JaMarcus Russell Will Take a Break Before Training Camp, Try Not to Gain 300 Pounds

Earlier this offseason, before the draft, SI.com's Don Banks speculated that Raiders second-year quarterback JaMarcus Russell had swelled to Jared Lorenzen proportions. Banks called it "a concern," even though, you know, he hadn't see Russell since Week 17 of the 2007 season.

As it turned out, Russell arrived to minicamp pretty much the same way he left the team in January. And now that offseason workouts have concluded, Russell plans to take a break before getting back to work when training camp commences July 26. But he cautions, "You can only rest for so much," Russell said with a laugh. "Let people tell it, I might get back up to 300 pounds."

Weight issues aside, Russell is progressing nicely and will be Oakland's starting quarterback come September.

"Right now, he's just really working so hard off the field as well as on the field," Kiffin said. "The way that the team is responding to him as you talk to different players, their feelings about him, they're ready to get behind him and go."

That's good news for an offense that has a chance to put up some points after five seasons of just the opposite. There are still some concerns about the offensive line, and Javon Walker, but Russell, Justin Fargas, Darren McFadden, Zach Miller, and the other, less heralded wideouts are still a capable bunch. And if we're to believe the Raiders could eschew the deep passing game, Walker's loss would be minimized. In theory, anyway.