Former Raiders quarterback JaMarcus Russell works out for Redskins
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As if the Washington Redskins’ quarterback situation wasn’t already bizarre enough ...
Former No. 1 overall pick JaMarcus Russell, who was cut by the Oakland Raiders during the offseason after three lackluster seasons, worked out for the Redskins on Tuesday.
This comes two days after star quarterback Donovan McNabb was benched late in the Sunday’s game against the Detroit Lions in favor of backup Rex Grossman, whose fumble on his first snap led to a Lions touchdown and an eventual 37-25 Redskins loss.
Washington Coach Mike Shanahan offered various explanations for that move, including that because of lingering injuries, McNabb was not in good enough physical shape to run the two-minute offense with no timeouts.
The veteran McNabb is not having his best season, with seven touchdowns and eight interceptions in eight games. But he has career totals of 223 touchdowns and 108 interceptions, not to mention appearances in five NFC championships and one Super Bowl, and was considered a huge pickup when the Redskins traded for him during the offseason.
Grossman has 33 touchdowns and 36 interceptions in his career. He was the Bears’ starting quarterback during their Super Bowl run during the 2006-07 season, but he threw 20 interceptions and lost five fumbles along the way.
Where Russell fits into all of this is anyone’s guess. He had 18 touchdowns, 23 interceptions and 15 fumbles lost -- as well as seemingly constant questions about his work ethic -- with the Raiders.
According to the Associated Press, the Redskins routinely take a look at out-of-work players on Tuesdays. “We’ll evaluate him and everyone else out there,” offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan said of Russell.
The only other quarterback on the Redskins’ roster is John Beck, who hasn’t taken a regular-season snap since 2007.
-- Chuck Schilken
