Russell occupies throwin' throne; staying there is tough part

Russell will be better than Smith, but there are some scouts who worry that his physical talent and big arm can prop him up higher than he should be in the draft.

Seeing him, it's hard not to like what you see. He looks like an offensive lineman when he walks into a room. When Russell was announced to the media Friday, longtime NFL personnel director Gil Brandt jokingly introduced him as a tackle.

Russell measured 6-5¼ and weighed 265 pounds. Some scouts said the weight was too much. In fact, one scout said he looked like he had a "tire" around his waist. Another scout said Russell weighed 280 pounds during Sugar Bowl week.

By not coming to the combine in top shape, Russell opened himself up to being picked apart. After Hurricane Katrina, Russell opened his home to legendary singer Fats Domino for a few days. The singer was a friend of Russell's girlfriend.

Was it Fats and Fatty then?

"His body does concern you some," said the AFC scout. "Who wants a quarterback who weighs 300 pounds?"

That size is also what draws teams to him. Some scouts think his size will help keep plays alive, make him bounce off defensive ends to make laser throws down the field.

"It's a lot of fun when you've got big guys trying to tackle you and you're not falling," Russell said. "You're still able to make plays. I'm bigger than most of the guys out there."

Russell threw for 3,129 yards as a junior in 2006, with 28 touchdowns and eight interceptions. His completion percentage was 67.8, a significant increase from the 60.5 he had in 2005.

But in two road games against Auburn and Florida, his completion percentage was less than 60 and he threw just one touchdown and three interceptions in two losses.

Russell has also had stretches during his career where he didn't take care of the football as well as he should.

Yet none of that seems to matter now. He has emerged as the top quarterback in the draft with two months left.

What's dangerous with that thinking? Two seasons of evaluation that show that Quinn was the better college quarterback might be going to waste, based on potential and one bowl game.

"It think it (helped) a lot," Russell said of the Sugar Bowl. "Things went good for a couple of years, but just to have a big bowl game ... I guess it pushed me up real high."

And Quinn down lower. He doesn't understand it.

"No offense to everyone out there, but I try to stay out of reading all the articles and watching all the shows," Quinn said. "I mean, it's kind of hard for a guy to slip at this time. I haven't played a game in the past couple of months, so it's funny to kind of sit back and hear some of that. You think, 'Did I lift today, or do something wrong in the weight room? Miss a rep?'

"I'm confused. It's just funny, but it's one of those things you can use for motivation."

It's one of the perplexing things about the draft, yet it happens every year. A player gets hot late in the season and becomes the next big thing. To borrow a phrase from Dennis Green, we crown their ass.

Russell has that crown now. In the next two months, he'll face an onslaught of negative chatter as they try and take it away. Plus, Quinn wants it back.

Is Russell just the latest flavor of the week? Or is his spot sealed as the top passer in this draft? When he and Quinn hold their pro-day workouts -- neither will throw here -- we'll find out.

Get ready, JaMarcus. They're coming for that crown.