Jamarcus Russell

Former Ravens coach Brian Billick will be forever linked to Kyle Boller. When Billick was in Baltimore, the Ravens traded a future first-round pick for the right to draft the California quarterback 18th overall in 2003. Boller never lived up to the hype, but at the time the Ravens were convinced that Boller would be very successful. According to Billick, though, Boller wasn't the best college quarterback prospect he saw in his time here. That would be JaMarcus Russell, the No. 1 overall pick in 2007 and one of the biggest draft busts in NFL history.

Former Ravens coach Brian Billick will be forever linked to Kyle Boller. When Billick was in Baltimore, the Ravens traded a future first-round pick for the right to draft the California quarterback 18th overall in 2003. Boller never lived up to the hype, but at the time the Ravens were convinced that Boller would be very successful. According to Billick, though, Boller wasn't the best college quarterback prospect he saw in his time here. That would be JaMarcus Russell, the No. 1 overall pick in 2007 and one of the biggest draft busts in NFL history.

the top five 1 Titans (5-0) With the Colts coming up, Tennessee faces a trap game in Kansas City. 2 Giants (4-1) Eli Manning is outplaying his brother. 3 Steelers (4-1) Two-game lead in AFC North. 4 Colts (3-2) Marvin Harrison still has it. 5 Buccaneers (4-2) Jeff Garcia might not give job up now. the bottom five 28 Rams (1-4) Get shot at Cowboys today. 29 Bengals (0-6) With Carson Palmer out, not much hope. 30 Raiders (1-4) JaMarcus Russell is lost. 31 Chiefs (1-4) Tony Gonzalez isn't the only one who wants out. 32 Lions (0-5)

During the first round of the annual NFL draft, players are selected who don't end up panning out at the professional level. Some just want a fat paycheck (JaMarcus Russell). Some have legal issues (Rae Carruth). Some can't handle the pressure (Ryan Leaf). And some simply aren't good enough for pro football (Akili Smith). The Ravens have avoided major first-round busts in their history. The selections of Kyle Boller and Travis Taylor were failures for sure, but they are nowhere near cracking a list like this . This year, there will be a handful of first-round picks who won't live up to the billing.

No. Name Pos. 2 JaMarcus Russell QB 3 Charlie Frye QB 5 Bruce Gradkowski QB 7 J.P. Losman QB 9 Shane Lechler P 11 Sebastian Janikowski K 12 Darrius Heyward-Bey WR 15 Johnnie Lee Higgins WR 18 Murphy Louis...

During the first round of the annual NFL draft, players are selected who don't end up panning out at the professional level. Some just want a fat paycheck (JaMarcus Russell). Some have legal issues (Rae Carruth). Some can't handle the pressure (Ryan Leaf). And some simply aren't good enough for pro football (Akili Smith). The Ravens have avoided major first-round busts in their history. The selections of Kyle Boller and Travis Taylor were failures for sure, but they are nowhere near cracking a list like this . This year, there will be a handful of first-round picks who won't live up to the billing.

An unpredictable draft without a clear-cut No. 1 choice will start with debate, not consensus. It will start with the Oakland Raiders weighing the promise of JaMarcus Russell against the production of Brady Quinn. Unless the Raiders obtain a veteran quarterback between now and noon tomorrow, they almost certainly will choose between Russell and Quinn, the 1A and 1B of quarterbacks, with the first pick in the 2007 NFL draft. One has a tremendously strong arm and surprising accuracy. The other demonstrated impressive consistency and leadership over four years, along with the ability to avoid interceptions.

Chargers Big questions: How will they adjust to two big contract holdouts, left tackle Marcus McNeill and receiver Vincent Jackson? Can the team finally get off to a good start under Norv Turner? How much of a difference will it make swapping LaDainian Tomlinson for first-rounder Ryan Mathews? Can Philip Rivers turn some unknown receivers into stars? Big moves: Letting Tomlinson go was huge, and initial indications are both the Chargers and Jets will benefit.

1. Raiders What they need -- A quarterback for the worst offense in the NFL, along with a tackle who can block for him. What they might do -- It's unlikely anyone will bowl them over with a trade offer, so the Raiders have to decide which quarterback they like better - LSU's JaMarcus Russell or Notre Dame's Brady Quinn. Sun's pick -- QB JaMarcus Russell, LSU 2. Lions What they need -- Lots of defense and a quarterback for the future. What they might do -- Trade down for extra picks and a defensive impact player.

News item: : The Ravens finally face an actual "must-win" situation Sunday when they take on the Oakland Raiders at McAfee Coliseum in the last game of the regular season. My take: : Of course, it wouldn't be a real must-win game if they had won in any of the six or seven Kevin Cowherd must-win situations over the past couple of months. Related news item: : The Raiders have knocked off some pretty good teams this year, so the Ravens will have to show up and play smart football to punch their ticket to the NFL postseason.

Chargers Big questions: How will they adjust to two big contract holdouts, left tackle Marcus McNeill and receiver Vincent Jackson? Can the team finally get off to a good start under Norv Turner? How much of a difference will it make swapping LaDainian Tomlinson for first-rounder Ryan Mathews? Can Philip Rivers turn some unknown receivers into stars? Big moves: Letting Tomlinson go was huge, and initial indications are both the Chargers and Jets will benefit.

Ravens run offense vs. Raiders run defense: Despite having a talented front four, Oakland has allowed an NFL-high 21 rushing touchdowns. The Raiders rank 29th against the run, giving up 149.9 yards on the ground. Teams avoid throwing the ball against Oakland and attack its undersized linebackers. Last Sunday, Cleveland's Jerome Harrison gashed the Raiders for 148 yards. The Ravens have the seventh-best ground game in the NFL and have run for 19 touchdowns, which is tied for third in the league.

No. Name Pos. 2 JaMarcus Russell QB 3 Charlie Frye QB 5 Bruce Gradkowski QB 7 J.P. Losman QB 9 Shane Lechler P 11 Sebastian Janikowski K 12 Darrius Heyward-Bey WR 15 Johnnie Lee Higgins WR 18 Murphy Louis...

News item: : The Ravens finally face an actual "must-win" situation Sunday when they take on the Oakland Raiders at McAfee Coliseum in the last game of the regular season. My take: : Of course, it wouldn't be a real must-win game if they had won in any of the six or seven Kevin Cowherd must-win situations over the past couple of months. Related news item: : The Raiders have knocked off some pretty good teams this year, so the Ravens will have to show up and play smart football to punch their ticket to the NFL postseason.

Tomorrow RAVENS AT HOUSTON RAVENS: Out: S Dawan Landry (neck), CB Chris McAlister (knee). Doubtful: TE Daniel Wilcox (illness). Questionable: CB Samari Rolle (neck), LB Bart Scott (chest). Probable: T Jared Gaither (neck, knee), RB Le'Ron McClain (ankle), RB Willis McGahee (ankle), DT Brandon McKinney (shoulder), RB Ray Rice (chest), T Adam Terry (knee). TEXANS: Out: WR Andre Davis (finger), QB Matt Schaub (knee). Doubtful: DT Amobi Okoye (ankle). Probable: RB Ahman Green (thigh), LB DeMeco Ryans (shoulder)

the top five 1 Titans (5-0) With the Colts coming up, Tennessee faces a trap game in Kansas City. 2 Giants (4-1) Eli Manning is outplaying his brother. 3 Steelers (4-1) Two-game lead in AFC North. 4 Colts (3-2) Marvin Harrison still has it. 5 Buccaneers (4-2) Jeff Garcia might not give job up now. the bottom five 28 Rams (1-4) Get shot at Cowboys today. 29 Bengals (0-6) With Carson Palmer out, not much hope. 30 Raiders (1-4) JaMarcus Russell is lost. 31 Chiefs (1-4) Tony Gonzalez isn't the only one who wants out. 32 Lions (0-5)

Ravens run offense vs. Raiders run defense: Despite having a talented front four, Oakland has allowed an NFL-high 21 rushing touchdowns. The Raiders rank 29th against the run, giving up 149.9 yards on the ground. Teams avoid throwing the ball against Oakland and attack its undersized linebackers. Last Sunday, Cleveland's Jerome Harrison gashed the Raiders for 148 yards. The Ravens have the seventh-best ground game in the NFL and have run for 19 touchdowns, which is tied for third in the league.

1. Raiders What they need -- A quarterback for the worst offense in the NFL, along with a tackle who can block for him. What they might do -- It's unlikely anyone will bowl them over with a trade offer, so the Raiders have to decide which quarterback they like better - LSU's JaMarcus Russell or Notre Dame's Brady Quinn. Sun's pick -- QB JaMarcus Russell, LSU 2. Lions What they need -- Lots of defense and a quarterback for the future. What they might do -- Trade down for extra picks and a defensive impact player.