JaMarcus off-target? That's accurate

<p>ALAMEDA — What's wrong with JaMarcus?</p><p>Solve that riddle, and you may have a future on the Raiders' coaching staff, or in their front office.</p><p>So many things have gone right for Oakland in its first two games of 2009 — solid pass blocking, an improved run defense, the arrival of Richard Seymour, the reinvention of safety Michael Huff. But the starting quarterback, rather than being on the front edge of a revitalization, seems to be holding this team back.</p><p>After a narrow loss to San Diego and an equally tight win at Kansas City, Russell ranks 30th in the NFL in passer rating (at 46.6, ahead of only Carolina's Jake Delhomme and Detroit rookie Matthew Stafford) and has by far the lowest completion percentage (35.2). He has rallied the offense for late, potentially game-winning touchdowns in each game, proving his grit. But his inaccuracy is starting to scare a lot of people who wear silver and black.</p><p>“There's a lot of things that go into that,” Russell explained. “Things that most of the people don't really see. You know, what if a guy puts his hands up in your face, (and you) don't really see where a guy's going? ... . But it's just something a guy goes through. It's not going to be a cakewalk all the time.”</p><p>Everybody seems to have an opinion on what, precisely, is going wrong.</p><p>That includes former Raiders quarterback Rich Gannon. Speaking on his NFL Sirius radio show, he told of breaking down Russell's throws in detail, grouping them by formation, by down-and-distance, by length of drop, by rollout, play-action, etc. Gannon noticed several deficiencies.</p><p>The CBS analyst, who will cover the Raiders-Broncos game this Sunday — though you won't see it on local TV; the game is blacked out — pointed out, among other tidbits, that Russell doesn't bend his knees enough, telegraphs his throws and passes too often from his back foot, causing his ball to sail high. If you have watched the Raiders' first two games, it's hard to refute Gannon's assessment. An analysis by Stats LLC found that 31.5 percent of Russell's attempts this season resulted in bad throws — again, a league worst.</p><p>“Fundamentally, right now, he is not very sound,” Gannon said. “His mechanics, his footwork, it's inconsistent.”</p><p>Russell is not a rookie anymore. Now in his third season, he is expected to show some of the skill and leadership that made him the first overall pick in the 2007 draft. During the exhibition season, the Raiders were convinced they had seen improvement. Lately, the 260-pound QB has regressed.</p><p>“That's an accurate assessment, because we really felt like we were making some real strides, and the area (I'm referring to) was anticipation and turning the ball loose and trusting,” passing game coordinator Ted Tollner said Thursday. “Are (the receivers) going to be where they belong? Can I turn it loose when the coaches want me, or do I have to wait and use my big arm? ... We made strides, and last week we fell back in all those areas. That's disappointing to all of us.”</p><p>As they always have, Russell's coaches and teammates are rallying around him. The consensus explanation here is that, while the quarterback has been far from perfect lately, he is by no means alone. His young receivers are equally culpable, and the passing offense as a whole has yet to click.</p><p>“I feel he's doing fine, honestly,” rookie receiver Louis Murphy said. “We've had some dropped balls. Nobody's mentioned any of the dropped balls. Nobody's mentioned the wrong routes. JaMarcus, he's taking a lot of slack, a lot of criticism for our lack of play, too, — as receivers, running backs, the entire offense, O-line.”</p><p>Which of course is part of the bargain. Attention always lands on the quarterback, whether a team is winning or losing. Russell understands that, and his confidence never appears to waver — one reason he has been able to rally the offense for those late comebacks after slow starts.</p><p>There are other reasons for optimism. If Russell has mechanical flaws, they would seem to be correctable. And as Gannon noted, Russell has one of the game's most renowned quarterbacks coaches in Paul Hackett.</p><p>On the other hand, this isn't simply a matter of identifying and fine-tuning a few technical difficulties. Some NFL quarterbacks simply get it; some don't. In Year 3, it still isn't clear which camp Russell falls into. And having already invested somewhere in the range of $50 million in this one player, the Raiders need to see some major progress soon.</p><p>“Accuracy can come with repetitions and confidence. It can,” Tollner said. “But when guys are open, you've got to hit 'em. ... Whether your footwork is right, whether you're off-balance, whether there is some pressure, this is the NFL and that's the standard we're trying to get to.”</p><h3>EXTRA POINTS</h3> <p>LG Robert Gallery (fibula), WR Chaz Schilens (foot), FS Hiram Eugene (calf) and WR Nick Miller (shin) did not practice, and all of them are likely to miss the Broncos game. Schilens hopes to run on grass this week, and to resume practice next week in anticipation of the Week 4 game at Houston.</p><p>WR Johnnie Lee Higgins (shoulder) was limited in practice, but coach Tom Cable expects him to both line up at receiver and return punts Sunday.</p><p>Erik Pears has been tabbed to start in place of Gallery, and Michael Huff gets the call to sub for Eugene.</p><p>This is the first time the Raiders have failed to sell out a home game vs. Denver since Nov. 30, 2003.</p><p>You can reach Staff Writer Phil Barber at 521-5263 or phil.barber@pressdemocrat.com.</p>