Raiders quarterback JaMarcus Russell appears to have reported to training camp overweight yet again. "I'm probably a little heavy. But I'm not 300 pounds like you all said last year," said Russell, according to the Twitter page of Jerry McDonald, who writes for the Bay Area News Group.

The Raiders have released quarterback Andrew Walter, according to a source. Walter, a third-round choice in 2005, was the odd man out with veterans Jeff Garcia, Bruce Gradkowski and Charlie Frye behind starter JaMarcus Russell. "I'm very excited for a fresh start," Walter said. "We'll see what happens. The only thing different that I would have hoped for is that it would have happened earlier. Things haven't changed since February and it occurred just now."

The Oakland Raiders have agreed to terms on a five-year deal with first-round pick WR Darrius Heyward-Bey, a league source confirmed. Oakland's selection of Heyward-Bey with the seventh overall pick was one of the biggest surprises of draft day.

Tom Cable said he expects a resolution on the uncertain status of veteran quarterback Andrew Walter by Friday. A person familiar with the situation said the Raiders are trying to trade Walter before releasing him without compensation.

Derrick Burgess was a no show on Wednesday as the Raiders prepared to open camp. He is under contract through this season and unlikely to get a renegotiated contract. His base salary this season is $2 million. The Raiders attempted to trade Burgess during the offseason and added two defensive ends capable of taking his place. "He is not here by his choice," coach Tom Cable said of Burgess' failure to report before the mandatory time Wednesday. Cable declined to elaborate. Burgess could not be reached for comment. Burgess' agent, Jimmy Sexton, did not return a phone call seeking comment.

Titans quarterback Kerry Collins says that Oakland's Nnamdi Asomugha is the best cornerback in the NFL. "Nnamdi Asomugha of the Raiders," Collins said when asked by the Tennessean. "I was with him (at Oakland) and I saw him at the Pro Bowl this past year. He is just so long and angular and he has great speed. Some corners just have that sticktoitiveness I guess you could say, and he has that. Guys can?t break away from him. He is physical and he has the speed to go along with it."

Raiders cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha believes that the team's coaching turnover has set them back. "A huge part," Asomugha said when asked if the turnover played a part in the team's struggles over the last six seasons. "It plays a huge part. We can leave football and go to any company in the world. When your head person, the head guy in charge, is leaving every single year, that's tough for the employees, it's tough for the focus of the company to move in the right direction, and that's been one of the problems with us. One of the things that has hurt us has been the coaching changes throughout the year, so it's great to have Cable back, maybe that will help us a lot more."

Jeff Garcia believes that he'll be able to leapfrog JaMarcus Russell as Oakland's starting quarterback. "Not knocking JaMarcus or anybody else on the team, but I have a belief in my own abilities," Garcia told the Chicago Tribune. "[That has] me feeling I am the best quarterback on the team. That's just how I approach the game." Garcia has a 58-58 record as a starting quarterback in the last decade, and believes that he still brings something to the table. "I have a certain work ethic that is a part of me. When I step on the field, there is no 50 percent. It's 100 percent all the time," Garcia, 39, added. "It's sprinting from drill to drill. It's doing everything full speed. It's, when I throw an incomplete pass, showing I care I threw an incomplete pass. Not just, 'Oh, shucks, I just didn't throw the ball as well.' I'm very critical of myself. Because I'm critical of myself ... that's where I feel I help myself."