It's clear that JaMarcus Russell needed a little more help from the offense and defense. It is also clear that he can do more to get the position that some folks think he is entitled to have.
But the rules of entitlement don't work in professional football.
In fact, in this generation, those "entitlement rules" may not work anywhere in American society.
The NFL players who have "the gift" will become victorious and will know that those victories will make room for them to stand before, and with, great men in NFL history.
Rolando McClain comes to us with all of the ingredients to become an outstanding Oakland Raider. He will even get a chance to play with a guy who was on the opponent's team in a college championship.
The question is: Will all of our new Raiders learn fast enough to mesh with the senior members of the Oakland Raiders and transition to NFL football (which is different from college football)?
This challenge of transitioning is a test.
It is likely that test in which Russell received a D grade, so far. However, we are an accommodating group of people, so the coaches have given Russell one more chance to pass the test.
Now, since the new guys, like McClain, have watched this drama of a draft choice being the center of attention (not so much for his successes, but for his challenges), McClain and gang will probably get the message.
This new addition and generation of Oakland Raiders should learn from the older generation, say of 2007, 2008, and 2009.
The message is that the Oakland Raiders (Al Davis, Tom Cable, and company) were not looking for "projects" when they selected players in this year's draft. They were looking for players who can hit the ground running...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Oakland Raiders
