Raiders finally fire Kiffin

[GTripp0012]

It wasn't just Lane Kiffin. Some of our own Warpathers were a bit perplexed with the top of the draft in 2007 as well:

Originally Posted by hooskins 4/22/07

I mean is [JaMarcus Russell] really that much better? Quinn has more experience, NFL style offense in ND, incredible stats, and smarts. Is the whole "big game" thing holding him back?

Any experts here want to explain this to me?

Originally Posted by dmek

I'm not an expert, but i can see Russell being an NFL bust. i really think Quinn will be a pretty good pro. thank god we aren't the team making that choice

Originally Posted by SmootSmack

I think Edwards and Stanton might even be as good as Russell on the pro level.

Originally Posted by GTripp0012

Ya know, Hooskins--you'd think the year Peyton Manning of all people won the super bowl, the big game arguement would get pissed down the drain as the worthless piece of garbage it is.

[Scouts] are unwilling to learn from their mistakes

I like the Raiders. Always have to a degree. And if they don't take Quinn, I'd consider it a draft error.

But I've given up on their ability to make intelligent decisions as a franchise.

I think, based on his college production, that Russell will have a very similar career path to Rex Grossman.

Originally Posted by skinsfan_nn

If we were drafting a QB, I would only hope we would take Quinn over Russell. IMO there is a good chance Russell will be the next Leaf.

http://www.thewarpath.net/nfl-draft-...han-quinn.html

In the same thread, skinsfan69 asserted that Derek Anderson could really play, and regardless of what we think of his NFL future, that's the closest to a prediction of his 2007 season as we have ever seen.

Basically, I think Al Davis is correct in a lot of what he does, however, this twilight portion of his career will be defined by how JaMarcus Russell turns out.

I'm going to bold this paragraph because its a critical point: What JaMarcus Russell had in Lane Kiffin was a coach who understood that his Quarterback had serious limitations, and built an offense around his running game in which Russell could enjoy early-career success.

Without Kiffin, Russell loses his safety net, and without those wide open receivers in man coverage, I think the Raiders' passing game is really in trouble. Not just for this year, but as long as Russell is the Quarterback.

Prediction: These past games will end up as the best 4 game stretch of Russell's career.