Way back when, during a time we once referred to as the “NFL Lockout”, our friends over at Side Lion Report reached out to do a little Q&A about the December 18^th Raiders-Lions clash. I made a not-so-bold claim stating that the contest would feature playoff implications.

Well…wouldn’t you know it…

Here we are, with two teams squaring off. At stake? You guessed it. A chance to be playing in the New Year.

Wait a minute…Am I failing to follow my own mantra? I’m looking backwards.

Hey, I’m not Tim Tebow. I don’t walk on water. I do make mistakes from time to time.

I guess more than anything else I’m just proud. Proud that we’re this late in the season and all that hope has been given real life.

Now, I’m not exactly thrilled with the way the Silver and Black have slid recently. Those memories are ones I’d hope to never remember. That being said I’m reminded of a phrase once used to describe Phil Jackson: “For PJ, the destination was the journey.”

This is all part of the process. Rome wasn’t built in a day. David Lean’s entire library can’t be watched in one night. A football season is 16 games long.
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And so it came to pass that the final week of March, in 2009, was spent lampooning Raider quarterback JaMarcus Russell.

With each passing day, another website would publish a diatribe against the former number one overall selection in the 2007 draft.

One site explained why Matt Cassel was better than Russell and yet another one twisted the words of his head coach into an assault on Russell’s absence from the first week of voluntary workouts.

Let it be known that a retraction, of sorts, was issued as word came out that Russell was excused from the first week to be with his mother as she was undergoing surgery.

While he was not a rookie in 2008, Russell was a first year starter having played in just 4 games in 2007 and starting just one.

None the less, the desire to see the Raider quarterback fail is the impetus behind most of the published reports and articles. For the majority of the sports world outside of Oakland, there is a fascination with seeing a number one pick go “bust”. Until he wins and is a proven leader, Russell is not a story unless there is evidence that he’s heading down the Ryan Leaf path.

The following quotes were spoken by Tom Cable at the owners’ meetings this week:

 ”If (Russell) can accept the responsibility of being an NFL quarterback, I think that’s working more, working harder, working longer than everybody else, accepting the responsibility that his teammates look to him as the face of the organization, that he has to go above and beyond almost on a daily basis, I think comes with that position, whether that’s right or wrong, that’s what it is. If he can accept that, he will be fine.”

Many took Cable’s words and ran with them. Making it seem as if the head coach was disappointed with Russell and, in some Phil Jackson type manner, was using the media to send a message to his young quarterback. Since the end of the season, Russell has been a fixture at the Raider facility in Alameda. His absence has been only to undergo ankle surgery and to be with his mother.

It is obvious that much is expected of Russell in 2009. Cable’s words were not meant to distance him from his quarterback – don’t mistake this for a Jay Cutler/Josh McDaniels scenario. Instead, Cable is merely trying to keep the NFL’s youngest starting quarterback hungry and humble. Asking more of your players is what every great coach does. If you think that Bill Belichick isn’t constantly challenging Tom Brady to be better and work harder, then you know nothing of the business of professional sports and must work for Donald Sterling.

Lost in all the infatuation with rookies Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco leading their teams to the playoffs was a string of three games that put the NFL on alert to what Russell is capable of. JaMarcus threw for 626 yards, completed 63% of his passes and tossed 6 touchdowns to just two interceptions. More importantly, the Raiders won two of those final three games.

JaMarcus has room for improvement, this is clear. He has proven very little at this point. Aside from that amazing arm – one that Phil Simms referred to as legendary – JaMarcus has proven to be smart with the football. Throwing just 8 interceptions all year long says Russell is more likely to throw the ball away or is putting it in areas where no defensive player has a chance to make a play on it. Some can be attributed to his inaccuracies in the passing game. However, it cannot be dismissed as simply being a result of wild throws. His decision making is much better than he is credited for.

His growth throughout 2008 was impressive when one considers that he had to adjust to two different head coaches and two different play callers. The receiving core was shuffled each week and Zach Miller was the lone constant. Injuries to Justin Fargas and first round selection Darren McFadden meant he had little support from the running game on any given week.

Still, there is work to be done, none can argue that.

Russell is fumble prone and must prove he can be relied on for taking care of the football when under pressure. There is, after all, an art to knowing how to take a sack (see Ben Roethlisberger). This is the NFL, no matter how great your offensive line is, as a QB, you’re going to be under constant pressure. JaMarcus is going to have to read and react much quicker as well. Getting the ball out of your hands in a timely matter, making quick reads and being calm under pressure is what separates the Dan Marinos from the Kerry Collins of the NFL.

There are great expectations on JaMarcus. A man known for his kind demeanor is going to have to find a voice that garners respect in addition to likeability.

Don’t mistake “room for improvement” with “failure”. Any pro that does not have room for improvement is on their way out the door whether via retirement or lack of skill. 

Those who expect an instant return on investment are living in a video game world. The NFL becomes more complex with each passing year. Success, for quarterbacks, comes over the length of a career and not in one excused absence from a week of voluntary workouts. Troy Aikman was 0-11 as a rookie, John Elway floated balls all over the field in route to completing just 47% of his passes in his first year and Peyton Manning tossed 28 interceptions as a first year starter while winning just 3 of 16 starts.

Those who are looking for an early sign of failure have tunnel vision and cannot examine the big picture. Matt Cassel was not a rookie; he studied under Tom Brady and played with a team one year removed from going 16-0 before being given the keys to Kansas City. Matt Ryan had the NFL’s second best rusher behind him and Joe Flacco was backed by a defense capable of washing away rookie mistakes.

Every quarterback receives criticism and therefore walks alone, but no successful quarterback does it by themselves and therefore cannot win alone.

Tom Cable speaks with a calming, measured, tone in press conferences. When hearing him give such a glaring review of Marquis Cooper, during what must have been such a tough topic to grasp, one begins to understand the affinity that the 2008 Raiders developed for their then interim head coach.

The re-signings of Shane Lechler and Nnamdi Asomugha were the first indications that the “Cable Effect” was in full swing.  

Yesterday proved yet another host of Raiders are drinking the Cable Kool-Aid as reports of Justin Fargas, Robert Gallery and (gasp!) Javon Walker all restructured their contracts to remain in the Silver and Black family.

One could argue that players become willing to restructure when they know it is unlikely that they’ll receive a comparable salary on the open market. In this case I choose to believe that the rumors of Raider turmoil have quelled under the watchful eye of Coach Cable. A healthy environment is slowly growing, providing incentive for players to remain in Oakland.

I am a devout fan and know all too well that things can look sunny in March, yet turn gloomy come October.

The question begs to be asked, and I hate to have to pose it: Will Al Davis remain patient during this process or will his desire to see instant results create more turnover in the near future?

Though I give little credence to the T.O. rumors circulating, I do understand where they stem from. So far, the Mickey Mouse ears that sit atop the heads of the anchors on the Entertainment Sports Network are the main culprits of the “T.O. to Oakland” flames being fanned.

To invite Terrell Owens into Tom Cable’s locker room would be a public slap in the face. A roster move as such would undermine all the work he has done to establish a voice in the Raider organization.

While I hate to continue to harp on the T.O. topic, it bears discussion.

Owens is no longer the same player. If he were, Jerry Jones would have sought fare compensation instead of opting for taking the $9 million cap bath. In addition to his diminished skills, Owens brings a media cavalry everywhere he goes that rivals Britney Spears.

While some believe he might be able to calm his egomaniacal nature to help preserve team chemistry, none can argue that players will grow tired of dealing with the press and their incessant questioning.

Football is unlike any other sport in the world. In contrast to baseball and basketball, where Phil Jackson and Joe Torre have a long season to iron out character issues, a 16 game slate is a much smaller window. In the NFL, a rough patch can quickly become a downward spiral, eventually unraveling into an epic meltdown (see Dallas 2008).   

There are more than 50 players on an NFL roster and if the head coach has to spend more time dealing with one player than the rest, chemistry problems are bound to arise.

Thus far, the patient approach that the front office has undertaken in evaluating talent – both on the roster and in free agency – has shown a real departure from mistakes made in the past.

Still, one must wonder what the reaction might be should this team begin the 2009 season slowly. Will Mr. Davis continue to shorten the leash on Coach Cable? Is it possible that the Raider brass might become enamored with a notion that one player could take the team to new heights instantly?

As things stand, most Raider fans will tell you that the new attitude around the franchise has been refreshing. But that attitude means little if the higher-ups suddenly do an about-face and decide that the time is now.

Sometimes it takes the tempering of expectations in order to attain success. This could mean settling for enduring the mistakes made by young players during their growth process over handing out large contracts for malcontent veterans in hopes of garnering wins immediately.