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.

They say you should never kick a man when he’s down. Well then, just when would you recommend kicking Ryan Leaf? Only time that dude is up is when he’s got a fistful of boosted meds.

Seemingly all of the media was all too eager to write the Ryan Leaf redemption story. He had a book, a job and a whole lot of lies to sell.

As if Leaf didn’t want his legacy as biggest NFL bust ever to be lost in the $30-million committed to JaMarcus Russell the former Charger bust went out and got himself arrested twice in the last four days on burglary charges. Let that sink in for a hot second.

Whatever snake oil Leaf was selling to get himself on the TV book tour must have been stolen too. Say whatever you will of Russell and his near brush with the codeine cops but for the most part all he’s done was suck at football. Leaf is a failure in life.

Yes, I am getting on my high horse on this one. Not because I’m better than Leaf and have no issues in my own life. But because I embrace my problems and don’t act as if everything is just fine. Leaf has constantly been given the benefit of the doubt by countless enablers. He had the national sports media convinced all was well even though he had been arrest free for barely one year. Now all of this happens.

This by no means is meant to be an endorsement of Russell. Last time I checked the only reason any of us cares about Russell or Leaf is because they once played a game called football.  Russell was a bust of epic proportions so too was Leaf. No debating that. It is not a source of pride that Russell owns the silver medal in draft busts.

Fact of the matter is the title for biggest bust is still being worn around the waist of Leaf. We can debate stats and all that jazz but the Ryan Leaf tale (the real one, not the one ESPN shoved down our throats) is a tragic noir while Russell’s story is nothing more than a comical farce.

Mark Davis and Reggie McKenzie are out to redefine the Raiders. (Photo: Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-US PRESSWIRE)

Reggie McKenzie is not messing around. Neither is Mark Davis, that’s why he hired McKenzie. Since McKenzie’s arrival the only thing constant has been change and that’s not going to change anytime soon. Not with a long list of overpaid and underperforming players still collecting checks in Oakland.

Yesterday’s abrupt release of Stanford Routt said it all.

Yes, Raider Nation, we’re looking at another rebuilding process. Get your winter rations ready because we could be weathering another chilling season of football.

McKenzie and Mark Davis are out to undo the financial damage caused by Al Davis. Yes, Al was a football mind unlike any other and he did have this franchise headed in the right direction. Problem is Al Davis also had a burning desire to win his way. Ironic when you consider that iconic motto of ‘Just win, baby’. In reality it should read ‘Just win the Al Davis way, baby’.

Davis still had a sharp eye for talent. Nobody else in the football world saw a shutdown corner in a safety at Cal-Berkley named Nnamdi Asomugha. Davis did. Nobody else was willing to give Michael Bush a paid year of rehab just to kick the tires on a Heisman candidate turned project. David did.

Davis also did plenty of babying for his pet projects. Nobody else would have insisted on JaMarcus Russell being forced into a role he was nowhere near prepared for. Davis did. Nobody else would have rewarded numerous defensive players with handsome raises despite some very underwhelming performances. Davis did.

Al Davis was many things to football and was everything to the Oakland Raiders. For better or worse, things were done the Davis way. When the Davis method worked it was maverick genius and football poetry. When the Davis method fell flat, it was a football hell reserved for Lions fans and supporters of Ryan Leaf.
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