Bench Watch: Jamarcus Russell, Jake Delhomme, and a few you’d never see coming
__________________________________________________________________________With exceptional quarterbacking seeming more and more like the exception than the rule in this young season, many teams are being held back by their quarterbacks and will need to make changes at signal caller sooner than later to give themselves any chance at making noise in The ‘coveted’ internet power rankings (predicated on winning games on national television, beating The Cowboys, or both). The following players have been put on Bench Watch. You’ve been warned:
Jamarcus Russell: The Oakland Raiders could have easily started the season 2-0. Keeping games close to give yourself a chance to win at the end is an optimal formula for a team like Oakland with a decent running game, a talented defense and below average wide receivers. But The Raiders’ even more below average quarterback causes so many turnovers, and non-productive plays on offense, that The Raiders are bound to lose even the close games (see week 1 vs. San Diego). The former LSU star, who was witty enough to trick scouts into thinking he was a big boy quarterback because he can throw a ball from his butt, can’t even get out of his own way as a starting quarterback for The Oakland Raiders.
Jamarcus Russell is holding The Raiders back. It's about that time.
Jamarcus Russell’s 39.8 quarterback rating, which almost mirrors his 41.3% completion percentage, is almost as pathetic as the fact that he throws a pick every 19 passes. Raider Head Coach Tom Cable needs to bench Jamarcus Russell now. Like RIGHT now. Like as this is being typed now. Believe it or not, The Raiders could actually have a chance in the AFC West with a less turnover-prone quarterback who makes better decisions (Tuey, anyone?).
Byron Leftwich: This may be a little after-the-fact, as Byron was actually benched in this game, but the rule of thumb is if a team is 0-2, manages 5 first downs, 0 points, and YOU’RE the Quarterback…it’s time to go. Leftwich was hired to be a stopgap for the Bucs until Josh Freeman is ready to enter the starting lineup, but after laying a massive egg at home last week against The Giants, he is defeating the purpose of his purpose.
Kerry Collins: Yes, THAT Kerry Collins, which means we may be getting closer to The Vince Young Era, Take Two. Let’s face it, after yet another turnover-influenced loss that saw Kerry Collins commit a turnover for the third time in three games, The Titans are 0-3 which is The NFL’s way of saying ‘you’re not going to the playoffs’.
Kerry Collins looked shellshocked all game against The endless blitzing of The New York Jets, and one can’t help but think that, had The Titans had a more mobile quarterback, Coach Rex Ryan and The Jets would at least think twice before sending 11 if not change their entire gameplan. This is all assuming that Vince Young, who has had turnover problems himself, can hold on to the ball and complete more of his passes, but if ever The Titans wanted to take a bit of a chance to give themselves a chance, they might want to consider benching Kerry Collins.
Marc Bulger: Mark Bulger left the game in week 3 with a shoulder injury, however, maybe he’d be better suited out of the game injured shoulder or not. Bulger is on borrowed time under a(nother) new regime in St. Louis and Kyle Boller was able to move The Rams offense a whole lot better Than Bulger this season. All signs point to Bulger starting at San Francisco next week if his shoulder is okay, but he should definitely be on a short leash.
Jake Delhomme: Jake Delhomme just doesn’t have the stuff anymore. The turnover waiting to happen seems to complete just as many passes to the other team as he does to Steve Smith, who still has plenty left in the tank despite being on the back end of his prime. Jake Delhomme has been so miserable since his meltdown at home last year in The Divisional Playoffs that if backup QB Luke McCown turns the ball over half as much as The Aging Cajun does, it would still be bad news for The Panthers and wouldn’t make the difference one desires when benching their starting quarterback.
Whatever magic The Agin' Cajun had during his unlikely NFL success is gone, and it aint comin' back.
Other QB’s On Bench Watch:
Brady Quinn (benched last week, will possibly stay there)
Matt Cassel (Can’t move that offense and Coach has already hinted towards Cassel riding the pine)
Donovan McNabb (Do we agree with this? No. But we’re talking about Philly. Cheese-steak eatin, Home of Loudmouth Sports Talk Radio, overreactions, and booing anything that moves Philly. The Eagles (un)faithful have already seen Kevin Kolb begin to reach his uber-potential. McNabb had better not have a bad game in his first game back because, for whatever reason, they’ve been ready to dump Donovan for quite some time now, and last season Andy Reid showed that he’s not above benching the pro-bowl quarterback).
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Tags: Bench Watch, Byron Leftwich, Donovan McNabb, Jake Delhomme, Jamarcus Russell, Marc Bulger, Matt Cassell, NFL, The Big Nasty Athletic Dept.
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