A really high percentage of Rams fans wants their team to draft a franchise-type quarterback with their very high first-round pick in the 2010 NFL Draft.

That’s great, but for every Matt Ryan selected higher there is a JaMarcus Russell, just waiting to set back your rebuilding program while collecting tens of millions of dollars.

True, it is somewhat difficult to assess Russell within the chaos what is the Raiders “organization” these days. That is the last place a young QB should be forced to work.

But . . . Russell is threatening to displace Ryan Leaf as the biggest draft bust in league history. His passer rating for three games this season is 39.8, which lowered his career rating below 70.

He is completing 41.3 percent of his passes this season with one TD and four interceptions. Here is Raiders assistant coach Ted Tollner talking before the Denver loss.

Raiders coach Tom Cable is on record supporting the kid, since owner Al Davis is still driving the Russell bandwagon.

“It’s too easy just to blame one guy and say that’s a problem,” Cable said at his weekly news conference. “Let’s stop the run, let’s run the ball better, let’s tackle better, let’s be more explosive on special teams, let’s play better at quarterback, let’s have better ball security. You start looking at the issues here and, in particular (Sunday), there’s enough work for all of us.”

MORE GAMES, MORE EMPTY SEATS

Jacksonville Jaguars owner Wayne Weaver expects the NFL to expand the regular season schedule to 18 games within the next two years – which will make marketing his team in his market all the more difficult.

So he is eyeballing Orlando as a secondary market for his team.

“There’s certainly the possibility that we would play some out-of-market games,” Weaver told the Orlando Sentinel. “If it happened, Orlando would be the best option and most reasonable location.

“In the past, we have reached out to try and cultivate that market and haven’t had as much success as we would have liked. We probably need to do a better job. That’s a given. We are looking at a long-term strategy and thinking out of the box on how we can build a fan base in Orlando.”

Once again Tipsheet reminds you that the NFL awarded Jacksonville its expansion franchise after going out of its way to stiff St. Louis and Baltimore. It was a bizarre move at the time and it looks even worse in retrospect.

MYSTERIES OF THE UNIVERSE

Questions to ponder while Joel Pineiro struggles to get his pitches down:

• Wasn’t it nice of David Freese to give us a peak at what he could do next season?
• Upon further review, should the Rams have kept Chris Draft?
• After surviving the NFL in one piece, why would Junior Seau risk his neck serving as a rodeo clown?
• And is Omar Vizquel serious about taking up bullfighting?
• At some point, will the Panthers cut off Jake Delhomme and give themselves a better chance to win?

QUIPS ‘R US

Here is what some of America’s leading sports pundits have been writing:

Scott Ostler, San Francisco Chronicle: “Oprah Winfrey and 14 U.S. gold medalists will fly to Copenhagen to beg the IOC for the 2016 Olympics for Chicago. To land the Olympics these days you must show up with a Las Vegas revue. I hear the group will perform ‘Sweet Home Chicago.’ Let’s hope Oprah is in top shape for the swimsuit competition.”

Tim Keown, ESPN.com: “Further proof that college football polls might as well be comprised of votes from 12 chimps, nine sports-information directors and that one guy outside Safeway who carries a sign that says even a smile will help: (1) Houston (4-0) is ranked 15th; Oklahoma State (3-1) is ranked 12th; Oklahoma State’s loss is to Houston, and; (2) Cal (3-1) is ranked 19th in the coaches poll; Oregon (3-1) is ranked 24th; Oregon beat Cal 42-3 on Saturday.”

Greg Cote, Miami Herald: “A Russian billionaire hopes to buy the New Jersey Nets and move them to Brooklyn, N.Y. Failing that, he plans to buy Brooklyn and move it to Jersey.”

Mike Bianchi, Orlando Sentinel: “I don’t think pro athletes should be given preferential treatment, but Plaxico Burress should not be in prison for two years. In the United States of America, you ought to have the right to be dumb enough to shoot yourself in the leg without being sent to the clink.”

Jeff Schultz, Atlanta Journal Constitution: “Terrell Owens has been pounding Rodney Harrison in interviews and on Twitter for past steroid/HGH use. (Just one: “So Rodney, I’m thinking if u overnite it 2day, I’ll get em by 2morr @ noon. Better yet, mark it Priority!! I “really” wanna b a CHAMPION like u!!”) Personally, I have a far greater concern. Owens didn’t have a catch Sunday and he’s the third receiver on my Fantasy League team. Dude, I don’t get points for your Tweets.”

Steve Rosenbloom, ChicagoTribune.com: “One victory in their last 20 games doesn’t mean the Lions don’t still stink. One win in a row isn’t mommy saying, ‘All better.; One win only smudges the complete and utter embarrassment that the Detroit franchise has become, but it remains a complete and utter embarrassment, believe me. Look, teams with Super Bowl ideas don’t lose to the Lions. You become a complete and utter embarrassment yourself when you lose to these guys. See L’il Danny Snyder, the Jimrod head coach and rest of the Washington Redskins for details. You are automatically eliminated from the playoffs once you lose to the Lions. I believe that’s a new NFL rule. If not, it should be.”

MEGAPHONE

“I know the last two teams that I’ve been on, I felt like I left those teams prematurely due to media interviews that I’ve done and things kind of taken out of context and they created sort of a media whirlwind in the locker room and things kind of went downhill from there. I’m just trying to do the best job I can do as far as answering the questions and trying to be a better teammate and not try to throw people under the bus.”

Bills receiver Terrell Owens, telling the “Two Live Stews” radio show that he trying to turn over a new leaf.

Elsewhere on STLToday.com

Hockey Guy noted that Peter Forsberg is flirting with the NHL again. Against all odds, he suffered another foot injury, however. In Tuesday’s Tipsheet, we shared a classic video remix of San Francisco 49ers coach Mike Singletary doing his thing. And Monday’s Tipsheet reflected on the Lions’ breakthrough and how it provides hope for the Rams. Well, sort of.