JaMarcus Russell never thought football could be as baffling as it has become in Oakland.

Three years ago he arrived in the Bay Area to great fanfare. He was the NFL's No. 1 draft choice and, after a lengthy holdout, signed a deal that guaranteed him $32 million even if he never did a thing. There are people in Oakland who will tell you he hasn't.

In Week Three, Russell reached what he has to hope is the low point of his career because, if it wasn't, his career is going to be a lot shorter than he expected. On a day when everything went wrong for the Raiders, Russell did a remarkable thing. He passed the ball for 36 inches in the second half of a 23-3 loss to the Broncos.

That is shorter than many things, including his inseam. Sky Lo Lo, perhaps the most famous midget wrestler of all time, was Wilt Chamberlain compared to how far Russell threw the ball that half.

Were this the only game he'd had like that, it might have been amusing, but it wasn't and he isn't, unless you are playing against him. Russell is booed now nearly every time he touches the ball, and that's at home games. On the road they cheer when it's in his hands under the theory that what happens next will be far more beneficial for the home team.

Russell seems bewildered but not bothered by it. One supposes a $32 million guarantee erases some stress from his life, but shouldn't this bother him a little?

Last week he said if you watch game film, things aren't as bad as they appeared. What film was he watching? "It's A Wonderful Life"?

A few days after passing for three feet, Russell said he was going to keep doing what got him to where he is today. It might be wise to reconsider that, because where he is today is about a year away from joining Tim Couch as one of the biggest busts in pro football history. How this happened is anyone's guess, most of all the Raiders'. They seem to have no more clue than he does, which is why nothing improves.

After being benched in Week 10 last season, Russell suddenly seemed to rally. Starting in Week 11, he went on to complete 61.2 percent of his passes while throwing seven touchdowns and just four interceptions in the final seven games. Hope was in the air.

When he started putting footballs in the air this summer, it was like those seven games never happened. One might say he regressed, except he hadn't come far enough forward for such a word to apply.

The Raiders, naturally, say he isn't the whole problem. Coach Tom Cable says, "It's too easy to blame one guy." He's right, but Russell is enough of the problem to make such words sound ridiculous.

While there might be plenty of blame to go around, when you play the way Russell has since he arrived with his big arm and not much else, most of it will soon end up around your neck. That's where it is today, as Russell moves perilously close to joining a club that includes Couch, Ryan Leaf and Akili Smith.

They all got the money, but they never got how to play quarterback in the NFL. If Russell doesn't pretty soon, he'll get what they got, too — a one-way ticket back to where he came from.

Read more of longtime football columnist Ron Borges at www.ronborges.com.

Scout's Eye: Russell headed for hall of shame

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