Raiders sign QB

[SoCalRaider]

2 articles for the price of 1....................................



No. 1 Overall Pick JaMarcus Russell, Only Raiders Draft Choice Not Signed
http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7008043035
July 29, 2007 1:12 p.m. EST

Todd Sikorski - AHN Sports Reporter

Oakland, CA (AHN) - While a good majority of the NFL's top draft picks have signed with their respective clubs and are getting ready for training camp, there is one man who has been conspicuously abesnt lately-Oakland Raiders No. 1 draft pick JaMarcus Russell.

The former LSU star is the only draft choice of the Raiders who has not agreed to a contract. The only other pick to not sign with the club was second round pick Zach Miller but he agreed to terms late Friday night.

Not much information has leaked out about Russell's negotiations but some fear the two parties are not even close.

Head coach Lane Kiffin's recent comments even point to that possibility.

"(Russell's) still not here," he said. "(We're) still making movement on his contract but obviously we're not there yet."

Russell is currently maintaining a residence at his mother's home in Mobile, Alabama.

A possible sign that the quarterback might not be joining the team in the immediate future came on Saturday when the club signed signal caller Cody Pickett. The former San Francisco 49ers QB has mostly seen mop up duty in his three years in the NFL.

He was traded to the Houston Texans in 2005 but the club released him prior to the start of the 2006 season.

The signing of Pickett gives the Raiders three signed quarterbacks for training camp. Josh McCown and Andrew Walter are splitting time running Oakland's offense so far.





.......pft

RUSSELL DEAL COULD BE FOR FIVE YEARS ​

A league source tells us that the negotiation of a contract between the Raiders and No. 1 overall pick JaMarcus Russell has been and will continue to be a difficult process, and that the Raiders might end up signing Russell a five-year deal.​

Per the source, there are whispers of cash issues in Oakland that could prevent the team from funding a six-year package. Though we don't know whether that's a certainty, there's definitely some wisdom in scaling the contract back by a year, since no one knows at this point whether Russell will be a Peyton Manning or a Ryan Leaf. If it's the latter, the team has less money at risk.​

Russell is represented by the firm of Metz, Lock, and Malinovic. They also represent receiver Dwayne Bowe. The No. 23 overall selection is a holdout in Kansas City. Said the source about the situation in Oakland, "It will be a long holdout unless the agents take a bad deal."​

 

[007]

This was a sleazy play action fake, SoCal!

I opened this 'sign a QB' thread, thinking we inked JaMarcus...

Bastard.

If I had the power I would neg rep you...

 

[SoCalRaider]

This is what happens when AP takes the afternoon off.

 

[Angry Pope]

Haha..SoCal...

Here is Pickett's profile....

Cody Pickett

Position: Quarterback
College: Washington
Height: 6-3
Weight: 227
Hometown: Caldwell, Idaho



OVERVIEW

Rifle-armed quarterback with the utmost confidence in his ability … Tough, gritty athlete who shows great poise in the pocket and has total command of the huddle … Holds a rare distinction by having played in five seasons for the Huskies … His father, Dee Pickett, was a quarterback at Boise State before becoming a championship roper on the professional rodeo circuit. Dee was the 1984 World Champion Cowboy, and was inducted into the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame in August of 2003 … Following in his father's footsteps on the football field, Cody also excelled on the rodeo circuit, qualifying for the National Rodeo Finals in 1997 and 1998 … He went on to shatter most of the school's game, season and career passing records … Appeared in 38 games, starting 35 contests … Completed 792 of 1,373 passes (57.7 percent) for 9,946 yards, 53 touchdowns and 42 interceptions, topping the previous marks of 458 completions by Damon Huard (1992-95), 811 attempts by Sonny Sixkiller (1970-72), 5,742 yards and 51 scores by Brock Huard (1996-98) … His average of 261.7 yards per game passing topped the old Washington all-time record of 196.3 yards per game by Sixkiller … His pass completion percentage of 57.7 percent ranks fifth in school annals … Threw for over 300 yards 14 times, surpassing the old record of four by Brock Huard … Had 14 pass completions of 50 yards or longer, breaking the old school record of nine by Damon Huard … Owns seven of the team's top 10 passing yards performances, including the top three marks in school history … Also has six of the team's top 10 pass completions games … His 4,458 yards passing in 2002 set school and Pac-10 Conference season records … Including his statistics from the 2000-01 Rose Bowl and the 2001 Holiday Bowl (NCAA did not recognize bowl statistics prior to the 2002 season, but the Pac-10 was one of the few conferences that recognized post-season statistics in their record books), he hit on 821 of 1,429 passes (57.5 percent) for 10,220 yards, 55 touchdowns and 44 interceptions … His 10,220 yards rank fourth in Pac-10 Conference annals behind Cade McCown of UCLA (10,708, 1995-98), Steve Stenstrom of Stanford (10,911, 1991-94) and Carson Palmer of Southern California (11,818, 1998-2002) … His 55 touchdown passes rank 13th in Pac-10 history.

ANALYSIS

Positives: Has a lean, yet developing frame with good muscle definition and the potential to add more bulk … Has a quick pass set, showing smoothness in his drop and above-average balance with active foot work in his throwing position … Gets the ball off quick enough, with a tight circular motion and a consistently tight spiral … More comfortable putting zip behind his short and intermediate tosses … Stands tall under pressure and will take a sack rather than throw the ball into traffic … Solid field leader with good poise and stays in control when pressured … Shows good location and touch on his short throws and is especially accurate on fade routes in the 25-30-yard range … Slides to avoid the rush and steps up in the pocket well to create a throw when on the move … Does a very nice job of anticipating when his receivers will get open, showing patience with his check-downs (will look off and find secondary targets when his primary receiver is covered) … Not known for being a scrambler, but has the quick feet and elusiveness to defeat a lineman when rolling out of the pocket … Runs good quarterback draws, knowing when to sprint and slide to get out of trouble … Shows a nice touch when forced to throw off-balance … Has a good blue-collar work ethic and a quiet, yet confident nature … Despite playing in Washington's "Dink-and-Dunk" system (check-downs, flares, screens and three-step tosses), he is capable of maintaining accuracy on passes to the 45-yard range.

Negatives: Despite good avoidance skills and showing patience in the pocket, he still has a poor touchdown/interception ratio (mostly caused by dropped or tipped passes by his receivers) … In addition to his high interception rate, he needs to drastically improve his ball security (has fumbled the ball 20 times in the last two years, with 11 of those miscues resulting in turnovers — has 29 total fumbles for his career … Not careless, but does hold on to the ball too long at times, and will make the occasional bad decision by tossing into coverage … Despite his amount of long tosses (14 completions for 50 yards or longer), his long-ball strength can use improvement (past 45 yards, his passes seem to struggle and come up a little short, causing the receivers to work back to the ball).

AGILITY TESTS

4.72 in the 40-yard dash … 32-inch arm length … 9½-inch hands … Right-handed … Wears contacts.

HIGH SCHOOL

Attended Caldwell (Idaho) High, playing football for coach Bill Cooper … Named the No. 15 prep quarterback in the nation by The Sporting News … Super Prep All-American and named to the Tacoma News Tribune's "Western 100" and "Northwest Nuggets" teams … Passed for more than 1,600 yards and rushed for eight touchdowns in 1998 … Second team A-1, Division II all-state selection … Passed for more than 5,000 yards during his career … Four-sport athlete in football, basketball, golf and rodeo … Qualified for the national rodeo finals (team roper) in 1997 and 1998 … Led the Southern Idaho Conference in rebounds with over 10 per game.

PERSONAL

Sociology major … Son of Becky Williams and Dee Pickett … Father was a championship roper on the professional rodeo circuit, and was the 1984 World Champion Cowboy. He was inducted into the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame in August of 2003 and previously played quarterback at Boise State … Once out-threw (75 yards) current Denver Broncos quarterback Jake Plummer at Plummer's summer camp in Boise … Born June 30, 1980 … Resides in Caldwell, Idaho.

 

[007]

I liked Pickett a ton coming out.