You are off the hook, Ryan Leaf.



Now that he has been cut by Oakland, quarterback JaMarcus Russell has to be considered the biggest all-time NFL draft bust. Here is my list of the five greatest busts in draft history:



1. JaMarcus Russell: He is 7-18 as an NFL starter, which is the worst record by a quarterback who was a No. 1 overall pick. He is the fastest quarterback who was a top pick to be released by his drafting team. Russell, 24, lasted three years in Oakland. He cost the Raiders $39 million.



2. Ryan Leaf: Leaf was the No. 2 pick in 1998, being taken one pick after the great Peyton Manning. Leaf was a disaster on and off the field in San Diego. He lasted three injury- and controversy-plagued seasons with the Chargers. He won four games with the Chargers. Still, Russell is a bigger bust because he was a top pick and he was much more expensive than Leaf.



3. Charles Rogers: The Lions took Rogers with the No. 2 pick, one slot ahead of when Houston took Andre Johnson. Rogers lasted three seasons in Detroit. His stay there was marred by injuries and off-field issues.



4. Tim Couch: Cleveland picked him with the first pick in 1999 over No. 2 pick Donovan McNabb. Couch lasted four horrible seasons in Cleveland.



5. Tony Mandarich: The Packers took the tackle No. 2 in 1989, ahead of the likes of Barry Sanders, Derrick Thomas and Deion Sanders. He lasted three years in Green Bay and never made an impact.

Whether it’s the Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers or even the Cincinnati Bengals, there are quarterback questions all around the AFC North.

Russell

So would anyone be interested in a former No. 1 pick at the position?



The Oakland Raiders released embattled quarterback JaMarcus Russell Thursday. A player taken so high in the draft and thought to have so much talent will almost certainly get a second chance. So let’s explore some of the possibilities within the AFC North.



First, let’s automatically rule Cleveland out of the equation. Despite making a lukewarm signing in veteran starter Jake Delhomme and another lukewarm trade to acquire backup Seneca Wallace, the Browns appear set with their quarterback situation moving forward. Drafting third-round pick Colt McCoy makes him the clear quarterback of the future in Cleveland, and there’s no room to take on any additional projects like Russell.



Second, we can scratch the Steelers off the list, as well. Yes, they need a starting quarterback due to the upcoming suspension of Ben Roethlisberger. But it’s clear that Russell is not an NFL starter at the moment. He doesn’t have the work ethic right now that it takes to be successful. And after dealing with so much quarterback drama this offseason with Roethlisberger, taking on a lazy player at the position wouldn’t appease Pittsburgh’s franchise or its large and rabid fan base.



That leaves Cincinnati, which may be the only shot Russell has to land in this division. The Bengals need a backup quarterback behind starter Carson Palmer, and everyone knows owner Mike Brown is famous (infamous?) for taking on reclamation projects, especially if it comes at pennies on the dollar. If Russell, who already made a lot of money in Oakland, is willing to accept a dirt-cheap deal, there could be a chance in Cincinnati. With the potential signing of controversial free-agent cornerback Adam “Pacman” Jones, you can’t put anything past the Bengals at this point.

Will the Cleveland Browns have enough patience to successfully groom rookie quarterback Colt McCoy?



When it comes to quarterbacks, patience certainly is not a virtue in Cleveland.



It’s a city that is desperate for a championship and a franchise quarterback to call its own. It’s been 17 years since Bernie Kosar last donned a Browns uniform. Cleveland fans have been too quick to anoint the Browns’ next franchise quarterback, only to be disappointed.



Often the Browns organization followed suit by rushing quarterbacks onto the field too soon and usually without much of a supporting cast.



For example, Tim Couch was a No. 1 overall pick after the Browns returned to the NFL in 1999. He played 15 games his rookie year and spent that season — and most of his career — taking a pounding for an expansion franchise. Thus, Couch never had the chance to fully blossom as an NFL quarterback thanks to various injuries he suffered.



Kelly Holcomb, Charlie Frye, Derek Anderson and most recently Brady Quinn all followed and were among the young players who were shuffled in and out of Cleveland’s revolving door at quarterback. The team never established a consistent direction at the league’s most important position.



This brings us to McCoy — this year’s highly publicized third-round pick. He is the next young quarterback to generate hope and a significant buzz in northeast Ohio.



Ideally, Browns president Mike Holmgren wants to wait a year, maybe two, before McCoy sees the field. But the second veteran starter Jake Delhomme struggles with a multi-interception game, there will be pressure in Cleveland to see what McCoy can do. Yet Seneca Wallace, not McCoy, is currently No. 2 on the depth chart if Delhomme falters.



In the past decade, few NFL franchises have failed more at grooming a long-term solution at quarterback than the Browns. That is why it’s important for the team to stick to its plan and let McCoy learn from the sidelines in 2010 — no matter what happens with the quarterbacks in front of him.

As previously noted, Minnesota state legislators announced formal legislation Monday for a new Vikings stadium, one they hope will be approved during the final two weeks of this year’s session. According to a news release, it proposes a $791 million project — paid for by a combination of sports-themed lottery tickets; taxes on hotels, rental cars, jerseys; and a $264 million contribution from the Vikings/NFL.



The Vikings would also be responsible for any cost overruns, which seem likely considering the project was originally priced at anywhere between $870 million and $980 million.



Now starts the grimy political process of determining if enough state leaders will support the project. Already, a team spokesman has balked at the $264 million contribution; owner Zygi Wilf has previously capped his commitment to $215 million, including a loan from the NFL. But the bottom line is that the Vikings have two more years on their lease at the Metrodome, after which they will become franchise “free agents.”



Over on our Facebook page, Israel asks the most pertinent long-term question:

If the new Vikings stadium bill does not pass, what are the chances Mr. Wilf tries to sell the team? How would this affect any upcoming free agents such as Sidney Rice, Adrian Peterson, and Chad Greenway?

There are many people closely tracking the use of their tax money here, but Israel’s question cuts to what I think is the biggest issue.



I don’t think anything significant will happen immediately if the bill is rejected this year, other than the possibility of higher costs if the issue is re-considered next winter. But if it ultimately becomes clear that funding won’t be approved, I believe Wilf will give strong consideration to selling the team.



I don’t believe Wilf will move the team himself. My educated guess is that he isn’t interested in having his family name associated with the departure of a franchise the way “Irsay” is known in Baltimore and “Modell” in Cleveland. But selling to a new owner who wants to relocate would allow Wilf to escape that legacy.



If Wilf puts the team up for sale, I can tell you it’s generally not a good short-term sign for the franchise. Every situation is different, but in most sale situations, it doesn’t make sense to invest more than what is absolutely necessary to maintain the franchise value. Sure, the Vikings would be better off signing their star players to long-term contracts. But would it change the franchise value if they depart via free agency? In most cases, probably not.



Vikings fans witnessed that approach for three years under former owner Red McCombs. More recently, St. Louis hasn’t exactly broken the bank this winter while awaiting the conclusion of its sale process. The Rams will have to pay quarterback Sam Bradford what could be a record NFL contract, but the lack of negotiations thus far causes a cynic to wonder if current ownership is hoping to leave future ownership with the bill.



The Vikings are nowhere close to that point right now. But I think people in Minnesota are fooling themselves if they believe nothing will change if a stadium is indefinitely delayed.

PITTSBURGH–The Steelers wrapped up their second day of mandatory minicamp Saturday.



Here are several notes to pass along:

• Things remained status quo for the Steelers at quarterback: Byron Leftwich remains on the first team, while Dennis Dixon is the backup. Chances are, Leftwich and Dixon will compete in training camp until Ben Roethlisberger returns from his suspension. But the Steelers have made it pretty clear that Leftwich has the first shot to win the job.
• I have some good news to pass along to Cleveland Browns fans. I talked to Dixon in the locker room Saturday about fellow Oregon alum and Browns rookie safety T.J. Ward, and Dixon vouched that he’s a good player. Cleveland took Ward in the second round, which many draft experts considered a reach. In addition to going to the same college, Dixon said he also played against Ward in high school in California. “He can definitely hit,” Dixon said. “He’s known for that.”
• Steelers Pro Bowl outside linebacker James Harrison rejoined the team Saturday after missing Friday’s minicamp due to a death in the family.
• Pittsburgh cornerback Bryant McFadden, who was acquired in a draft-day trade with the Arizona Cardinals, confirmed to the AFC North blog that Pittsburgh worked out an extension with him through the 2012 season. NFL.com first reported the story earlier this week.

The post-draft power rankings are out, and I’ve got one of the four ballots.



Keep in mind we’re building off rankings at the conclusion of the regular season. While we didn’t have official rankings after the playoffs, I did a ballot then which you can find here.



Teams from the AFC South ranked highest on average, same as they did to close last season (although their average ranking fell from 13.6 to 14.3). Teams from the NFC West ranked 21.5 on average, lower than teams from any other division.



Here’s how I voted in this round of rankings, with a note on each. (The parenthetical number is where I ranked the team in the last official vote):



1) New Orleans (1) – The champs stay on top until they prove unworthy of it.



2) Indianapolis (2) – I expect they pick up where they left off, but have O-line questions.



3) Minnesota (3) – Vikings were far better late in ‘09 than I expected, so they get their due now.



4) Baltimore (9) – I firmly believe the Ravens have had the best offseason of anyone.



5) N.Y. Jets (5) – Trip to the AFC title game moved them a lot in my eyes.



6) Green Bay (6) – I probably like Packers more than I should.



7) Dallas (7) – Will lose attention to Saints and Vikes in the NFC, and that may be a good thing.



Atlanta (15) – The Falcons were my preseason Super Bowl pick last year, and may be again.



9) San Diego (8) – It’s getting tiring rating them high, and then being disappointed every year.



10) Arizona (4) – Life post-Kurt Warner is going to be a bigger test for them than some think.



11) New England (11) – The Patriots need to prove themselves again to me.



12) Philadelphia (10) – Eagles have lots of turnover, but that’s not necessarily bad.



13) Cincinnati (12) – Can’t see a repeat of last year and Bengals were bypassed by Baltimore.



14) Houston (13) – Big question remains: Can they win in the division?



15) San Francisco (21) – Huge opportunity in wide-open division; going to be a popular dark horse.



16) Tennessee (16) – Replacing a ton of leadership and could have a holdout situation with Johnson.



17) Pittsburgh (14) – Too much turmoil thanks to Big Ben, not enough offensive line.



18) N.Y. Giants (19) – Too many question in the secondary and at linebacker.



19) Denver (17) – Not a fan of the tear down of everything Shanahan, firing of Nolan.



20) Carolina (18) – Not nearly as excited about Matt Moore at QB as they are.



21) Miami (20) – Probably on the rise in a tough division with Brandon Marshall in the fold.



22) Chicago (22) – I just don’t see Mike Martz and Jay Cutler as a good marriage.



23) Jacksonville (23) – Stuck with an average QB, young team in a strong division.



24) Oakland (24) – Going to be moving up this list and messing things up for a lot of opponents.



25) Seattle (25) – While Seahawks have done well, Carroll has a lot of roster rebuilding still ahead.



26) Buffalo (26) – Hard to find anything to get excited about here, unfortunately.



27) Cleveland (27) – Just don’t see them close to Baltimore’s level; Holmgren needs time.



28) Washington (28) – Mishmash of old running backs among my chief concerns.



29) Kansas City (29) – I don’t have big faith in Matt Cassell yet; new coordinators are intriguing.



30) Tampa Bay (30) – Still wonder if Morris is in over his head.



31) Detroit (31) – Bad division to make a lot of progress in.



32) St. Louis (32) – Sam Bradford is a start, but finish is a long way off.

It’s that time of year again.



With the draft complete and free agency slowed to a snail’s pace, ESPN.com decided to produce its latest NFL power rankings.



Here is a quick reminder: Similar to last year, I am not part of the voting process. So if you have complaints, please make sure to take it up with the proper participants and not our division inbox.



With that said, here is how the AFC North ranked:



Baltimore Ravens



Power ranking: No. 7



Analysis: The Ravens have created quite a buzz this offseason with the addition of Anquan Boldin and a solid draft. But ESPN.com’s panel placed them at No. 7. Personally, I would have had the Ravens a little higher — certainly ahead of Green Bay — but that’s just me. The only weakness the Ravens have on paper right now is the secondary, and that could be patched up if Lardarius Webb (knee) and/or Fabian Washington (knee) make it back in time for Week 1, when a huge matchup against the New York Jets awaits.



Cincinnati Bengals



Power ranking: No. 11



Analysis: The reigning AFC North champs can begin the season playing the disrespect card. The Bengals are four spots behind the Ravens, a team Cincinnati swept last season. The Bengals have a solid chance to post back-to-back winning seasons for the first time in 28 years, and they certainly have the roster and the talent to do it. But avoiding injuries will be key, and Cincinnati has had trouble doing that in recent years.



Pittsburgh Steelers



Power ranking: No. 19



Analysis: The conditional six-game suspension of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger had a tremendous impact on this voting, as it should. With Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh is a top-10 team. Without him, I believe this ranking is pretty accurate. The Steelers will have to win games early with defense and running the ball next season. Dennis Dixon, Charlie Batch or Byron Leftwich do not have the capability to throw for 350 yards every week. So it’s going to be a struggle for Pittsburgh to score points in September. An average or slow start could be looming.



Cleveland Browns



Power ranking: No. 27



Analysis: The addition of Mike Holmgren as Cleveland’s new president didn’t do much for the Browns’ ranking this offseason. The Browns have made several roster upgrades this offseason, particularly in the secondary. Still, I’m getting the sense from our panel that they believe the talent deficiency was so vast that Cleveland is still lagging behind most of the league. Only five teams were rated lower than the Browns — the Buffalo Bills, Kansas City Chiefs, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Detroit Lions and St. Louis Rams.

The Steelers, Patriots and Giants topped ESPN.com’s offseason power rankings 11 months ago.



The eventual champion Saints were 16th. The eventual runner-up Colts were fifth.



It was much easier picking the bottom five teams — Detroit, St. Louis, Oakland, Kansas City and Cleveland — than the very best ones.



Take heart, Steelers and Eagles fans. ESPN’s first NFL Power Rankings for 2010 were especially hard on your teams, but it’s early. Perceptions can be deceiving, particularly this far out. But if our panelists’ expectations hold, the Eagles might miss the playoffs and the Steelers certainly will. Neither cracked the rankings’ top 12.



The chart shows how panelists John Clayton, Jeff Chadiha, Paul Kuharsky and I ranked each team with only 132 days until the Vikings and Saints open the regular season Sept. 9.



And now, a look inside the rankings …



Rising: The Redskins jumped a league-high six spots to No. 23 since the final power rankings last season. The Falcons rose five spots. The Ravens, Saints, Jets and 49ers each rose four spots. The Giants rose three, the Raiders two and three teams — the Bears, Patriots and Seahawks — rose one spot apiece.



Falling: The Steelers and Eagles each dropped six spots, more than any other team. The Bills and Cardinals fell four spots. The Broncos fell three. The Chargers, Jaguars, Browns and Bengals each dropped two. The Dolphins, Chiefs, Colts and Cowboys fell one apiece.



Unchanged: Rankings for the Panthers, Lions, Packers, Texans, Vikings, Rams, Bucs and Titans did not change.



Deadlocked: We broke no ties this time.



Groupthink: All four panelists ranked the Lions 31st and Rams 32nd, perhaps out of habit. Three of four had the Saints first, the Colts second and the Vikings third. All panelists had the Dolphins 21st or 22nd. Three of four had the Bucs 30th.



Agree to disagree: The Redskins generated by far the biggest gap — 16 spots — between highest and lowest votes. Eleven teams generated gaps of at least seven places:

• Redskins (16): Clayton ranked them 12th, higher than any other panelist ranked them. Chadiha and Kuharsky ranked them 28th, lower than any other panelist ranked them.
• Giants (11): Clayton 11th, Chadiha 22nd
• Falcons (10): Clayton fifth, Chadiha 22nd.
• Broncos (8): Chadiha 17th, Clayton 20th.
• Chargers (7): Clayton second, Kuharsky ninth.
• Eagles (7): Chadiha 11th, Clayton 18th.
• Seahawks (7): Clayton 23rd, Chadiha 30th.

Power rankings histories: These colorful layered graphs show where each NFL team has ranked every week since the 2002 season.



Ranking the divisions: Teams from the AFC South ranked highest on average, same as they did to close last season (although their average ranking fell from 13.6 to 14.3). Teams from the NFC West ranked 21.5 on average, lower than teams from any other division.



A voter-by-voter look at changes of at least four spots since the final 2009 rankings:

• Sando: Steelers (-8), Cardinals (-7), Bills (-6), Eagles (-4), Saints (+4), Redskins (+5), Ravens (+6), Falcons (+6), 49ers (+6), Seahawks (+6), Giants (+7)
• Clayton: Eagles (-10), Broncos (-9), Bengals (-8), Cardinals (-7), Steelers (-6), Jaguars (-5), Browns (-4), Bills (-4), Panthers (+4), Seahawks (+4), Giants (+9), Falcons (+10), Redskins (+17)
• Kuharsky: Chargers (-7), Eagles (-5), Cowboys (-4), Steelers (-4), Saints (+4), Ravens (+6), 49ers (+6), Falcons (+7), Jets (+9)
• Chadiha: Seahawks (-5), Eagles (-4), Saints (+4), Jets (+8)

For download: An Excel file — available here — showing how each voter voted this week and in past weeks.



The file includes a “powerflaws” sheet pointing out potential flaws in voters’ thinking by showing how many higher-ranked opponents each team defeated last season.



A quick primer on the “powerflaws” sheet:

• Column Y features team rankings.
• Column Z shows how many times a team has defeated higher-ranked teams.
• Change the rankings in column Y as you see fit.
• Re-sort column Y in ascending order (1 to 32) using the standard Excel pull-down menu atop the column.
• The information in column Z, which reflects potential ranking errors, will change (with the adjusted total highlighted in yellow atop the column).
• The lower the figure in that yellow box, the fewer conflicts.

Falling



Brady Quinn, Denver, quarterback: Denver’s selection of Tim Tebow with the No. 25 pick means that if Quinn is going to salvage his career, it will likely be elsewhere. Tebow’s selection also likely means that Kyle Orton will be out after the 2010 season. The journeyman was likely a short timer in Denver, anyway, and he will likely get a chance to compete for a starting job somewhere in 2011. Quinn may never get his career off the ground. A month after he thought he was getting career CPR with a trade from Cleveland to Denver, where he would learn under the tutelage of quarterback guru Josh McDaniels, Quinn’s future is in doubt. All the developing attention in Denver will be spent on Tebow. Quinn could potentially be the backup in Denver. But any thoughts of him being groomed into the starter took a major hit when Tebow was taken.



Rising



Jason Campbell, Oakland, quarterback: Campbell is getting the break Quinn hoped to get. After being replaced in Washington by Donovan McNabb, Campbell went to Oakland for a 2012 fourth-round pick. The Raiders say Campbell will compete for the starting job. But there is virtually no way he will not be the starter. Campbell has a big arm and he fits Oakland’s offense. This is his chance to prove he can be a quality starter in the NFL and show he can make the Raiders competitive. This is a great opportunity for Campbell.

Will the Cleveland Browns go with a rookie starting safety this season?



Rarely is an NFL coach stumped by a football question.



But after the Browns took cornerback Joe Haden in the first round of the NFL draft, coach Eric Mangini was quizzed on his starting safeties, which caused some hesitation.



“It’s a ways away,” Mangini said. “So I can’t really say that definitively right now.”



Over the next two days, the Browns drafted a pair of safeties — T.J. Ward of Oregon and Larry Asante of Nebraska. The Browns are hoping one of these players matures quickly and earns a starting role this season alongside veteran Abram Elam.



Safety was arguably Cleveland’s biggest need entering the draft. It was a major reason many projected Eric Berry or Earl Thomas to land with the Browns in the first round.



Berry was a target for Cleveland at No. 7. But when he went off the board at No. 5 to the Kansas City Chiefs, the Browns turned their attention to Haden. It also forced Cleveland to look very hard at safeties in the second round.



Some draft experts felt the team reached for Ward at No. 38. But Ward was a player the Browns really liked.



“When I looked at him and spent time with him he reminded me a lot of Lawyer Milloy,” Mangini said. “I think he’s got outstanding instincts in the running game. He’s one of these guys that can navigate through traffic and it’s almost like the blockers don’t exist. Very rarely does he miss tackles.”



The Browns selected Asante in the fifth round. He has similar skills to Ward in terms of being an aggressive hitter at safety. Right now, Ward is the favorite to be the Week 1 starter. But both rookies will have plenty of opportunities to impress Cleveland’s coaching staff in training camp.



“Just like with the other guys, he will battle at safety for playing time,” Browns general manager Tom Heckert said of Asante. “We do think he is a good player. He played at a big-time level of competition, which is always a nice thing to have.”



With opposing quarterbacks on the schedule such as Drew Brees, Tom Brady, Joe Flacco, Ben Roethlisberger and Carson Palmer, the Browns need at least one of these rookie safeties to be fast learners.