September 04, 2007 @ 1:16 pm

JaMarcus Russell: The Shot Caller

by: Chris Yuscavage

NAME: JaMarcus Russell
AGE: 22
BORN: Mobile, Ala.
RESIDES: Oakland, Calif.

The Oakland Raiders finished with the worst record in the NFL last season. So the team made JaMarcus Russell the overall first pick in last April's NFL Draft, hoping his big arm (he can throw a football 40 yards sitting down) and bigger heart (his Big Nephew Foundation helps inner-city Alabama teens get to college) will revitalize the notorious Silver & Black. Two years ago he lent a different sort of helping hand, taking in Hurricane Katrina refugees (including legendary musician Antoine "Fats" Domino) into his two-bedroom apartment in Baton Rouge, La. "I thought a lot about what it would like to be in their situation." We're wondering what it's like to be in his.

PERSONAL MOTTO:
"Never give up. I've been saying that since high school. I apply that to everything: life, school, work, everything."

SOMETHING I DO EVERY DAY FOR SANITY:
"You know, I have a huge family back in Alabama, so I try and hang out with my family as much as I can. Once you're doing so much stuff with football, it takes away from family time. So anytime I can, I try and hang with those guys."

PLACE WHERE I'M MOST PRODUCTIVE:
"On the practice field. That's always been my classroom. I'm working on learning my new offense."

FAVORITE ARTICLE OF CLOTHING:
"Right now, I wear Coogi, Rocawear, Polo. I like sweaters, shorts, jeans, Polo shirts, whatever. I don't have just one that is my favorite though."

MOST FRUSTRATING MOMENT:
"When I separated my shoulder during the 2005 SEC Championship Game. We lost the game and it took me so long to get back to normal. And then the following season I had to do the best that I could to get my starting quarterback spot back."

PERSON I ADMIRE MOST:
"My grandmother. She had seven kids that she raised on her own. I didn't think it was possible to do such things. She's just taught me a lot about myself. And as far as football, Peyton Manning and Randall Cunningham."

5 YEARS AGO, MY GOAL WAS. . . :
"You know, to do as much as I could to keep myself going on the straight path, around the neighborhood stuff. I tried my best to stay on the path that I needed to be instead of getting caught up in the neighborhood hype. I had a lot of friends that fell off it and got themselves into trouble. But it wasn't until high school when I started having more success playing varsity football than varsity basketball, it took me away the court and I started to seriously think about the NFL."

5 YEARS FROM NOW, MY GOAL IS. . .:

"I'm going to have to learn my offense by then! Just being a better person and a better teammate and hopefully my name will go along with the big names in the NFL."

BIGGEST PROBLEM FACING OUR GENERATION:

"Really? Drugs taking over. Little kids growing up having AIDS or having habits that they're parents already had. It's the drugs taking over. And with all the sharing needles, young people are born with AIDS or whatever. And there's all these young kids in the neighborhood smoking weed or selling weed because sometimes their parents don't have it all."

FAVORITE BOOK, AND WHY:

"Probably just the Bible. I'm a Baptist and it's the key to life. I used to go to church. Sometimes you stray away from it but you know. . ."

FAVORITE MOVIE, AND WHY:

"Scarface. I know everyone likes it but that's still my favorite."

SONGS YOU'RE GONNA LSITEN TO BEFORE YOUR FIRST NFL GAME:

"That Young Jeezy on "Sky's The Limit." That's the only song I'm going to listen to. Rich Boy is my man, too, but I would rather listen to Young Jeezy before a game."

Article tags: JaMarcus, Russell, Shot, Caller