HENDERSON, Nev. -- The Las Vegas Raiders' history of pairing a first-time NFL head coach with a rookie, No. 1 overall pick quarterback might temper expectations for the eventual partnership between Klint Kubiak and Fernando Mendoza, especially in Year 1.
Nearly 20 years ago, the Raiders hired Lane Kiffin as the coach and eventually drafted quarterback JaMarcus Russell with the No. 1 pick of the 2007 NFL draft. The combination of Kiffin, who was USC's wide receiver coach/offensive coordinator at the time of his hiring, and Russell, who was known for his electric arm at LSU, created more chaos than success.
Kiffin reportedly didn't want to draft Russell and was fired by the Raiders in September of his second season in 2008 after posting a 5-15 career record. Meanwhile, Russell lasted just 31 games and posted a QBR of 26.1 before being released in 2009.