According to Steve Corkran of the Oakland Tribune, JaMarcus Russell is organizing a special minicamp for the Raiders' quarterbacks, receivers and tight ends at an undisclosed location sometime before training camp begins on July 30. The fact that Russell, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2007 draft, is taking this upon himself is seen as a sign that he is trying to show the kind of leadership expected of an NFL quarterback. This in turn is seen as good for the Raiders and good for Russell, who will enter training camp with veteran backup Jeff Garcia breathing down his substantial neck. Source: FANHOUSE
While we must consider the source of this information (The OAKLAND Tribune), I think it would be great if Russell were making progress as their pivot - this is a team thats been snakebitten enough in recent years that they deserve breaks (like top draft picks panning out) even if Old Man Davis is still hellbent on winning the '77 Superbowl. I also think that the any progress made by Russell should be partly accredited to Jeff Garcia for making the kid prove he's worth his salt - because Garcia could step in and stabilize the QB position for at least this season and has undoubtedly shown him what it takes to be a QB in the league - even if you're not a great one.
