Raiders Quarterback Analysis

This is a first in a series where I will go position by position and look at the state of that position on the Oakland Raiders. The quarterback position seems like the most obvious place to start. The Raiders had JaMarcus Russell, Daunte Culpepper, Josh McCown, and Andrew Walter all get playing time during the 2007 season. As of now, Russell and Walter are the only two quarterbacks under contract for the Raiders, with McCown and Culpepper both free agents.

JaMarcus Russell has already been anointed the starter by head coach Lane Kiffin. There is no surprise there, Russell was the top pick in the 2007 draft and was signed to a $59 million dollar contract as a result. The fortunes of the Raider franchise rest on his shoulders for the foreseeable future. After Ken Stabler was drafted in the second round in the 1968 draft he sat behind Daryle Lamonica for three plus years before he took over. Times have changed and current draft picks do not get that long to be eased in, their contracts are too large.

Andrew Walter is the only other quarterback on the Raiders' roster. He was considered the quarterback of the future after being drafted in the third round of the ‘05 draft, but that fell apart when he was brutalized by the incompetence of the Tom Walsh offense in ‘06. Apparently, he fell out of favor with Lane Kiffin as he was exiled to the bottom of the depth chart, despite playing well in the preseason.

Daunte Culpepper had one very good game in Silver and Black, but that was against the Miami Dolphins, which begs the question of whether he was that good or the ‘Fins that bad? He sustained a mysterious season ending injury and was not seen again. The rumors are that his injury came from an attempt to race Stanford Routt in a 40 yard dash. Routt was a track star as well as football player in college, so Daunte had to be insane to run that race. Despite looking like he was done, Culpepper will be looking for another team to give him a chance to start and that will not be the Raiders.

Josh McCown started the year as the person most likely to replace Stuart Schweigert as the Raider that most people love to hate. In fact, the crowd was cheering for Daunte to come in before halftime of the home opener. As the season wore on, and Daunte was also ineffective, McCown got begrudging support from Raider fans. He has already stated that he would like to come back and back up Russell. This would be a good move as McCown has shown that he is interested in being a mentor for Russell.

Free Agent Outlook: Daunte Culpepper is gone. If the Raiders resign McCown as they should, a tandem of McCown and Walter give Kiffin two solid options as back-ups. If the Raiders trade or release Walter which is a possibility, then look for the Raiders to go after an off the wall quarterback to bring in to hold a clipboard and fetch Gatorade for Russell and McCown. The Raiders will also likely sign a couple of camp arms along the lines of Josh Booty and Jeff Otis last season.

Draft outlook: The Raiders got Russell at the top of the 2007 draft. Look for the Raiders to make sure he has veteran support, and not draft this position.

More Football Articles

Colt McCoy, Steven Garcia, Calvin Johnson, Mike Hart, Adrian Peterson

Archived Raiders Articles
Raiders to face Eagles in Hall of Fame Game
DRAFT 2006: Oakland Raiders capsule entering the NFL draft
Raiders vs Denver Broncos preview for Oct 15, 2006.