Oakland Raiders

Russell exhibits leadership in Raiders victory

pgutierrez@sacbee.com

Published Friday, Aug. 14, 2009

OAKLAND – It was one quarter of play.

Less than that, actually, and it was in an exhibition opener.

But JaMarcus Russell looked like a leader. He carried himself with a certain swagger that belied his first two professional seasons of uncertainty. His passes were, well, let a two-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback set the scene for you.

"He played better than he looked at practice the other day when I saw him," Jim Plunkett told me at halftime of the Raiders' 31-10 victory over the Dallas Cowboys. "He was decisive, pretty much on target most of the time."

Sounds uplifting, I suggested.

Plunkett smiled.

"I don't know if it's uplifting," he said. "But it's a good feeling to see him do well out there. In a lot of respects, it's good for his confidence, and it's good for us (as an organization) to see that." Indeed.

Since being the No. 1 overall pick of the 2007 draft out of LSU and wrecking his rookie season by holding out until after the season opener, Russell has been the quintessential mystery wrapped in a silver riddle inside a black enigma.

No wonder, then, that Russell's dedication to and aptitude for the game have been questioned as much as his desire to lead.

So, yes, it's the smallest of sample sizes in this, his critical third pro season. But his pocket presence and sideline stewardship were great signs of maturity.

Then there was his on-field play.

In two series against the Cowboys' first-string defense, Russell completed 6 of 9 passes for 50 yards.

He was sacked once by a blitzing Greg Isdaner for an 11-yard loss, though it was no fault of his own. He later rumbled for a breathless 18-yard run.

The 6-foot-6, 260-pounder had a ball knocked down at the line of scrimmage by leaping 6-4, 302-pound nose tackle Jay Ratliff.

And Russell twice underthrew rookie speedster Darrius Heyward-Bey, though one incompletion was negated by a pass interference call.

Through it all, Russell's shoulders never slumped. He didn't trudge back to the sideline and mope on the bench as he has more than a few times during his young career.

Instead, he seemed to find a new mark in second-year wide receiver Chaz Schilens.

A year ago, tight end Zach Miller was Russell's favorite target. Miller caught 49 of Russell's 198 completions, or 24.7 percent.

On Thursday night, Russell threw five passes Schilens' way. The big-but-far-from-lumbering target hauled in four Russell passes for 43 yards in those two impressive series.

"Off to a good start," Schilens said at halftime. "The offense is rolling."

As a member of the Raiders' broadcast team, Plunkett is paid to stay positive. But his enthusiasm for the guy under center was genuine.

"It looks like it's going to be a pretty explosive offense, so the guy pulling the trigger is pretty important," Plunkett said. "There's a lot of pressure on the kid. Now whether that's fair or not, that's the way it is."

And that's the way it should be. Even for an exhibition opener.