Russell ready to take control of Raiders

Sep. 8--ALAMEDA -- He's not the same.

That's the consensus among Raiders coaches and teammates when talking about quarterback JaMarcus Russell, who will take the reins of the offense in tonight's season opener against the Denver Broncos.

Russell's NFL debut came against Denver last Dec. 2, when he completed 4 of 7 passes for 56 yards. But the Broncos won't see a quarterback using only 25 percent of the playbook as they did in 2007. Denver will see a confident Russell who now has command of the Raiders' offense, even if he's only played in four NFL games.

Though Russell missed training camp as a rookie and didn't play until late last season, it's unfair to call him a rookie.

Raiders head coach Lane Kiffin said Russell was just "trying to survive" when he last lined up against the Broncos.

"That first game we had to have linemen helping in the huddle call the plays," said Kiffin, whose Raiders defeated Denver 34-20 in that game. "He's come a long way, and hopefully it'll pay off."

The Raiders know one thing for sure. Russell is prepared for tonight's season opener at McAfee Coliseum and for the upcoming season. His offseason was dedicated to classroom work and fundamentals, which have helped accelerate the learning process.

What Russell missed during the 2007 training camp was made up in March, April and May during team workouts and then training camp.

"Going through the spring and being there for training camp in the summer, I learned a lot," Russell said. "I'm deep in the playbook now, and a lot different than I was last year. You're going to see a much different guy this year."

Russell could be found at team headquarters four days a week, beginning the day at 8 a.m. in the classroom studying the offense before heading to the practice field to improve his footwork.

Raiders offensive coordinator Greg Knapp spent a lot of that time with Russell. He said Russell's greatest strides have come in recognizing blitzes and his footwork.

The Raiders expect to see a lot of teams blitzing Russell, trying to rattle the young quarterback. Therefore, his ability to recognize blitzes and know where to deliver the ball is crucial.