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Russell's universe - team built around QB

by David White, Chronicle Staff Writer , The San Francisco Chronicle


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Raiders quarterback JaMarcus Russell had every excuse to explain away his first two NFL seasons.

His first year was lost to a marathon holdout, making his second year a rookie experience. He had two head coaches and three offensive play callers - all in the 2008 season. The offensive line barely held up, and the wide receivers rarely got open.

What did the Raiders do? They spent all offseason building an entire franchise around the franchise quarterback.

The playbook has changed to accommodate his monster arm, the staff has changed to teach his young Football mind, the roster has changed to provide on-field support.

No more excuses. Time for the former No. 1 overall draft pick to carry the Raiders out of the land of two-digit losses.

"Anything that they expect of you, be more than that," Russell said, "and then they can't ask for anything else."

Quarterbacks coach In: Paul Hackett. The quarterbacks guru gets promoted from advance scout to teach Russell every imaginable concept about the job. If there's a detail missed, Hackett will find it - and do so very out loud.

Out: John DeFilippo. The first-time NFL assistant moves on to the Jets after watching over Russell's first two seasons.

Passing game coordinator In: Ted Tollner. He didn't invent the "Air Coryell" vertical offense, but he may as well have. The passing game expert is here to revive the long game that made the Raiders great way back in the day.

Out: Greg Knapp. The former offensive coordinator is now running the West Coast offense for the Seahawks.

Backup quarterback In: Jeff Garcia. The 39-year-old veteran was hired to teach Russell how to act like an NFL quarterback - and maybe light a competitive fire under him, knowing a proven alternative is pushing for his job.

Out: Andrew Walter. The quarterback of the future was cut on the second day of camp and quickly signed by the Patriots.

Wide receiver In: Darrius Heyward-Bey. This raw talent has the Olympic speed to run down anything Russell cannons down the sideline. You want a vertical threat? The No. 7 overall pick is all yours.

Out: Ronald Curry. One of the last holdovers from Super Bowl XXXVII was released in January.

Wide receiver In: Louis Murphy. This fourth-round draft pick played college ball at Florida, home of the most dynamic passing show on earth. Good hands, good speed, good size and perhaps more NFL-ready than Heyward-Bey.

Out: Ashley Lelie and Drew Carter. Another two veterans who were bumped by this offseason's youth movement.

Offensive tackle In: Left tackle Khalif Barnes. Pass protection has long been a problem, particularly on the edges. Barnes hurt his ankle in camp but will provide a backup plan if the tackles falter when the season starts.

Out: Left tackle Kwame Harris. The Harris experiment was an unmitigated disaster of penalties and sacks.

Center In: Samson Satele. He's a younger version of former starter Jake Grove, only he has far healthier knees and less wear and tear.

Out: Grove. He's an older version of Satele, only with less healthy knees and more wear and tear.

Class in session In: Quarterback school. Raiders coach Tom Cable opened the doors to an offseason classroom for quarterbacks, giving Russell some intensive film and book studying.

Out: Vacation. Offseason? What offseason? Russell spent almost his entire time off at team headquarters.

Asomugha's wrist fractured, but he expects to play in opener. B7

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