"There are lessons to be learned in the graveyard. There are clues to be found in the wreckage.

Even now that the career of JaMarcus Russell has been pronounced dead, there are still things to find out from the autopsy.

Hello, Josh Freeman.

Are you listening?

Most of the time, we expect the young quarterbacks of the NFL to learn from success stories. Take notes from the masters. Study the stars. That sort of thing. How did Peyton Manning attack that defense? What was Tom Brady thinking on third and 3? What drills did Drew Brees use to get his accuracy? And so on.

Sometimes, however, a quarterback can find direction from a lost career. Sometimes, he can learn from those who never could. It's like this: If you're going to start a zeppelin business, you want to know as much as you can about why the Hindenburg crashed. Right? (By a strange coincidence, Russell and the Hindenburg wore the same jersey size.)

Call it learning from someone else's mistakes. For instance, a young quarterback shouldn't go clubbing with Ben Roethlisberger, and he doesn't visit the pet store with Michael Vick, and he doesn't learn diplomacy from Jay Cutler, and he shouldn't discuss retirement plans with Brett Favre.

Also, he should avoid the footsteps of Russell at all costs."