It remains to be seen whether Raiders quarterback JaMarcus Russell has whipped his fabricated case of “lethargy addiction.” But it’s quite possible that he has beaten his Ho-Ho habit.
Raiders director of squad development Willie Brown (who told reporters not long ago that he’s retiring) said Monday on Comcast SportsNet Bay Area that Russell has changed.
“You’ll be surprised when you see him,” Brown told Raiders play-by-play announcer Greg Papa, via Jerry McDonald of InsideBayArea.com. “It’s quite a bit of weight that he’s lost. . . . I don’t want to pin it down and say how much he lost but it will be a significant difference when you see him compared to last year.
“The most important thing is he’s getting in shape. Not only losing weight, but getting in shape. He’s watching his diet, he has special meals brought in that he’s eating, and we have one of the Raiders, a former player there with him to monitor him and make sure things are going fine. The weight thing, he’ll get it down. He’ll get it down.”
(McDonald says the former player is Eddie Anderson. Our money was on Bill Romanowski.)
In past offseasons, Russell (who is listed at 260 pounds) supposedly ballooned to three bills.
Brown also said that Russell missed the start of offseason workouts because the fourth-year quarterback is closing on a house in Alabama, and that Russell will be present for the lifting and cardio sessions on Tuesday.