FanHouse Andrew Walter

A week ago, the Patriots had four quarterbacks on their roster -- Tom Brady found himself backed by Kevin O'Connell, Andrew Walter and rookie Brian Hoyer.

But then the Patriots cut ties with O'Connell and did the same with Walter on Friday -- leaving just Brady and Hoyer on the current depth chart. One need look no further than the 2008 Patriots season to know that a reliable backup quarterback is needed in the NFL. And no offense to Hoyer, who was 18 for 25 in the Patriots' final preseason game while taking every snap, but it's doubtful New England would feel too confident turning to him should the unthinkable happen to Brady again.

Al Davis loves speedy wide receivers and strong-armed quarterbacks. These are well-known facts that explain -- though don't justify -- many of the Raiders' draft-day decisions.

There was a time, 25 to 30 years ago, when Oakland's reliance on the deep pass was integral to its success. But defenses evolve to combat offensive advancements and what was in vogue a few seasons back will almost certainly be obsolete today.

It's an arms race. Unless you're Davis, who still has visions of Kenny Stabler or Jim Plunkett regularly connecting with Cliff Branch. Meanwhile, the reality is that the Raiders are one of the worst organizations in the league, and there's no reason to think that will change anytime soon.

Save the actual act of filling out the pink slip, Greg Ellis' 11-year career with the Cowboys is done. He was hailed as a team leader -- something the organization lacked in recent years -- and his DallasCowboys.com bio confirms as much:

"... Ellis has been a pillar of consistency and production for the Cowboys in his 10 seasons as an NFL player. Whether it be overcoming the adversity of a serious injury or making a position switch in the later stages of his career, Ellis has always responded."

But as you might have heard, the NFL is a business, and players -- even the good ones -- are sent on their way as soon as a coach, scout or owner determines they're no longer useful. And with 2007 first-round pick Anthony Spencer ready to assume Ellis' job, it was a relatively easy decision, at least from a business standpoint.

Despite what MIchael Vick told a judge in bankruptcy court last week, there's no way he plays another "10 to 12 years" in the NFL. In fact, there's a chance he never plays again if commissioner Roger Goodell chooses not to reinstate him.

That decision won't come till summer, but if Vick, who is nearing the end of a 23-month prison sentence in connection with dog-fighting, is allowed to return to the league, he'll almost certainly have suitors. And the Oakland Tribune's Jerry McDonald thinks that, under the right circumstances, he could be a good fit for the Raiders.

In the months and days leading up to the 2006 NFL Draft, most folks who know about such things figured Texas safety Michael Huff to be a top-10 pick. In looking back through the '06 draft mags, Pro Football Weekly and ESPN had Huff going seventh to the 49ers, and The Sporting News had the Lions taking him with the ninth selection.

In the end, the Raiders -- a team with needs, well, at just about every position -- drafted Huff seventh overall. And that, in all likelihood, was the highlight of his professional career. Huff started every game in '06 and '07, but only managed seven starts last season. In three years, he has 191 tackles and 17 passes defended but just one interception.

No team in the NFL has completed fewer passes this season than the Oakland Raiders, and frankly, it's not even close. That's probably not all that shocking to you, seeing as how JaMarcus Russell is a second-year quarterback, and the Raiders are, for the most part, a running team blessed with a deep backfield including Justin Fargas, Darren McFadden and Michael Bush. Naturally, like any team, they're going to stick with their strength.

Still, Russell has struggled at times, while also showing flashes of the potential that made him the No. 1 overall pick a year ago. Perhaps one of the problems he's dealing with this season is the fact his wide receivers are, well, for lack of a better word -- terrible.

Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee pointed out today that the Raiders haven't had more than one wide receiver catch a pass in a game in four weeks, and that Michael Bush, a 245-pound running back -- who is now playing fullback -- is second on the team with 18 receptions.

Sounds pretty bad. But it gets worse.

Normally, when teams hold an opposing quarterback to 7-for-27 passing and force four interceptions, they come out of the game on the winning end. Most teams, however, aren't the Oakland Raiders. Despite Jake Delhomme putting up the numbers shown above, the Panthers still managed to walk out of Oakland with a 17-6 win, in front of an announced crowd of 47,888, far short of a sellout. Games like this might be why guys are so willing to pay their way out of Oakland, I imagine.

So, anyway, as for the game itself ... I suppose it should be looked at as a positive that the Raiders saw, like, a 6000% increase in their first downs from a week ago, and actually managed to register a couple of field goals. However, when you consider how Delhomme, with four interceptions, tried to give the game to them, it has to be incredibly frustrating to still lose by 11.

Andrew Walter, making his first start of the season in place of the injured JaMarcus Russell, did his best to maintain the level of play Raiders fans have become accustomed to at the quarterback position, completing 14-of-32 for 143 yards, no touchdowns, and two interceptions.

For a team that has averaged fewer than four wins a season since their 2002 Super Bowl appearance, nothing should come as a surprise anymore. That said, the sight of the franchise quarterback missing practice to ice his arm must've been a tad disconcerting, if for no other reason than it led to thoughts of Andrew Walter -- or worse -- Aaron Brooks magically appearing under center to guarantee another 3.8-win season!

No worries, people. Everything's fine.

With JaMarcus Russell [icing his arm], it was because of an injury which caused him to miss his second straight practice. As of now, no one seems ready to call in Dr. Frank Jobe for consultation.

Coach Lane Kiffin said X-rays were "fine ... None whatsoever," Russell said when asked if there was anything to be overly concerned about. "I'm OK and I'm pretty happy."

Well, if Russell's happy, we should be, too, I guess. That said, the 2007 first-overall pick admitted that his elbow was "stiff and swollen" after throwing a few passes in a Tuesday morning practice, before the team decided to shut it down.

This only looks like a short-term setback, but if, God forbid, Russell is out of action for an extended period, might I recommend this fine gentleman as his replacement?

Disaster averted. On Monday there was a reports baseless speculation that JaMarcus Russell, the Raiders first-overall pick last year, was as big as a house. Nobody had seen him this off-season, which led to the assumption that he must weigh 400 pounds. Naturally.

Well, even though one team official told the Oakland Tribune's Jerry McDonald that he "didn't have a clue" what Russell had been up to or what he might weigh, we now know that he looks a lot more like Buddy Love than Sherman Klump.

JaMarcus Russell does not weigh 300 pounds and he has worked out at team headquarters since season's end, two team officials said Tuesday. They were addressing multiple Internet stories about rumors that Russell was pushing three bills and was MIA in Alameda this offseason.

"Ridiculous," said a front-office employee, speaking on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to speak on the issue. "JaMarcus is nowhere near that. He's been here. He's been working out. He's in great shape. "That's something everyone's going to see at our first minicamp."

That's a relief. Although, it's kinda curious that several players told McDonald that they hadn't seen Russell at the team facilities since the season ended. Whatever, it doesn't really matter; plus, we'll know soon enough when minicamps open in the weeks following the draft. In the meantime, the Raiders are looking for Russell's backup. And once again, it looks like Andrew Walter won't be that guy. Great use of a third-round pick, that.

Artist rendering of what JaMarcus Russell might look like today.

SI.com's Don Banks, in going through the oh-so-productive exercise of grading free agency a week after it began, offers this unsubstantiated nugget:

At this point, quarterback is again a concern, because no one knows if JaMarcus Russell is ready to take over the starting job. There are rumors that he's close to 300 pounds and not exactly prepared for his close-up.

Apparently, Russell isn't so grotesquely overweight that he's remained virtually invisible this off-season. According the Oakland Tribune's Jerry McDonald, nobody's seen Russell since January and therefore it's, you know, kinda hard to gauge exactly what he looks like. "I talked to someone else in the organization whose business it would be to know Russell's current level of conditioning, and got nothing but a shrug. Didn't have a clue."

Whatever Russell weighs, the fact that he's holed up at an undisclosed location is another issue. McDonald has talked to several players who work out at the team facilities and none of them have seen Russell. Although, like Banks, they "are extremely curious to find out [what he looks like]."

I'm guessing Russell shows up at minicamp pushing four bills in part of some elaborate scheme to give owner Al Davis even more reason to fires that shiftless layabout, Lane Kiffin. And then the team will rightfully be in the capable hands of Andrew Walter. (Until he's sacked to death behind that offensive line, anyway.)