The Bust And The Brat: It's All About Attitude

Two names you are unlikely to hear during this summer's NFL training camps are Jamarcus Russell and Terrell Owens. Although both players are considered extremely talented no NFL team is willing to take a chance on either of them. The reason for this is very simple, money will not change their attitudes. There is a common misconception in this country that a person's behavior can be modified through monetary compensation. That is not always the case. Take Jamarcus for example. You would think a $61,000,000 contract with $32,000,000 of it guaranteed would be enough motivation for ANYONE to perform at a high level. The problem is that Jamarcus never had to try before the pros. He was always bigger and stronger than his competition and those physical attributes were enough for him to get by on. He was always lazy. He never developed a great work ethic, only a super sonic rocket arm. He thought that would be enough to get him to the pros and it was. It just wasn't enough to keep him there. Getting to the pros and making alot of money was as far as he thought it through. Once Jamarcus found out how much work was involved the situation overwhelmed him. All the pressure and expectation to perform was more than he could handle. The money didn't change him. Don't blame Jamarcus for being himself, blame the Raiders for not doing their homework. There's still time for Jamarcus. He's only 24 and maybe this experience will motivate him to work harder. I'm pulling for him, but I doubt we'll see him again. I'll break down Terrell on Thursday.