Does anybody actually believe a 308-pound man can play quarterback in the NFL? Not to mention a 308-pound man who has a history full of attitude issues, substance abuse problems and last played professional football in 2009.
JaMarcus Russell, the 27-year-old ex-LSU quarterback and No. 1 overall pick in the 2007 NFL Draft told Yahoo! Sports this week about his plans to work his way back into the league, saying he’s employing the help of former LSU and NFL receiver Michael Clayton, former NFL quarterback Jeff Garcia and former NFL running back Marshall Faulk.
He’s even reportedly training at the TEST Football Academy, where Patrick Peterson and Joe Flacco practiced, and is receiving consultation from a doctor for “mental and psychological analysis.”
Russell is tired of hearing criticism, too.
“People would say [that] I didn’t love the game, but that pisses me off,” Russell told Yahoo! Sports. “People don’t know the real you, but I want people to know the real me and see what I can do. People are always saying that I’m a bust. I want to show them I’m not. I’m committed to this now.”
You know what’s the real punch line of the whole “JaMarcus’ return” joke? He’s lost a whopping 12 pounds since this fall in preparation for his return. No more 320, he’s at a fresh 308. That’ll do it, Jam-Jam.
It would be a great story if Russell could pull off a return to the NFL, but it’s not one to which anyone should pay much mind. As nice as it is to see a guy get a second or third chance, some people throw away those first few opportunities in such a vigorous manner that they don’t deserve any more — and Russell is one of those people.
Let me know when there’s a team in the market for a quarterback whose last sniff of professional football career came in 2010, when he failed to dazzle the Washington Redskins and Miami Dolphins during mid-season tryouts for their backup quarterback positions.
Here are a few things more likely to happen than JaMarcus Russell successfully making an NFL roster, much less proficiently quarterbacking a professional football team:
· The LSU men’s basketball team qualifying for the NCAA Tournament this season.
· Les Miles switching his choice of headgear from a ball cap to a fedora.
· An Outkast reunion.
As sad as the reality of it is, none of these things will happen.
But hey, I guess if Jared “The Pillsbury Throwboy” Lorenzen has a Super Bowl ring and was one Eli Manning injury away from playing in Super Bowl XLII, nothing can be ruled out. Lorenzen was a hefty 285 pounds during that Super Bowl season, after all, so Russell only has about 20 more pounds to drop.
