by By STEVE CORKRAN MediaNews , Monterey County Herald

However, Russell's teammates remain steadfast in their belief that Russell is just going through a rough stretch and that he is the best option as the quarterback for a team that has lacked a proven signal-caller since Rich Gannon retired after the 2004 season.

"He's fine," defensive end Jay Richardson said. "He's a confident guy. He's understanding work ethic and what it takes to be a No. 1 quarterback. He's getting there. We all have confidence in him and confidence in our scheme and what we're doing. We'll be fine."

Cable yanked Russell after two interceptions, one lost fumble and zero points Sunday. He summed up Russell's performance by saying he was "out of sorts."

Less than 24 hours later, Cable said Russell has a clear understanding of what went into the benching and what is expected of him from here on out.

Then again, the Raiders don't have much choice. They are tied to Russell for the foreseeable future because of his status as the No. 1 selection in the 2007 NFL draft, a contract that guaranteed Russell $32 million and the lack of a clear-cut better option in Bruce Gradkowski and Charlie Frye.

Russell is the league's lowest-rated passer and owner of the worst completion percentage among those who began the season as starters.

Through it all, he insists that his decision-making is sound, his preparation thorough and his grasp of the offense firm.

Others aren't persuaded by Russell's weekly insistence that his inconsistent play has as much to do with poor route-running, dropped passes and the whims inherent in the game of Football.

"I don't think it's me, personally, I really don't," Russell said after the Jets game. "It's a bad combination of one guy doesn't do something right one time. Personally, I don't think so."

Russell's ability to look past a bad play or a poor performance is something that endears him to Cable. He takes everything in stride, moves on to the next play and functions with the belief that good times are just around the corner.

Yet, Russell is in uncharted territory. This is the first time that he has experienced being benched.

Running back Michael Bush said he is hopeful that Russell turns his latest setback into a positive experience.

"It depends on him, depends on how he looks at it," Bush said. "Like Cable said, he's still our guy, and we're going to get behind him the whole way.

Richardson lost his starting job to second-year player Trevor Scott during training camp. He said it's a situation that every player has to learn how handle at some point in his NFL career.

"Everybody's been benched," Richardson said. "I've been benched before. We've all had to face some adversity and try to figure out how to get the ship right and get back out there. So, he'll be fine."

Left offensive tackle Mario Henderson said his confidence in Russell is as high now as it was at the start of the season and that how well a quarterback plays goes hand in hand with the 10 other guys on the field.

Gradkowski was the beneficiary of Russell being benched. He has been on both sides of the equation, so he can appreciate the sensitivity of the situation.

"JaMarcus handled it well, and I liked the way he handled it," Gradkowski said. "I'm there for him when he's there, and he was there for me (Sunday) when I went in. It's a good feeling, knowing we have each other's back because no matter what happens in the course of a game, we're just trying to win the game."

Raiders at Chargers ?Sunday: in San Diego, 1 p.m. ?TV: CBS

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