former number one oveall selection David Carr. Carr entered the game in the second quarter in relief of Eli Manning who was forced to be benched thanks to Tom Coughlin honoring the mercy rule.

Carr had a victory clearly in hand until he had a moment of madness and actually scrambled for a touchdown. Plays like that are the reason why Carr will never be able to take down Ryan Leaf as the greatest bust to ever play quarterback. Carr needs to carefully study Russell’s three fumbles today if he wants pointers on how to be epically awful.

Fixing JaMarcus Russell seems as futile as expecting the Raiders to beat the Eagles in Oakland next Sunday; not that it is impossible, it’s just that the coaching staff has no clue how to do it.  

It would seem that Al Davis has finally taken control of Cable’s mind. The scary thought is that Davis might have unknowingly created a monster. Cable appears to have gone rogue like that jet in the classic Jamie Foxx film Stealth (What can I say? A crappy analogy about a crappy movie for a crappy team). Even if Davis phoned in the benching of Russell, Cable would continue to roll the dice on his young QB, leaving him in the game to fumble like an amputee trying to catch a golf ball coated in Crisco. The head coach’s tunnel vision has the top pick in 2010 clearly in sight.

Bruce Gradkowski might not be the answer to the offensive woes, but the Raiders should feel obligated to find out.

If there is a way for this team to become even worse, it can be found in the dark thoughts that flood the mind of Paul Hackett. Hackett has what it takes to make the firing of Tom Walsh look controversial.

With the possibility of Cable being either fired, jailed or suspended, it would seem only a matter of time until Hackett is the newest marionette on the Oakland sideline.  

Get your stale popcorn ready, we’re just over ¼ of the way through the season.

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Davis has done little to thank Raider Nation for their support.

By the time John Herrera finishes reading this, I have no doubt my name will be listed alongside that of Rich Gannon as banned from the Oakland Coliseum.

Of course, Al Davis would be doing me and my wallet a favor by keeping me out of his house of football pain.

My support for the Silver and Black will never change. I will always spend my Sundays in the fall cheering on my team, for better or for worse. For my words, I’ll be praised by Raider Haters and bashed by Raider faithful.

However, just because I support the Raiders does not mean I have to support the owner. Between the two I’ve drawn a line and I am not alone.

If Al Davis assumes that his fan base will continue to support blindly, then he is as foolish as he is arrogant.

It is a safe bet that unless Roger Goodell has mercy on the Bay Area, not another Raider home game will be seen locally on television. For those who cannot connect the dots, this means you can expect a lot of empty seats in the Coliseum this year.

Losing is part of the game. Aside from the ’72 Dolphins, no professional football team has gone through a year without tasting defeat. I can accept losing. What I cannot accept is a constant cycle of losing brought on by out dated policies, irrational personnel decisions and wretched abuse of the fans.

Professional sports are entertainment. Albeit, the pinnacle of entertainment.

Professional sports are also a sacrifice. Those who play and coach the game sacrifice their minds and bodies for the sport they love. Fans sacrifice their time and money for the team they choose to support.

In return, all the players, coaches and fans alike request is that ownership shows them respect and appreciation.

Al Davis is a giant in the sports world. Without him, professional football would not be the cash cow and backbone of the American landscape that it is. Soon, he’ll find out that all those consumers whom he fought so hard for to give them the quality product they deserved will have forgotten his glorious past. 

Davis has done much for Raider Nation. But this is a what have you done for me lately business. Lately, business has been horrible and Davis has done little to change that.

Raider fans were willing to be patient after that horrific loss to Chucky in the Super Bowl. We all knew that the Raiders were a veteran team who were going to have to rebuild on the fly. The painful end to Rich Gannon’s career also meant that getting a new face of the franchise was on the to-do-list. So far, JaMarcus Russell is as close to being a franchise quarterback as General Motors is to being a franchise worth investing in again.

Six years removed from the Barret Robbins debacle and we’re all feeling manic.

If the Raiders have not hit rock bottom it is only because the team still exists. At this rate, the Oakland Raiders are quickly becoming the Leeds United of American football.

There are no more positives to be found in any way. There is no reason to get your hopes up on any given Sunday. There really is no reason other than pride to support this franchise any longer.

None the less, I’ll still be up bright and early on Sunday, at a local bar, proudly supporting my team in what seems like an eminent embarrassing loss to the New York Giants.

From here on out, I’ll gladly support local business on Sundays as opposed to Al Davis. My money is no longer funding a franchise with delusions of grandeur.

Again, I know I am not alone and if Al Davis thinks I am, just wait until he sees the sea of empty seats on Sunday, October 18^th.

We don’t ask for much as Raider fans. Just give us a team whose effort we can appreciate. Wins will come if the right approach is taken. Right now, that approach is nothing more than a thoughtless assemblage of players and coaches passed off as an excuse to get season ticket holders to cough up cash in an economy in worse shape than Kevin Federline.

I know I am not alone when saying this even if I’m the only one who is speaking up.

There is too much talent on this team for one player to hold it back. JaMarcus Russell better start taking his job seriously before he doesn’t have one any longer.

There is too much support for this team for one owner to run it into the ground. Al Davis had better start taking Raider Nation serious before he doesn’t have enough sustainable income to keep his franchise afloat.

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