Just like so many thousands of smart football fans who made other plans, JaMarcus Russell should excuse himself from the latest scheduled beat down of the Raiders on Sunday.

Sit out. Rest the aching right knee that significantly limited Russell's practice time. Shut down. Be smart.

Try again next time, or next team. (Sadly, if Russell doesn't play Sunday, in steps Andrew Walter, the last young Raiders quarterback to get blown to alexsmithereens — a new medical term — by general incompetence around him.)

It's just not worth it for Russell to get whacked around when he's less than 100 percent, when he has no explosive receivers and when the Raiders are pretending that Kwame Harris or Mario Henderson can protect Russell's blind side.

It's not worth it for Russell when the Raiders continue to surround him with random piecemeal, when they can't even fake a blackout-lifting sellout against Carolina on Sunday, and when all that's left is for the second-year quarterback to turn into cartilage-snapping cannon fodder.

It's not worth it when Al Davis' silliest, most twisted supporters are dying to blame Russell for the team's sixth consecutive season-long debacle, and when Al only listens to the silliest and most twisted.

The quarterback cannot win — literally and beyond — in a situation like this.

It might not be worth it for Russell to remain a Raider for much longer, unless Davis and his brilliant lieutenants figure out how to import a guaranteed quarterback-fixer for the long term.

Maybe Russell gets on the DeAngelo Hall plan: Eight games, $8 million and off to the Washington Redskins. ... Hey, how does a quarterback sign up for that?

This is not to say, of course, that Russell is blameless for the Raiders' most recent annual swoon or that he is a sure-fire Pro Bowl player in the future.

He hasn't looked good, especially in the past two losses — at Baltimore and in last week's mushroom cloud home non-effort against Atlanta.

And while it's too early to say that Russell is plunging down the identical slope taken by Ryan Leaf, Akili Smith, Tim Couch, David Carr and Alex Smith, it's not too early to say that Russell is already far behind Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco, who have impressed as 2008 rookie quarterbacks.

But quarterbacks aren't islands — they have to be developed. They have to be cultivated. No position is more exposed when the franchise loses its bearings, which Lane Kiffin knew.

Kiffin is gone now. Under Tom Cable's aegis, Russell has been asked to throw more, he has thrown worse, and he has been hit harder. Now he's limping. Russell, if he knows what's best for his career, should sit out Sunday and try to get the heck away from this doomed team.

Because he's getting ruined, step by gruesome step.

The Raiders are mauling Russell physically: Harris and/or Henderson at left tackle is a joke, and the worst part is that the Raiders so rarely send tight ends or fullbacks over to help.

Now that the Raiders have lost their rhythm running the ball, defenses are calibrated to fly at the quarterback, and Russell doesn't have the fast feet or quick recognition to slip away regularly.

The Raiders are mauling Russell instructionally: Kiffin was his life vest. Cable is a stopgap. Offensive coordinator Greg Knapp is headed to Seattle next season.

Who's next? Who knows? That's how you destroy a quarterback, as the 49ers know too well.

The Raiders are mauling Russell strategically: He's a big-armed quarterback who needs receivers who can reliably get open 10 yards or more down the field. And he has Javon Walker, Chaz Schilens, Johnnie Lee Higgins and Ashley Lelie, who do not precisely do that.

The Raiders are mauling him spiritually: If you're a smart young player, you look up to guys like Nnamdi Asomugha, Ronald Curry and Derrick Burgess. And guess which players seem least pleased with the goings on in Raiderland of late?

The Raiders are mauling him for the long term: The Raiders drafted Darren McFadden when running back wasn't a huge need and they poured money to Walker, Hall, Tommy Kelly and Harris when every signing was patently absurd.

You know, the Raiders were the franchise that saved Jim Plunkett and made Rich Gannon. Now, with Russell, the Raiders are well on their way to ruining the most talented quarterback they have ever had. If Russell lets them.

I think Sunday might be the start of Russell making other plans.