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ESPN has devised a new system to replace the outdated Passer Rating system. Total Quarterback Rating system, or QBR, is somewhat easy to follow and more accurately reflects a quarterback's skills. While there are some intricate formulas that only mathematicians will understand , we can follow the numbers and basics they lay out for us.  The Basics The system takes into account passing, rushing, sacks, fumbles and everything else a quarterback does. In the previous system, a QB would get a higher rating for yards after a pass, meaning the yards the wide receiver got. This has very little to do with the QB and, therefore, is not used in this system. Red zone plays will give him more points than if the same play is run in the middle of the field. Also, points will vary depending on the closeness of the game. The Scoring The QBR score is based on 100, which makes it easy to score and follow. Scores from 100 to 75 mean that the QB is an MVP candidate, which takes guess-work out of the ...

The Raiders have filed a grievance against JaMarcus Russell according to Jason Cole of Yahoo! Sports, who cited two unnamed sources. The Raiders apparently seek to recover $9.55 million of advances on salary the team gave Russell for the 2010, 2011 and 2012 seasons. Apparently Russell’s contract was changed at some point in the last three years as a basis for the grievance. The NFL Players Association will represent Russell in the grievance.

People will be talking about JaMarcus Russell for weeks to come. Who was responsible for him being so terrible? Who will give him a second chance? JaMarcus Russell is a “big” bust in every sense. He has struggled with weight and he will be in the conversation as the biggest draft bust in NFL history, even if he doesn’t take the title. As the NFL moves to a rookie wage scale, smack in the middle of the history books will be the $39 million that Russell pocketed over the course of three seasons. You will have people come out on Russell’s side, as his high school coach already has. Various Raiders players will support Russell in the days to come, while many others will give a no comment or simply refuse to comment. I’ve said before that Russell was not a bad guy, but a raw football player that didn’t have the work ethic to become a good football player. Maybe he was coming along and the Raiders would have liked to keep Russell provided he didn’t cost $9 million to have on the roster. No o...

Veteran runningback Michael Bennett was signed today according to Scout.com's Adam Caplan. He looked quick and agile in minicamp and I guess the Raiders want an able bodied third runningback behind Darren McFadden and Michael Bush.

Raiders Senior Execute John Herrera has confirmed the release of JaMarcus Russell. Herrera said, "we wish him well." Fans that have hoped for Russell's departure can now celebrate. The team and fans can now heal from the wounds of seven straight losing seasons. Russell arrived three seasons ago with promise to end the seasons recent struggles, but instead, compounded them. Al Davis has admitted his draft mistake, even if he will never publicly state that the selection was a mistake. A draft bust as big as JaMarcus Russell would be hard for any GM or owner to accept, but ultimately, Davis is a business man and $9 million was too great a figure to pay a third string quarterback with questionable work habits. More thoughts later...

I'm about as steadfast in these predictions as a politician is in a campaign promise. Read. Laugh. Enjoy. 1. The quarterback depth chart will be Jason Campbell, Bruce Gradkowski, JaMarcus Russell barring injury. 2. The Raiders will win nine games or more. 3. Darren McFadden will have 1500 all-purpose yards 4. The offensive line will continue to be Achilles Heel of the team. 5. The Raiders will have a top ten defense. 6. The Raiders will have a top 15 run defense. 7. The Raiders will have a top ten running game. 8. Jason Campbell will improve on his 2009 season statistically. 9. Rolando McClain will be the defensive rookie of the year. 10. Tyvon Branch will be a Pro Bowl alternate. 11. Stanford Routt will be a starting corner by season's end. 12. Bruce Campbell will be a beast on special teams, but won't see the field as an offensive lineman very much. 13. Nnamdi Asomugha will be thrown at him this season. 14. Richard Seymour will register more than six sacks. 15. Jared Veld...

Unfortunately, I'm not at the minicamp today. I've contacted Raiders PR man Mike Taylor and we should get it worked out soon enough. - From the reports I've seen, the Raiders passing game looks better than last year at this time, but the receivers are still dropping too many passes. - Rolando McClain is going to struggle in coverage. - JaMarcus Russell wasn't as sharp today, but still looks much improved. - Jason Campbell was much more comfortable today. - Not easy to judge running backs in non-contact drills - Darrius Heyward-Bey was matching up with Nnamdi Asomugha.

How about some one-liners? - JaMarcus Russell looked good, who knows what that means going forward. - Russell looked noticeably thinner than last season, not 300 pounds (Shame on NationalFootballPost.com for reporting it) - Richard Seymour is working on a long-term contract with the Raiders - Oren O'Neal was waived - Veteran Michael Bennett is in for a tryout as was rookie DT Allen Smith from Stanford. - Bruce Campbell has a severe learning disability, which likely aided his fall in the draft. More on that as it becomes available. - Additions and subtractions to my undrafted rookie list. Add TE John Owens and DB Joey Thomas, remove WR Trent Guy (Panthers). - Russell hasn't taken a pay cut...yet. - The Raiders are still a 4-3 defense, despite much speculation. - Lamarr Houston is indeed playing left end. He will have a tough time earning a starting role there. - Russell's bling necklace inventory: #2 Jersey, The Chosen One, Russell Figure with a cape, a hand giving a middle ...

There is an elephant in the room and every other sports writer on the planet is going to want to talk about him. I will attempt to write an entire blog post without mentioning He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Minicamp can be the start of a magical season or the start of yet another disaster. For the Raiders, a winning record and/or a playoff appearance would be a magical season. Seven years of losing takes a toll on any fan base. California's economy aided the Raiders step backwards in 2009 in regards to television blackouts. Can the Raiders climb out of the basement and back into respectability? It all starts today with a non-contact minicamp. Last season minicamp was plagued by injuries, dropped passes and work ethic question. Not a very good way to start of a season; a season in which the Raiders won five games. This season feels different. There is a positive vibe coming from the Raiders organization, the fans and the media. There is one black eye on the Raiders organization., but no...

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Russell will be allowed to report to minicamp and compete for the job. If Al Davis is intent on keeping Russell, this is the way to do it. Cutting Russell right now would be a favor, allowing him to potentially hitch a ride with another team. It also gives Russell time to learn the offense for that new team. Keeping Russell around allows him to compete for *a* job on the team. If the Raiders decide not to hold onto JaMarcus come cut down day, he will walk away with the $3 million and be hard-pressed to find another team. This type of maneuver gives the Raiders serious leverage in trying to force Russell to take a pay cut. If the report proves true, the Raiders are happy to keep JaMarcus around in a reserve roll or are intent on seeing how he responds to true competition. I'll call ESPN out for reporting this both ways. It is easy to float a rumor like this, the Raiders will never confirm the report and usually they don't even bother to den...

Who is to blame for one of the biggest draft busts of all-time?   JaMarcus Russell? Is the 300 pound quarterback to blame for his career demise?   While it certainly is an easy case to make, many others have blamed the Raiders organization, mainly Al Davis for drafting Russell and giving him $30 million guaranteed. Is Al Davis to blame for JaMarcus Russell being a bust?   Or is the problem not the pawns, but the rules of the game? The NFL setup a system in which a rookie player without one snap of NFL experience is handed gobs of cash. Are they to blame?   Emotions run hot on this subject.   Russell was drafted first overall to a team which hadn't had a winning record in four seasons. He had a wealth of raw talent and he can throw a football 84 yards in the air.   We don't sympathize with Russell, he got $39 million for nothing, right? Why sympathize with a millionaire that didn't work hard for it?   Russell won the lotter...

It isn't often you can get a starting QB via trade. It is even more rare when you can get a starting QB for a fourth round pick two years into the future. The Raiders have added a year to Campbell's deal making him a Raider through 2011. Jason Campbell's deal in oakland will pay him $3.14 million this season and $4.5 million in 2011 according to Adam Schefter. What does this mean for JaMarcus Russell and Bruce Gradkowski? Give the reigns to Campbell or a true competition? Time will tell. So who is Jason Campbell? Some scrub that couldn't win in Washington? Not exactly. Cambpbell has improved every year of his NFL career and each year has had a new offensive coordinator. He already gives the Raiders what they want, a 60% completion percentage and 3,000 yard passer. Clearly a great draft for the Raiders. Al Davis reportedly called Kirk Morrison to thank him for his service. Classy move by the old man, Kirk was a fan favorite.

The quarterback play can't get any worse and even a slight bump in production will lead to a more competitive team. Right? Chad Ochocinco may have said it best during his media conference call. What is on the field doesn't match production. Will Gradkowski cure the ills of the Raiders? Does he really give the Raiders the best chance to win? The stats say no. Lets compare Russell to Gradkowski. Gradkowski's career numbers: 22 games 53.1% completions 9 touchdowns 15 Interceptions 4.9 yards per attempt 19 passes over 20 yards 3 over 40 yards Russell career numbers: 28 games 51.6% completions 17 touchdowns 21 Interceptions 6.0 yards per attempt 49 passes over 20 yards 7 passes over 40 yards Russell in 09: 9 games 46.8% 2 TD 9 INT 5.2 yard per attempt Using those numbers: Approx 161 more passes will be thrown by a Raiders QB this season Gradkowski completes: 89 for 789 yards with 3 TD & 5 INTs Russell career completes: 83 for 966 yards with 4 TDs and 5 INTs Russell 09' v...

The Raiders are 1-3. A single win that came against a bad team in a game in which the offense played poorly except for on the final drive. Embarrassed against the Broncos at home and on the road in Houston, the Raiders seek redemption. Typically you would hope for a game against the Rams or Chiefs coming off two blowout losses. Wouldn't you know it, the Raiders play the terrible Giants. Whoops. The 4-0 Giants. 1-4 and the season is basically over for the Raiders. The Giants haven't really played tough teams, but the Raiders don't qualify either. Sure no one expected the Raiders to contend, but I am sure the players feel like they should. Al Davis and Tom Cable feel like they should. If the players don't give it everything tomorrow, the playoffs are no longer even an option and that puts Cable's job on the line. Keys to the game: 1) Offensive line play: They must win the battles at the line of scrimmage, execute the zone blocking scheme effectively, avoid penalties a...

Earlier today I posed the question via Twitter , "Mr. Russell: Are you or aren't you doing the things it takes to be good and win?" I asked the question amid a flood of information regarding Russell missing and/or being late to meetings. Raider Nation would quickly give up on him, if they haven't already, if he wasn't putting in the effort. So what happens? I just so happen catch a clip on Fox Sports Radio where Petros and Money interviewed ex-teammate Dwayne Bowe. Bowe said missing or being late to meetings wasn't the JaMarcus he knew at LSU and that he hadn't heard that to be the case and didn't think it was true. Then comes this excerpt from Mario Henderson's Blog date October 8, 2009. I've had reporters coming up to me all week asking about JaMarcus and why he isn't playing better and all this stuff, but I tell them that the guy is doing everything right in order to try and get better. He gets there early, works hard, watches film an...

ESPN is at it again. People who work for ESPN can't do anything on Twitter. They can tell you they are going to the bathroom or waking up in the morning, but anything sports related will have to go through ESPN approval process. Basically, all the ESPN peoples twitter feeds are nothing more than either A) Boring or B) tools of the empire. Twelve NFL teams also ban Twitter among players and beat writers during camp. For most teams with open training camp, that means the fans can better use Twitter to communicate things than can the beat writer. The beat writer would have to sacrifice his access to players and coaches to tweet. Now fans will tweet incorrect information that the beat writer would otherwise would have cleared up before tweeting it. Such as why a player sat out a practice, etc. Thankfully, our beat writers have kept the tweets rolling in from the "private" training camp in Napa. I won't be too hard on these guys, but there seems to be a disproportionate am...

Russell Party Pics surface. I'm more concerned about his weight than the drinks he was enjoying. #NFL #Raiders #Russell I've never cared much for people distorting reality. Reality is that pictures are common and if we are at a party there are a few shots being snapped. Recently these photos have been posted on partychaser.com show JaMarcus having a good time. This has nothing to do with his on-field performance. I'm sure Tom Brady has knocked a few back at a party before. The reason I decided to post these photos is more because of the tight white shirt Russell is wearing. You can clearly see quite a round belly. Maybe the slightly rotund Russell is just what he is, but I wish he would show a little bit of ambition to work that off during the offseason so we aren't talking about a 300 pound quarterback down the road.

New article published at Bleacher Report. http://is.gd/BULt # NFL # Raiders

Well well well, Schilens is starting over Curry. This is a great thing. Schilens size and speed make him a better outside target and Curry thrives in the slot. Too bad we have Yvonne Walker still will start, catch two passes, and find his divot mark on the bench. I like Schilens and I am glad he is getting his shot. It has been a while since I posted, my apologies, I had two weddings back-to-back weekends so I was sparred the agony of the New Orleans defeat, or I was live anyways. The Saints were underrated going into last week. It was my hope the short week/long week thing would go in our favor, but it turns out the Saints took out their Monday night frustrations on us. Too bad. I don't think anyone is noticing how poorly our offense has been when McFadden isn't full strength. Provided he is back to 100% soon, our offense will start rolling. If it wasn't for some late game collapses, this team could be 3-2. We aren't, but it is important to notice this, because clearly...

I was at the game, so this is from a live perspective this time around. I should attend a number of games this season, although I don't forsee another pre-season game in me. I got to see the rotations and I paid very careful attention to the RB rotation. Fargas played only against the starters, and struggled a little bit, but he ran hard and it wasn't as if we were tipping our hand as far as running plays go. Solid. He had a couple nice gains. I find it hard to believe Fargas isn't going to get banged up and hurt again the way he runs, but at least we have some nice young backs to back him up this season. McFadden got a few carries against the starters and looked really good. It wasn't flashy, but he only got one outside run the whole game and never lined up as a WR nor was he thrown a screen pass. He runs hard and fast and its only a matter of time until he breaks some big ones. McFadden also got rotated with Bush against the second string defense (With second string o...