[sportscurmudgeon]

jbcjr14:

I think that the fact that a former All-Pro defensive tackle who is a free agent and has generated no interest around the league says a lot about why the Redskins let him go in the first place. No one doubts Russell's skills on the field. There were always several major concerns about him:


1. He took off a lot of plays. Sometimes he'd take an entire defensive series off.

2. He was not a hard worker and always looked for ways to cut corners in drills and in training camp. In Oakland, that was OK because all you have to do is "Just win, baby." If everyone was asked to stretch for 30 minutes before practice, he'd stretch for 25. If everyone did ten reps on an agility drill, he'd do nine...

3. He did almost nothing in the off-season to stay in shape. He did not eat himself into a tub of lard, but he would always show up needing a month of hard work to get into top flight condition. Regarding him and "hard work", see #2 above...

4. He loves to "party". He was a "regular" at late-night clubs in California and it did not take him long to find the after-hours scene here in the DC area.

5. He has not always kept himself in the company of "model citizens".


If he ever decided that he wanted to be a HoF level player in the NFL and got rid of the "distractions" in his life, he would be an outstanding player. But he hasn't shown yet any inclination to do that.

If Joe Gibbs brings him to camp - I think that is a real longshot - my guess is that Russell will be on a very short leash and there will be a choke collar on the end of that leash. The smart money says that Russell and Gibbs won't be able to co-exist; and in that case, you can guess which one would have to leave town.