Thirteen starts into his NFL career, JaMarcus Russell already is being measured and fitted for the "bust" label. In his case, that tag is going to have to be supersized.

This is predictable, even understandable. But it's unfair.

The growing frustration of Oakland Raiders fans is being channeled Russell's way. Al's True Believers can't blame their eccentric leader for the depressing state of the team. So all over blogs and Web sites, Russell — who will test his sprained ankle on Wednesday in practice — increasingly is the target.

The bust talk gathered steam the past few days, after Russell's terrible performance against San Diego, in which he threw two interceptions and had a passer rating of 42.0. Russell's off-field performance was just as bad; he broke protocol by blowing off the NFL Network crew for a pregame production meeting and then was called out for his transgression on national television.

Russell certainly isn't helping himself with such immature behavior. But if Russell is failing, the blame can be shared all around.

It's a familiar story: Quarterback selected first in the draft fails and immediately is called a bust. Didn't the Bay Area go through this same process recently, on the other side of the bay?

If the 49ers wrote the textbook on how to ruin a top-pick quarterback in a few easy steps, the Raiders are not only following the plan but also perfecting it.

If Russell doesn't succeed in the NFL, it will be as much the Raiders' doing as his own.

Russell is a big, strong quarterback with a rocket for an arm. He was dominating in college. He has obvious physical talents. Lately I've been hearing people say they don't think Russell is smart enough to play quarterback. That kind of talk makes me flinch and conjures up memories of Al Campanis and Rush Limbaugh.

If anything about Russell's development as a quarterback is stupid, it's the Raiders' process, not Russell.

Russell had a tutor, a teacher. If Al Davis is right — as he claimed on his overhead projector — and Lane Kiffin wasn't sure about drafting Russell, Kiffin came to terms with the decision, took the quarterback under his wing and developed a plan. Bring Russell along slowly, protect him with the run, don't force-feed him the playbook, keep mistakes to a minimum. I'm sure Kiffin would have liked more productive receivers and a better offensive line surrounding the young quarterback. But he wasn't in charge of personnel.

Four games into this season (and one day after Russell's highest passing output of the season), the quarterback's teacher was fired. It was a blow. Russell said as much at the time. Since then, he has had two different play-callers. In a month or so, he will be starting over with a new coach, a new philosophy, new terminology.

Maybe he should give Alex Smith a call to find out where to recycle old playbooks.

Russell, 23, also might be developing a bit of an attitude. His holdout his rookie year was ill-advised and stalled his development. His enormous diamond earrings and other fashion statements are a bad look for a young player who has yet to do anything special except cash his checks.

The incident with the NFL Network is the kind of thing that gives players a league-wide reputation that can be lasting. In discussing the missed meeting this week, Russell didn't sound apologetic and said he didn't want to be rushed after getting off his flight. That's a one-hour charter flight from the Bay Area to San Diego. When he finally came down from his room, the NFL Network folks were gone. And peeved. And they let him know publicly.

Is it a shock that a Raiders player blew off the media? Not at all. The Raiders are the most media-unfriendly organization in sports. The problem is Russell isn't getting any good advice, either externally from whatever advisers he has, or internally from the Raiders brass, such as they are.

Davis claimed at his historically strange news conference that Russell was going to be a good player and "we're going to make him great." But the environment Davis creates might prevent that from happening. If you don't think so, take a look at whom the Raiders will be playing Sunday. Randy Moss was a sullen, unproductive joke when he was wearing a Raiders uniform; he has become a different player with the New England Patriots.

The big youngster with the too-big contract, the too-big earrings and the getting-bigger attitude is in for another round of changes and disruption this off-season.

If JaMarcus Russell turns out to be a bust, the blame belongs with the Raiders.