This week's issue of Sports Illustrated contains a profile of former Raiders QB JaMarcus Russell, the top pick of the 2007 draft and arguably the biggest Round 1 bust in NFL history.
By Kirby Lee, US Presswire
"I stuck my neck out for him," Russell says of Cable, who parted with the then Russell-less Raiders following the 2010 season.
"Didn't complain when he benched me as the starter. Didn't complain when he called the same plays five damn times. Didn't (badmouth) him to other coaches. When the (media) asks me, I say, 'He's a good coach, a good guy.' Then I hear he says I was the worst thing ever happened to the Raiders, if it weren't for him we'd be in the playoffs?
"It just got to where the game wasn't fun for me."
The Raiders let Russell go after acquiring QB Jason Campbell in 2010. In three seasons, Russell won just seven of 25 starts, completed 52.1% of his passes and managed just 18 TD passes (or roughly $2 million per).
He also bemoaned a lack of help around him, feeling too much of the team's struggles were attributed to him.
"Things weren't going right, and it felt sometimes like everything fell back on me. I take some responsibility, but I was one guy," he said.
"I may have missed a throw, but I didn't give up 42 points, I didn't miss a block."
Russell said his rocky stay with the team was further marred by the deaths of 11 of his family members as well as his struggles with sleep apnea.
See photos of: NFL, Oakland Raiders, JaMarcus Russell, Tom Cable
By Nate Davis,
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