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This has to be worrisome for the Oakland Raiders.

ESPN's Adam Schefter is reporting Oakland is bringing in kickers Friday because it fears kicker Sebastian Janikowski could miss a few weeks with a hamstring injury.

With the Raiders entering their bye week, Janikowski could possibly be in danger of just missing the Chiefs’ game on Sunday. But that wouldn’t be ideal.

Janikowski is the most dangerous kicker in the league. He helped beat Houston with three field goals of 50-plus yards, which tied an NFL record. In Week 1, he tied the NFL record with a 63-yard field goal.

When drives stall, the Raiders still have a chance with Janikowski. They’d miss that if they have to bring in a street kicker for this game. It may be another reason to start Carson Palmer instead of Kyle Boller. The Raiders will need to get closer to the end zone as much as possible without Janikowski.

In other AFC West nuggets:

In an Insider piece, KC Joyner doesn’t like what he sees from the Chargers for the short and long term.

Meanwhile, SportsCenter showed a graphic Friday that shows since 2007, the beginning of the Norv Turner era, the Chargers have a .652 winning percentage in the regular season, which is the fifth best in the NFL. However, of the teams with the seven best winning percentages in that time span, San Diego is the only team not to advance to the Super Bowl. Joyner’s piece suggests that won’t change anytime soon.

Andrew Brandt has a strong outline of the very real risk of the Palmer trade for the Raiders. Here is a video debate on how Palmer will impact Oakland.

KC Joyner knows football. He knows trends and he can crunch a number with a maestro’s touch. Joyner doesn’t think the Oakland Raiders are going anywhere … other than, perhaps, the playoffs.

In an Insider piece, Joyner explains why he thinks the Raiders are a legitimate contender. Here is a passage from the piece:

After doing detailed game tape and metric analysis, it is clear this team is not the same old Raiders. In fact, it looks like a bona fide playoff contender.

It’s good stuff and completely believable. The Raiders are alive and well.

In other AFC West nuggets Wednesday:

ESPN Boston looks at the Richard Seymour of the Raiders from a Patriots perspective. He was traded to Oakland in 2009. The Patriots visit Oakland on Sunday.

The Chiefs did a tight end swap again. They cut Anthony Becht and re-signed Jake O’Connell. Two weeks ago, they re-signed Becht and cut O’Connell.

The Chargers hope a new bill signed by the governor of California could help keep them in San Diego.

Offensive coordinator Bill Muir is keeping his gig as the playcaller in Kansas City.

Oakland running back Darren McFadden is back on ESPN.com’s MVP Watch.

Former Chief and current Patriot Brian Waters recalls previous trips to Oakland. You must check out this link. Guaranteed chuckle.

Here is San Diego's preview page:

1. Rivers is refreshed: This season ought to be easy for Philip Rivers. Last year, top receivers Vincent Jackson and Malcom Floyd and tight and Antonio Gates were on the field together for about a quarter of a game. Jackson held out much of the season. Floyd and Gates were hurt late in the season. By the end of the year, Rivers was throwing passes to street free agents. He threw to 17 different receivers. Yet Rivers managed to throw for a career-high 4,710 yards. Imagine what Rivers will do with a healthy receiving base.

2. The pass rush is on: KC Joyner, the Football Scientist, expects the Chargers to bring the heat this year. The Chargers had a very respectable 47 sacks last season. They have a chance for a lot more this season. Joyner said the Chargers' 2011 opponents allowed a combined 592 sacks last season. That total ranks as the seventh most in the league. Expect the Chargers to blitz often under aggressive new defensive coordinator Greg Manusky.

3. Tolbert will be a horse: Just because the Chargers plan to use second-year running back Ryan Mathews a lot, don't think sturdy tailback Mike Tolbert will be forgotten. The Chargers love this guy, and Mathews and Tolbert will both get a lot of carries. In fact, if Mathews' durability issues continue or if he is slow to develop, I could see Tolbert getting most of the carries. Coach Norv Turner completely trusts Tolbert and loves how hard he runs. Tolbert is a plus player in every facet of the Chargers' offense.

4. Liuget is legit: It's not often that the No. 1-ranked defense in the NFL adds a potentially dominant front-three player. That's exactly what the Chargers have done. They took Illinois defensive end Corey Liuget with the No. 18 pick. Liuget has been explosive, and he has been a playmaker in camp. He often gets into the offensive backfield. He is a humble player who is willing to learn. The Chargers can't wait to unleash him in their starting lineup, giving them a playmaker to pair next to standout nose tackle Antonio Garay.

5. Spikes and Sanders are on a mission: The Chargers added veteran safety Bob Sanders and veteran linebacker Takeo Spikes to their defense. For Sanders, it's a chance to show he can still be the player who won the NFL Defensive Player of the Year award in 2007. He has played a total of nine games in the past three seasons because of injury. He has been healthy this summer, and he looks like the old Sanders. This is Spikes' 14th NFL season. He has never been to the postseason. Spikes knows this year is his best chance, and his play this summer has been inspired.

Here is Kansas City's team page:

1. Ready to air it out: The Chiefs' passing game excelled under former offensive coordinator Charlie Weis last season, and don't expect that to change now that Weis is at Florida. Offensive line coach Bill Muir has been promoted to offensive coordinator. Former Washington head coach Jim Zorn is the quarterback coach, and head coach Todd Haley will be involved in the passing game. Don't expect the Chiefs to shy away from throwing the ball. If you don't believe it, just look at two of their biggest offseason pickups -- receiver Jon Baldwin, their first-round pick, and free-agent slot receiver Steve Breaston.

2. It all starts with Jamaal Charles: The Chiefs are in fine shape at running back. They just signed fullback Le'Ron McClain, who runs the ball more than the typical fullback, and they still have veteran Thomas Jones. Those two will help keep pressure off star Jamaal Charles, who the team believes is most effective when he is fresh. Jones had 15 more carries than Charles last year. That will probably change because Charles is so explosive. According to the Football Scientist, KC Joyner, Charles is outstanding in his good blocking yards per attempt (GBYPA) metric. It gauges how productive a running back is when his blocking is effective. Charles had a 9.0 GBYPA last year, second best in the NFL.

3. Challenge will be stiffer in 2010: The Chiefs were a surprise division winner last year. They developed quickly and showed they are one of the NFL's most talented young teams. However, they benefited from an easy schedule. Kansas City played only two playoff teams in 2010. The schedule toughens this season. From Weeks 11 to 15, Kansas City plays five 2010 playoff teams, including the four teams that went to the conference championship games: Green Bay, Chicago, Pittsburgh and the New York Jets. The other 2010 playoff team in that mix is New England. Yes, it's brutal.

4. Varied weapons: Kansas City has a unique offense. No weapons are alike. The Chiefs will feature receivers Dwayne Bowe, Baldwin and Breaston. They all offer different things. Bowe is a classic No. 1 type. Baldwin is a big, vertical threat. Breaston is a chain-mover. Add field-stretching tight end Tony Moeaki and shifty running back/receiver Dexter McCluster, and the Chiefs will have many different schemes to keep defenses off balance.

5. Hali was not a one-hit wonder: Don't expect Tamba Hali to fade now that he got his big contract. The Chiefs recently gave Hali a five-year, $60 million deal with $35 million guaranteed. He is not a cash-grab type of player. He is very humble and is a hard worker. Expect Hali, who led the AFC with 14.5 sacks last season, to work even harder to live up to his big contract.

Despite the fact that he has not won a Super Bowl, San Diego quarterback Philip Rivers is generally considered an elite NFL quarterback. Baltimore’s Joe Flacco, however, isn’t. Flacco is widely respected, but he is more known as a gritty game manager.

In an ESPN.com Insider piece, though, KC Joyner writes that Flacco is in Rivers’ company. Crunching the numbers in the way only he can, Joyner makes the argument that Flacco is in Rivers’ league as a deep passer. Rivers is considered by many NFL observers to have the prettiest deep ball in the league.

Here is some of Joyner’s thinking on the subject: Last year, the San Diego receiving corps suffered through a slew of injuries and suspensions that cost the team the services of starting wideouts Vincent Jackson and Malcom Floyd and starting tight end Antonio Gates for a total of 22 games.

Those losses meant that Rivers ended up throwing a total of 189 pass attempts to the following receivers: Seyi Ajirotutu, Patrick Crayton, Buster Davis, Randy McMichael, Legedu Naanee and Kelley Washington. Those six players would be lucky to crack the starting lineup of any NFL team, yet Rivers ended up committing 34.9 percent of his targets to them last season.

For most quarterbacks, a situation of this nature would cause a significant drop-off in yards per attempt (YPA) production in the areas of vertical (aerials thrown 11 or more yards downfield) and stretch vertical (20 or more yards) passing, but that didn't happen with Rivers. He ranked fourth in the league in vertical YPA (12.1) and seventh in stretch vertical YPA (14.8).

One of the ways he was able to do this was by getting quality YPA figures from both the big name and non-big name pass-catchers. His 13.0 vertical YPA on passes to Floyd, Gates and Jackson alone would have been good enough to rank second in the league in that category, but his 11.2 YPA on vertical targets to other pass-catchers would have been good enough to rank 13th in that same category.

This shows that Rivers is capable of finding a way to get above-average vertical performance from backups. That ability kept the Chargers' downfield passing offense moving even when injuries and suspensions could have hamstrung it.

Flacco was faced with a somewhat different situation in that his wideouts and tight ends were healthy, but they all had vertical receiving limitations.

Anquan Boldin has a very limited history of being a vertical threat and he was paired up with Derrick Mason and T.J. Houshmandzadeh, a tandem of aging possession receivers.

Flacco was able to do more than just work around these limitations. He actually excelled with this trio, evidenced by 1,472 yards on the 133 vertical targets aimed at these three.

That equates to an 11.1 vertical YPA overall, but what is more impressive is that each of the three ended up posting a double-digit vertical YPA mark (11.3 for Boldin, 11.9 for Houshmandzadeh, 10.4 for Mason). To put that into perspective, consider that only five other teams ended up with three qualifying pass-catchers in double digits in vertical YPA (47 total targets needed to qualify).

Flacco's downfield passing expertise did not stop there. He posted a 12.5 vertical YPA and 15.1 stretches vertical YPA on throws to targets other than the aforementioned three. Both of those figures are more than a yard higher than what the possession trio posted, and they should increase further with a legitimate deep-threat possibility this year in second-round pick Torrey Smith.

My thoughts: It’s difficult to argue with Joyner and his numbers. He’s a mad scientist when it comes to NFL statistics. And I do like Flacco. The guy is a winner. Still, for my money, I’d rather have Rivers on my team. His pure ability, gumption and leadership make him special.

Who would you rather have quarterback your team, Rivers or Flacco? Fill up the comment section below with your thoughts.

According to our poll results, many readers expect the 2011 Kansas City Chiefs to take a slight dip in 2011.

Our poll was inspired by an ESPN.com Insider piece by K.C. Joyner. He wrote that he thinks the Chiefs will slide some this season. The Chiefs went 10-6 and were the surprise winner of the AFC West last season. In the three previous seasons, the Chiefs won a combined 10 games.

Our poll gave four choices to pick from: 12 wins or more; 10-11 wins; 8-9 wins or under .500.

As of 4:05 p.m. ET, 48 percent of the voters think the Chiefs will win 8-9 games. Twenty-seven percent think the Chiefs will win 10-11 games. Twenty-one percent think the Chiefs will finish under .500 and just four percent think they will win 12 or more games. More than 3,600 votes were tallied.

Seventy-five percent of the readers think the Chiefs will win between 8-11 games. I think that is fair. I know some people think last season was a fluke. The Chiefs will have to adjust to life without offensive coordinator Charlie Weis, and the truth is, the 2011 schedule is tougher. Those facts could indicate the Chiefs are primed for a slight dive.

Still, this is a young team that will get better. It seems to have drafted well again, and it doesn’t appear this team will lose many key contributors. So, there is no reason to think the Chiefs were a one-hit wonder.

Thanks to everyone who participated.

On Tuesday, we reacted to KC Joyner’s ESPN.com Insider piece about why he thinks the Kansas City Chiefs could be headed for a tumble in 2011.

Now, it’s your turn to voice your opinion. Do you think the Kansas City Chiefs’ will slide in 2011? They went 10-6 and won the AFC West division title after winning a total of 10 games in the previous three seasons combined.

Please choose one of the poll options and give us your reason below in the comment section. We will review the poll results Wednesday.

KC Joyner isn’t sure we’ll see a repeat playoff performance by the Kansas City Chiefs in 2011.

In an ESPN.com Insider piece, Joyner points to quarterback Matt Cassel’s struggles to complete long passes as a major reason why he thinks the Chiefs -- who went 10-6 and won the 2011 AFC West title after winning a grand total of 10 games in the previous three seasons combined -- could slip this season.

Here is some of what worries Joyner about Cassel: His metrics in this category range from mediocre to abysmal. His 10.2 vertical YPA (vertical being defined as passes thrown 11 or more yards downfield) ranked 20th in the league last season. His 9.0 stretch vertical YPA (defined as passes thrown 20 or more yards) was even worse, as it ranked next to last among qualifying quarterbacks (175 pass attempts needed to qualify). (Note: these numbers include attempts and yardage totals posted on pass penalties such as defensive holding, illegal contact, pass interference, etc.)

Many might come to Cassel's defense by pointing out the subpar state of the Kansas City wide receiver/tight ends corps last season. It would seem awfully difficult to put together an effective vertical passing game when mediocre pass catchers such as Chris Chambers, Terrance Copper, Verran Tucker, Leonard Pope and Tim Castille all post at least 10 targets, as was the case last season.

Some will point to the addition of former Pitt wide receiver Jonathan Baldwin in the first round of the 2011 draft as a reason for optimism here.

However, the primary counter to that statement would be that Baldwin's first-year learning curve could be steep, given that a) the lockout could prevent him from getting much practice time prior to the start of the season and b) Scouts Inc. said that he is inconsistent and erratic in many areas.

Throw in the fact that Baldwin's 15.51 yards per reception average last season ranked him 68th among FBS pass catchers and it shows just how far he has to go before he can be considered an answer to the Chiefs' vertical receiving woes.

My thoughts? Cassel’s inability to complete the deep pass is clearly an issue. That’s why Baldwin was drafted in the first round. Kansas City recognized the issue and tried to fix it. That’s what good teams do.

The key is how fast Baldwin can make a difference in this area. Joyner points out the learning curve and he’s right, but he will be given every chance to succeed.

This season surely will not be easy for Kansas City. It is now the hunted. It has a tougher schedule than it did in 2010. But, in the end, this is a balanced team with good coaching. The Chiefs appear to be headed in the right direction, regardless of potential obstacles.

There has been speculation the draft stock of Auburn defensive tackle Nick Fairley is falling.

Earlier in the offseason, Fairley was considered a top-three prospect and a potential target of Denver at No. 2. But because of potential red flags of character, Fairley’s stock may have dipped. Many draft followers believe Fairley will not be a top-five pick. Fairley is tabbed for Tennessee at No. 8 in our bloggers’ mock draft.

However, in an ESPN.com Insider piece, KC Joyner believes Fairley should be a top pick. Joyner has evidence that suggests Fairley doesn’t take plays off. Joyner compares him to Detroit stud defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, who was the No. 2 overall choice last year.

I think Denver may be leaning toward taking Alabama defensive tackle Marcell Dareus at No. 2. But there is a chance it could pick Fairley. He was incredibly productive and dominant last year and Denver may be intrigued by Fairley.

Joyner clearly thinks that’s a good idea.

What do you think? Would you take Fairley over Dareus? Fill up the comment section below with your thoughts.

In an ESPN.com Insider piece, KC Joyner thinks Colorado cornerback Jimmy Smith is more valuable than Nebraska cornerback Prince Amukamara. He is expected to be drafted much higher than Smith, who has off-field concerns. San Diego and Oakland are among the teams that has shown interest in Smith.

Eastern Washington running back Taiwan Jones showed blazing speed at his pro day Thursday. The Raiders, who love speed, was at the pro day held near Oakland. The Broncos also have an interest in Jones.

In an interesting interaction with the readers of the Denver Post, former Denver safety John Lynch talked about the possibility of joining an NFL front office at some point and who he’d tab to be the No. 2 overall pick for Denver. His choice is a small surprise.

Blaine Gabbert is now on our AFC West radar thanks to Denver’s John Elway and John Fox attending Gabbert's pro day on Thursday.

Couple the fact that the Broncos’ brass was at Missouri’s pro day with the news of their plans to conduct a private workout with Washington quarterback Jake Locker, we have to assume the Broncos will consider taking a quarterback in next month's draft. However, I still have a difficult time buying the idea that the Broncos would bypass major defensive needs and take Gabbert with the No. 2 overall pick.

I guess anything is possible. So, it may behoove us to take a deeper look at Gabbert.

ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay was at Gabbert’s pro day and came away impressed. Here are some of McShay’s thoughts on Gabbert’s performance:

He was quick and smooth in his drops and almost always threw with good balance, getting the ball out quickly while transferring his weight from front to back and following through well.

Gabbert's mechanics were much more natural than what we saw from Auburn's Cam Newton during his recent pro day, and because Gabbert is much more consistent with his feet he was more consistently accurate as a passer. Newton has the stronger arm (though Gabbert's arm is more than adequate), but I'll take accuracy over arm strength every day of the week.

It was not a perfect workout and there were some instances when Gabbert's timing with a relatively unfamiliar group of receivers was off, but overall he showed the expected accuracy and I come away still convinced that Gabbert is the top quarterback in the 2011 class. He is a more natural passer than Newton and is much cleaner from a character standpoint, and Gabbert has everything NFL teams look for in terms of intangibles, leadership, football intelligence and work ethic.

Gabbert also has a chance to separate himself from Newton a bit over the next few weeks as he interviews with various teams and gets on the white board to show off his X-and-O knowledge.

Of course, when it comes to the NFL draft, there is always an opposing opinion.

In an Insider piece, KC Joyner explains that he thinks Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallett is a better prospect than Gabbert. Here’s part of Joyner’s criticism of Gabbert:

Gabbert's footwork in and out of the pocket was fine, but he seemed quite uncomfortable when situations called for him to freelance. Gabbert's mind seemed to operate in the same manner. For example, he was very successful for most of the game against Iowa because the Hawkeyes tend to sit back in coverage.

He ran into trouble when Iowa mixed things up. A great example of this occurred in the middle of the fourth quarter, when a Hawkeyes linebacker blitzed -- something that Gabbert didn't seem to expect. His reaction was to scramble to his left, even though one of the Tigers' offensive linemen peeled out to pick up the late blitz. Gabbert then put his head down while running toward the sidelines and didn't turn his head to look downfield until he had run nearly the entire width of the field.

Will the Broncos side more with McShay or Joyner on Gabbert? We’ll find out in 41 days. But I’d be shocked if Gabbert ends up a Bronco.

Days before their biggest game in four years, the Kansas City Chiefs are going back to the basics ... way back.

Calling it “Kindergarten rules,” the team is trying to avoid a flu outbreak by having its players take extra steps to avoid getting sick -- right down to the basics of washing their hands with warm water and soap.

Whatever it takes.

Three players, including Pro Bowl receiver Dwayne Bowe and Pro Bowl guard Brian Waters have missed practice time this week with the flu. Waters missed Wednesday and Thursday’s practices. Bowe returned to practice Thursday. The Chiefs host Baltimore in an AFC wild-card game Sunday.

• The Chargers will be rooting for the Jets at Indianapolis on Saturday. If the Jets win, San Diego will get a second-round pick instead of a third-round pick from New York as compensation from the Antonio Cromartie trade. That’s a big difference in picks. The Chargers already have an extra third-round pick from the Charlie Whitehurst trade with Seattle.

• It’s no surprise Oakland defensive lineman Richard Seymour has withdrawn from the Pro Bowl because of an injury. He missed the final two games with a hamstring injury.

• You need to check out Jeffri Chadiha’s Hot Read on the Chiefs’ run to the playoffs. He has the gruesome details of coach Todd Haley’s midseason leg injury that was suffered during practice. Tough dude, that Haley.

• In an Insider piece, KC Joyner looks at Romeo Crennel’s influence on the Chiefs’ defense.

• Kansas City safety Eric Berry was named the NFL’s defensive rookie of the month. He had 39 tackles, and two interceptions, including one for a touchdown in the month. The award capped a very strong rookie season for Berry, who was the No. 5 overall pick.

• In a radio interview, Oakland quarterback Jason Campbell discusses the firing of coach Tom Cable this week and his relationship with Hue Jackson, Oakland’s offensive coordinator and the leading candidate to replace Cable.

• Here’s a reminder of the upcoming overtime rule changes for the postseason.

KC Joyner has an Insider column on ESPN.com stating the reasons why he believes JaMarcus Russell can still succeed in the NFL.

Joyner has long been a Russell guy. Prior to last season, Joyner was pushing the virtues of Russell. He makes good points. There are reasons for Russell to get another chance. He has two good things going for him, in my opinion: His rocket arm and the fact that’s he’s just 24.

Some team will eventually sign this guy and make him a No. 3 quarterback. I could see teams like Minnesota or Miami eventually considering him.

By the way, why are folks debating whether Jason Campbell will be the starter in Oakland? The Raiders didn’t trade for him and then extend his contract so he can be the backup. I know Oakland coach Tom Cable talks about an open competition. But come on. Campbell is the guy. End of story. If for some reason, he doesn’t win the job, the Raiders will be very disappointed.

Backup Denver offensive lineman Matt McChesney has been forced to retire after suffering ankle injury. He was he hurt while playing golf. A golf cart hit him, injuring the same ankle that was surgically repaired last year.

It’s been a tough offseason for Denver offensive linemen. Star left tackle Ryan Clady is out for, at least, the start of the season after partially tearing his patella tendon in his knee. Clady was injured while playing basketball. Denver coach Josh McDaniels may want to consider banning his boys from all non-football related sports. It seems they are safer on the gridiron.

The Broncos are excited about second-year tight end Marquez Branson. They think he can take over as the receiving tight end role. The job was Tony Scheffler’s, but he was sent to Detroit. McDaniels was talking up the former undrafted rookie. It will be interesting to see how he develops.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Bill Williamson

» NFC Final Word: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South

Five nuggets of knowledge about Sunday’s games:

	Ezra Shaw/Getty Images
	The Raiders need defensive end Richard Seymour to break out this week against Houston.

Seymour needs to make an impact: The Oakland Raiders need a spark and the perfect player to give it is Richard Seymour. The Raiders traded a first-round pick in 2011 to New England to get Seymour because they wanted the potential hall of famer to bring the team to the next level. The defensive end looked like he’d be that player in the season opener when he had two sacks against San Diego. In the two games since, Seymour has been quiet. Yes, he’s been double teamed, but he hasn’t produced much. The only noise he made was when he pulled the hair of Denver tackle Ryan Clady. He was penalized 15 yards for it. The Raiders are slumping into Houston. They need their veteran star to bring new life.

Rivers needs to go deep: San Diego quarterback Philip Rivers is becoming one of the premier deep-ball passers in the NFL. His deep passes are a thing of beauty. They are text book. Rivers has arrived as an elite player and he does few things wrong. But he has mastered the long ball and used it to his advantage in each game this season. Expect him to fire away Sunday at Pittsburgh. The early-season MVP candidate will try to take advantage of the absence of Pittsburgh star safety Troy Polamalu and try to shred the Steelers with a deep pass or two.

Time for the Broncos to show they are for real: The Broncos are one of seven unbeaten teams in the NFL and are the early surprise. Not much was expected from Denver in the first year of the Josh McDaniels’ era. But the team has been menacing on defense and timely on offense. Still, there are skeptics. Denver has beat Cincinnati, Cleveland and Oakland. But the easy ride is over. Denver starts a 10-game stretch in which they play eight sure playoff contenders. The rough road begins Sunday at home against Dallas. If the Broncos can dispatch the Cowboys, they will start to get respect and be considered a true playoff contender. If Denver loses to the visiting Cowboys, they will be cast as a pretender.

Chiefs have to compete in second leg of NFC East tour: Chiefs coach Todd Haley was criticized after last week’s 20-point loss at Philadelphia. Haley started to run the ball more in the second half instead of passing the ball even though the Chiefs were down by more than two touchdowns. The Chiefs have to find a way to stay in the game this week against the visiting Giants. Just like against the Eagles, the Chiefs will be badly overmatched. But this team, which competed well in the first two games under Haley, has to find a way to compete as they play their second of four straight games against NFC East competition.

This is the time for Russell to shine: I spoke to KC Joyner, the Football Scientist, this week. Joyner, a number cruncher supreme, said he believes Oakland quarterback JaMarcus Russell could have a decent game against Houston. If not, Joyner surmised, Russell really may be on his way to becoming a bust. Joyner thinks Houston has one of the worst defensive backfields in the league based on his computing. Houston’s cornerbacks are allowing big plays at an alarming rate. It’s a perfect opportunity for Russell to break out. If not, Russell (who has a 39.8 passers’ rating this season) may never break out.

	AP Photo/Paul Sakuma
	Oakland quarterback JaMarcus Russell just hasn’t progressed enough for the Raiders.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Bill Williamson

There is no more pressing on-field issue in the AFC West than what is happening in Oakland. Actually, it’s all about what’s not happening in Oakland.

JaMarcus Russell is not getting better. That’s a big problem for the Raiders.

“Really, he’s getting worse,” Scouts Inc.’s Matt Williamson said.

In a pivotal season, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2007 draft is struggling mightily. The Raiders hoped and expected Russell would make week-by-week improvement, but the opposite is happening.

In the opener against San Diego, he threw for 208 yards. In Week 2 at Kansas City, he passed for 109 yards and then he bottomed out at 61 yards against Denver as Oakland fell to 1-2. Russell’s passer rating is 39.8 -- the worst in the NFL.

But Russell's numbers aren’t just bad. They’re historically bad. According to ESPN’s Stats & Information, Russell’s passer rating is the second lowest by a quarterback who played in his team’s first three games of a season this decade (minimum 60 attempts). The only quarterback in the past 10 years who had a lower rating through three games with at least 60 attempts was Ryan Leaf in 2000.

(Ouch. Ryan Leaf. Russell is entering the Leaf zone. The Leaf comparison is certainly not what Oakland was aiming for when this year began.)

The numbers only get worse. Russell has completed just 41.3 percent of his passes. He had 35 incompletions in the first two games of the season.

According to ESPN’s Stats & Information, Russell's completion percentage through three games is the fourth lowest by a quarterback who played in his team’s first three games of a season in the last 25 seasons (minimum 60 attempts). The only quarterbacks with at least 60 attempts who had lower completion percentages through three games over that span are John Fourcade in 1990, Akili Smith in 2000 and David Carr in 2002.

Leaf. Smith. Carr.

Get the picture? Russell is matching numbers with some of the great quarterback busts of our time. It may be premature to categorize Russell as an official bust. However, he may be wise to shop for property in Bustville. His time is running out.

What’s most bothersome about Russell is that he has failed to make virtually any improvements since he entered the NFL. The same questions remain. When he entered the league, the strong-armed, massive Russell was said to have all the measurables. Before the 2007 draft, Oakland owner Al Davis compared Russell to John Elway.

But Russell was far from a finished product. He needed to work on his accuracy, his footwork, his penchant for locking in on receivers, his vision, his work ethic and his body language.

After 35 NFL games, the same questions remain. In his second full season as a starter, Russell looks as lost as ever.

What’s the answer, though? If Oakland bails on Russell and benches him, it would be an admission the team made a huge mistake and must start over at the most important position on the field.

The team’s current backups, Bruce Gradkowski and Charlie Frye, are not long-term answers. The Raiders could call Jeff Garcia again if they feel like they can make a playoff run without Russell. However, the Garcia scenario seems unlikely now after he ripped Russell and the team in a radio interview.

Russell probably needs more time to develop. But he is killing any chance Oakland has of being a contender this season. For now, the Raiders are standing by Russell.

“I have to have faith in the guy going out there playing quarterback for us, and I do have that faith," Raiders coach Tom Cable said Monday.

Williamson said he believes Russell is one of the more physically gifted quarterbacks in the NFL.

“I put him right up there with Jay Cutler and Joe Flacco as far as gifts go. I can see why he was the top pick in the draft,” Williamson said. “But he’s atrocious. He really is. He needs a lot of work, and I don’t know if he’ll ever get there. Right now he looks like an incredible bust.”

KC Joyner, the Football Scientist, went out on a limb in the preseason and stumped for Russell. Joyner liked the way Russell finished last season. In the final six games of the 2008 season, Joyner found that Russell had a better passer rating than Matt Ryan and Flacco.

Joyner figured Russell would continue to improve. So, after Russell’s first three games of 2009, is Joyner still a Russell believer?

“No,” Joyner said. “I was on the bandwagon, but he is not doing anything well right now. He has completely regressed.”

That’s the problem with Russell. There are no signs that he’s getting better. All of the signs are pointing in the wrong direction.