Draft bust JaMarcus Russell says he'll make NFL return

Hundreds of jokes have been told about JaMarcus Russell. This is not one of them: He's planning a comeback to the NFL.

Yahoo! Sports reported Tuesday night that the 2007 No. 1 overall pick, one of the biggest draft busts in NFL history, is down from the 320 pounds he weighed last fall and is working out hard -- all in hopes that he could land an NFL gig.

"My first year out, I couldn't watch football, but after a while I couldn't keep the TV off. I got that itchy feeling, but now I gotta watch it, gotta watch," Russell said. "The last few years, the things going through my life, football is my job, and it is how I feed my family. People would say I didn't love the game, but that pisses me off. People don't know the real you, but I want people to know the real me and see what I can do.

"People are always saying that I'm a bust. I want show them I'm not. I'm committed to this now."

Apparently, Russell means it this time. A robust team of trainers and advisers that includes Hall of Famer Marshall Faulk, former NFL quarterback Jeff Garcia and former NFL wide receiver Mike Clayton will work as part of a team set on getting Russell a second chance at the NFL.

Russell has one thing -- and only one thing -- going for him: his age. He's 27.

His three years in the NFL come with severely underwhelming stats, and a lot of pictures of Russell on the bench.

2007

Stats: 4 games played, 54.5% completion rate, 373 yards, 2 touchdowns, 4 interceptions, 2 fumbles

2008

Stats: 15 games played, 53.8% completion rate, 2,423 yards, 13 touchdowns, 8 interceptions, 11 fumbles

2009

Stats: 12 games played, 48.8% completion rate, 1,287 yards, 3 touchdowns, 11 interceptions, 9 fumbles