After a complete game 38-7 drubbing of the Oakland Raiders today, it’s easy to say the Green Bay Packers are balanced. Brett Favre may be having an MVP-type season, but he’s getting a lot of help. Let me count the ways:

• The running game that was absent earlier in this 2007 season is now clearly led by Ryan Grant who carried the ball 29 times today for 156 yards.
• Special teams are now scoring. Will Blackmon became the first player since 1974 to return a punt and fumble recovery in the same game for a touchdown.
• The Packers defense is ranked a respectable 12th against the run, but they’re on the rise after holding Oakland to 85 rushing yards.
• WR Greg Jennings is making big plays. With five TDs of at least 40 yards, Greg added an 80-yarder today. He now has 11 TD catches.

We know the Packers are one of the top two teams in the NFC. But the more help they give Brett Favre’s right arm, the better chance they’ll have of repping the conference in the Super Bowl.

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Green Bay Packers Clinch NFC North Title

It might be time for the Oakland Raiders to consider starting rookie (and franchise) quarterback JaMarcus Russell. Here’s my main concern. The Raiders stink at fundamentals and it wouldn’t matter who the QB was when you’re committing the most holding and false start penalties in the NFL.

Daunte Culpepper and Josh McCown have tried their best while the team has struggled to a 2-6 start. But they’ve spent a lot of time on the ground. The Raiders are giving up the seventh most sacks in the league so far. Does the team really want JaMarcus out there running for his life? An offense is only as good as their linemen allow them to be, and when you make as many mistakes as Oakland does, it becomes very hard to find any kind of rhythm or consistency, no matter who is playing quarterback. Two steps forward, one step back. Or one step forward, two steps back depending on the week. The QB usually takes some punishment in the process. The Raiders can run the football (they’re 4th in the league at 140 ypg), but when it comes to costly transgressions, they simply make too many of them to be any good.

Of course, the argument in favor of starting JaMarcus is that he simply makes too much money to stand around and watch. And I agree. Whether he has the talent around him or not (that’s debatable — Randy Moss disappeared in the Black Hole), he needs to be on the field. If that means he takes his lumps in the process (and he will), well … he’s got $29 million guaranteed. He’ll learn from taking his lumps. Or here’s an idea. Maybe the coaching staff can spend more time concentrating on fundamentals until the team makes fewer mistakes. They really need to get back to basics before they become good at anything else.

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Should the Raiders Start JaMarcus Russell?

As you can see, Oakland Raiders rookie QB JaMarcus Russell was all smiles at his press conference today. I can understand why. The official numbers of his richest-ever rookie contract: six-years, $61 million with $29 million guaranteed. He practiced today, but I predicted he might not even see the field during the regular season this year. We know JaMarcus won’t play for at least two weeks because he won’t officially be in the roster until then. Daunte Culpepper will start this weekend against the Denver Broncos. But if things go south for Daunte or the Raiders, #2 will get his chance. A $29 million clipboard is too expensive.

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JaMarcus Russell Practices With Raiders

After drafting JaMarcus Russell with the first overall pick in this year’s NFL Draft, the Oakland Raiders assumed their quarterbacking questions had been answered. They had found the face of their franchise. Three games into the preseason, they still don’t know who their starting QB will be.

With JaMarcus still at an impasse in contract talks, Daunte Culpepper, Josh McCown and Andrew Walter (in no particular order) have been given the chance to win the starting spot. Raiders head coach Lane Kiffin said:

“This competition, as I said a long time ago, it’s going to be about guys that make the right decisions. It’s not going to be about the biggest arm or the best stats. It’s going to be about the guys that make the right decision, put us in position to score and don’t give the ball to the other team.”

Daunte Culpepper is the obvious choice. He seems to be 100% healthy and if he can clean up a few botched snaps, he’s been getting the job done (112.2 QB rating, three TDs, no INTs). He also has the most experience. Josh McCown and Andrew Walter are decent backups in this league. But not starting quarterbacks.

What disappoints me the most about the Raiders’ QB situation is JaMarcus’ absence. He’s missing out on a tremendous opportunity to learn from Daunte — a proven talent with a very similar makeup who could show him more than a thing or two about playing QB in the NFL. And JaMarcus is missing valuable practice and game reps with the rest of his teammates. In fact, even if he does sign a contract in the near future, I don’t see him getting on the field this season unless Daunte is injured and/or the Raiders are out of the playoff race.

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JaMarcus Russell Continues Holdout, Daunte Culpepper Takes Over Oakland Raiders

“Man, there’s a couple of nice cars I’d like to get for that money. I could buy a nice vacation home, or at least go half on one with someone else.”

My buddy Steve Alic, who works with the NFL, said Porter could wait until next year when the supply of unsold shirts would be depleted and the cost would be less. The more advance notice a player can provide when requesting a number change, the less chance there is of a financial quandary. Jerry was still wearing number 81 at the Raiders’ practice today, but said he would switch back to his old number for the season even though he liked the new look, which he described as “slimming and faster.” Hmmm.

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84 Slumber: Porter Won’t Change Number