"Too big to hide and too slow to get out of the way, he was an easy target.

Too indifferent to respond, he was the convenient explanation.

With so many bad habits, on and off the field, JaMarcus Russell embodied the ills of the Raiders. Losing him would open the door to success.

By that logic, then, dumping the big bust means winning time has arrived.

As atrocious as Russell was, though, the Raiders won't do much winning if their only appreciable upgrade is swapping him for Jason Campbell at quarterback.

When the Raiders take the field today for their first training-camp practice, they do so as Campbell's team. The new quarterback enters a honeymoon period that should last at least 45 days, until the regular-season opener.

More reliably, though, this honeymoon will last as long as his new teammates perform considerably better than they have the past few years."