ALAMEDA – Jay Richardson sees a confident guy.
Charlie Frye is impressed by a seemingly renewed sense of dedication.
Greg Ellis is reminded of (drum roll, please) … Tony Romo.
Indeed, the mere sight of JaMarcus Russell elicits reactions as varied as the Raiders quarterback's passes, be they wobbly, off-the-mark ducks or pinpoint, through-the-numbers lasers. No wonder so many eyes were on Russell this week after the former No. 1 draft pick was pulled from a game for the first time in his football-playing life.
This is what happens when Russell, thanks partly to his continued deflection of criticism but mostly because of his increasingly poor play, has become the most polarizing figure in Raider Nation.
Russell's 47.2 passer rating ranks 34th out of 35 qualifying quarterbacks, as does his 46.3 percent completion rate. Thank Russell's lucky stars for Cleveland's Derek Anderson (40.6 and 43.8 percent).
At least Russell started to show some accountability last week, as opposed to his postgame acts during which he refuses to fully own his interceptions, fumbles and other assorted miscues.
"There's a lot of things (to work on)," Russell said, "whether it's staying on a guy too long, or whatever it is, putting the ball in a better place for a guy to catch or get us into the right checks."
That is why you couldn't have blamed Frye, the Raiders' third-string quarterback, had he done a double take Wednesday when he saw Russell walk into the team facility at 6:30 a.m., 90 minutes before the day's first team meeting.
"That's step one," Frye said. "Stay the course and … do a little bit more. If he can do that, I think things will work out. It's been tough, but I think as you're in this league more, you see how things equal themselves out as the season continues to go on.
"It can't be bad the whole time. And a lot of bad stuff has happened."
Russell said he leans on Frye as a sort of mentor.
Sitting by Frye in the locker room, defensive end Richardson said he sees Russell starting to get it.
"He's understanding work ethic and what it takes to be a No. 1 quarterback," he said. "Everybody's been benched. … We've all had to face some adversity."
In the fishbowl that is Dallas, defensive end Ellis saw it firsthand with Romo, who was beloved in Big D one minute, bedeviled the next. But whereas Romo was hanging with Jessica Simpson, Russell prefers the company of his defensive line.
So forget that Russell's game is nothing like the two-time Pro Bowl player Romo's. Their somewhat blasé countenances are similar.
"Tony Romo was not a take-charge guy," Ellis said. "If Tony were here right now, you'd all be mad at him because he'd be sitting here with a smile on his face. That doesn't mean he's not trying to win a football game.
"Tony Romo is … even-keeled and pats receivers on the back and says, 'OK, guys, that's all right. Catch it next time.' … You just have to make sure you're doing all you can do as a player to help your team."
Call The Bee's Paul Gutierrez, (916) 326-5556, and read his blog on the team at www.sacbee.com/raiders.
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