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Here’s a typical Oakland Raiders offseason headline: “Linebacker Morrison feels bad for teammates.”
And it’s true. He does.
The 26-year-old defender went on the NFL Network on Wednesday and told everyone out in TV land that he “feels sorry” for some of his fellow defenders. The reason? Because second-year quarterback JaMarcus Russell is throwing the ball so well. And, no, Russell's not out of shape, either.
“I just feel sorry for our cornerbacks,” Morrison said. “I mean, these guys are out there putting blankets on receivers and he’s putting the ball right in there, and it’s like, ‘wow, every single time.’ And I’m excited for what he’s got in store for us this season.”
The 240-pound Morrison addressed many of the concerns fans have had this offseason surrounding their $61 million starting quarterback.
In early March, SI.com’s Don Banks suggested that Russell was “close to 300 pounds and not exactly prepared for his close-up.” Team insiders quickly responded, denying that that young QB didn’t even weigh north of 275. Morrison took his comments even further.
“I know the guy personally, and at practice every single day when he’s out there -- I mean he’s in probably some of the best condition of his whole life,” Morrison said. “Just seeing him throw the ball around -- just the guy is a great quarterback and to be so young and talented like he is … All that stuff that everyone was talking about earlier, that’s not even an issue.”
Last season, the former LSU standout -- who appeared in four contests and started one -- was listed at 255 pounds. The 6-foot-6 passer finished off his rookie campaign with 36 completions on 66 attempts for 373 yards, a pair of touchdowns and four interceptions. As of now, he’s currently listed at the same weight on Oakland’s roster.
With the hopes and dreams of a ballooning Russell put in the past, former Chicago Bears wideout and current NFL Network contributor Tom Waddle hit Morrison with another list of offseason problems to respond to.
The 41-year-old analyst even went so far as to suggest that the entire team “needs a group hug,” bringing the Lane Kiffin-Al Davis feud back into the discussion and suggesting that there could be some “financial animosity” between some of the players on the team, citing DT Tommy Kelly, WR Javon Walker, DE Derrick Burgess and even Morrison himself.
The Oakland native put all rumors to rest, however, vowing that everything was “A-OK” in Raider Land.
“Right now, we just want to win football games. That’s our main focus,” Morrison commented. “Four games last season is not enough for us. We gotta go out and we gotta go above and beyond what people think of us right now.”
Since Morrison has been with Oakland, the Raiders have won just 10 games to go along with 38 losses and have finished last in the AFC West each year. Over the last three seasons, 10 wins wouldn’t have even been enough to win the West.
Still, that’s what Morrison aims to do.
“I figure right now, this year, we gotta go out and win our division. We gotta just start there first,” the hopeful linebacker said.
One last time, he repeated: “Four games is just not enough for us.”
And it’s true. He does.
The 26-year-old defender went on the NFL Network on Wednesday and told everyone out in TV land that he “feels sorry” for some of his fellow defenders. The reason? Because second-year quarterback JaMarcus Russell is throwing the ball so well. And, no, Russell's not out of shape, either.
“I just feel sorry for our cornerbacks,” Morrison said. “I mean, these guys are out there putting blankets on receivers and he’s putting the ball right in there, and it’s like, ‘wow, every single time.’ And I’m excited for what he’s got in store for us this season.”
The 240-pound Morrison addressed many of the concerns fans have had this offseason surrounding their $61 million starting quarterback.
In early March, SI.com’s Don Banks suggested that Russell was “close to 300 pounds and not exactly prepared for his close-up.” Team insiders quickly responded, denying that that young QB didn’t even weigh north of 275. Morrison took his comments even further.
“I know the guy personally, and at practice every single day when he’s out there -- I mean he’s in probably some of the best condition of his whole life,” Morrison said. “Just seeing him throw the ball around -- just the guy is a great quarterback and to be so young and talented like he is … All that stuff that everyone was talking about earlier, that’s not even an issue.”
Last season, the former LSU standout -- who appeared in four contests and started one -- was listed at 255 pounds. The 6-foot-6 passer finished off his rookie campaign with 36 completions on 66 attempts for 373 yards, a pair of touchdowns and four interceptions. As of now, he’s currently listed at the same weight on Oakland’s roster.
With the hopes and dreams of a ballooning Russell put in the past, former Chicago Bears wideout and current NFL Network contributor Tom Waddle hit Morrison with another list of offseason problems to respond to.
The 41-year-old analyst even went so far as to suggest that the entire team “needs a group hug,” bringing the Lane Kiffin-Al Davis feud back into the discussion and suggesting that there could be some “financial animosity” between some of the players on the team, citing DT Tommy Kelly, WR Javon Walker, DE Derrick Burgess and even Morrison himself.
The Oakland native put all rumors to rest, however, vowing that everything was “A-OK” in Raider Land.
“Right now, we just want to win football games. That’s our main focus,” Morrison commented. “Four games last season is not enough for us. We gotta go out and we gotta go above and beyond what people think of us right now.”
Since Morrison has been with Oakland, the Raiders have won just 10 games to go along with 38 losses and have finished last in the AFC West each year. Over the last three seasons, 10 wins wouldn’t have even been enough to win the West.
Still, that’s what Morrison aims to do.
“I figure right now, this year, we gotta go out and win our division. We gotta just start there first,” the hopeful linebacker said.
One last time, he repeated: “Four games is just not enough for us.”
Thats exactly what I thought it was about as well. I was thinking he was gonna say that hes gay with J-mark or something. 
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