Ja Marcus Russell draft story for the Louisiana Gannett papers

LSU quarterback JaMarcus Russell holds up a jersey after being selected by the Oakland Raiders as the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft on Saturday.


(Writer's note: The Louisiana Gannett Newspapers hired me to cover the NFL Draft. For the purposes of this entry, I am using the Alexandria Town Talk's link and version of the story. --Denis Gorman)





Man in black





By Denis Gorman


For Gannett Louisiana News



NEW YORK -- An hour before Saturday's NFL Draft, Oakland Raiders fans inside Radio City Music Hall began chanting.



"Ja-Mar-Cus Rus-Sell!" they screamed. "Ja-Mar-Cus Rus-Sell!" they pleaded. "Ja-Mar-Cus Rus-Sell!" they demanded.



At exactly 12:20 p.m., NFL commissioner Roger Goodell announced the words that Raiders fans longed to hear.





"With the No. 1 overall pick, the Oakland Raiders select quarterback JaMarcus Russell, Louisiana State University."



A year after passing on Matt Leinart, Al Davis may have in the quarterback he can rebuild the Raiders around in the junior from LSU.



"This is someone who's coming in here to compete to play," new Raiders coach Lane Kiffin said. "We know from what we've seen on film and when we've met with him and all the research we've done, going back to when he was extremely young, that this is someone who can come in and help us win games."



The last franchise quarterback drafted by the Raiders was Ken Stabler in 1968.



Come Sept. 9, against the Lions, Russell should be the starter considering his competition for the starting job is ex-LSU quarterback Josh Booty and Andrew Walter.



"I'm very excited to be here," Russell said moments after shaking Goodell's hand and holding aloft a silver and black jersey sporting the No. 1 . "It's a dream come true.



"Do I expect to start? I'll do whatever is necessary for the team. I'm ready to go to work."



Russell won 25 of 29 games he started for LSU. He threw for 3,129 yards and 28 touchdowns last fall as a junior.



"The film made it great, made it real easy," Kiffin said. "But it's more than the film. He has to lead this offense, he has to lead this team. That's what the quarterback does. ... When you went down to the pro day and you watched him work out and you watched the players around him before he worked out, and how they responded to him, it was very obvious that this guy is a natural leader."



The Raiders were terrible on offense last season. They averaged 10.5 points per game, rushed for 1,519 yards, passed for 2,420 yards, scored 12 touchdowns and allowed 72 sacks.



Off-the-field, the Raiders weren't much better. Wide receiver Jerry Porter asked to be traded during training camp and was suspended for two games during the middle of the season.



Randy Moss criticized teammates for "not caring" on his radio show, despite his noticeable lack-of-effort on the field. Moss posted career lows in catches, yards and touchdowns.



Reportedly, the Raiders have talked to the Packers and Patriots to gauge their interest in Moss. Russell, though, hopes Moss stays in Oakland.



"He's a guy who can make big things (happen) for a team," Russell said. "I look forward to getting to know him."



The Associated Press contributed to this report.

http://www.thetowntalk.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070429/SPORTS/704290357/1006