JaMarcus Russell has developed a close relationship with Charlie Frye during the early part of this season. The semi-veteran Frye has sort of taken JaMarcus under his wing, providing a rare form of leadership to his team as a third-string quarterback.

JaMarcus Russell was asked during his media-session Thurday if there was a player that he looked up to on the roster, and Russell responded, “Charlie Frye. He’s a guy that’s been in the game longer than I have and always get tips and reminders or whatever it is from him.”

JaMarcus was asked what he could do to get better, he said, “Whatever it is, you know, whether it’s staying on a guy too long, or putting the ball in a better spot for the receiver to make a catch, or getting us into the right check. Any of those small things that can go towards us being perfect.”

JaMarcus has shown a new committment towards his team this week, coming in at 6:30 a.m. to get extra work in, whether it be studying tape, discussing mental aspects of the game with new comrade Frye, or any of those small things that can go towards making him better.

“That’s step one, the thing he continues to need to do is stay the course and maybe just do a little bit more.” said Charlie Frye.

“We have to be one of the hardest working groups of quarterbacks in the league,” Frye said at locker room interviews on Monday.

“I went through the same thing that he’s going through right now, being booed, being benched, and it’s tough,” Frye said. “And if you don’t have somebody there that you can talk to or just vent. You can’t hold things in.

“You have to work through this. This is probably one of the toughest parts of his life. If he can get through this, it will make him a much stronger person. I’m much stronger for what I went through.”

“I just think it clicks differently for different guys,” Frye said. “Some guys it happens really fast for them and some guys it takes a little bit longer. I think it took me to be able to go out there in Seattle and just sit back away from it and see how this thing really works.

“Some guys learn better through playing, through experience, other guys through film work. I know one thing, when the light switch does come on, you notice it really quickly. It’s just different for everybody.”

Russell may have gotten his first wake up call of his career when he was benched in the second quarter of the Jets game.

Immediately following the game, he was still in denial, telling reporters that he wouldn’t have changed anything about his performance in the game. He said that he didn’t know why he was benched.

Following a meeting with coach Tom Cable on Monday, a different character emerged from the struggling Russell. A personality may have emerged that might actually take the blame for some of his mistakes. A man who is willing to put in extra work to be “perfect?”

“I actually see the same demeanor in terms of not letting things get to him but I’ve seen a little more attention to some things, which is good,” Cable said. “He’s in here early, he’s working at it. The fact that he’s had a chance to look at it after Sunday and take some responsibility for those kinds of things. It just adds to his motivation. He’s got to get better.”

Only time will tell what the future holds for the number one overall pick from LSU in 2007.

Russell said, “We still have a lot of football left to go. Just clean up some things within ourselves. It’s gonna be okay, I promise. Just take my word, Rich [Seymour] said it before about the playoffs, but just take my word that things are gonna get better. I can’t tell you when, but I know they are.”

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