Say it ain't so. The Oakland Raiders have yet another man down after the game on Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings. It's been reported that the stand out rookie receiver Denarius Moore(notes) was not at practice Wednesday, and was wearing a protective boot on his right foot. The "boot"
is quickly becoming one of my least favorite words.
We already know that Darrius Heyward-Bey(notes) is out after taking a horrific hit, in what was a very scary moment on Sunday. The knee of Minnesota linebacker, EJ Henderson(notes), hit him hard enough to knock his helmet off, and it turned out he'd suffered a concussion. We're lucky that it wasn't much worse than it was, but still, players have been going down like dominoes.
Between injuries and bad calls, not to mention the death of the Raiders' iconic owner, Al Davis, the Raiders could really use a break. The Silver and Black somehow keep moving forward, and they're sitting on top of the AFC West, but they're resiliency can only go so far. One thing is certain, they are a group of really tough guys to overcome everything they've had to this season. But it's not over yet.
We get good news, and then some bad news always seems to follow. Although I hate to see a guy hurt, no matter which team he's on, I have to admit, I was relieved to learn that the Chicago Bears' quarterback, Jay Cutler(notes), is out with a broken thumb. It'll be Caleb Hanie(notes) starting on Sunday in Oakland, and although he's a good quarterback, he's not Cutler, and it definitely gives an advantage to the Raiders.
The problem is, now we're looking at an awful lot of injuries on the Silver and Black once again. Jacoby Ford(notes), who sprained his foot in the game at San Diego, hasn't practiced at all since the injury, and there's a good chance we'll be without Taiwan Jones(notes). In addition, running back Darren McFadden(notes) is likely to miss yet another game. He's been out since that horrible loss against Kansas City in week seven.
Though there haven't been any details as to why McFadden has been out for so long. On Monday, head coach Hue Jackson said that it just "takes more time for some people to heal than others," and that if he isn't at 100% he doesn't want him on the field. He also missed practice on Wednesday.
The game against the Bears this weekend may be even more challenging than we originally thought, despite their quarterback situation, but the Raiders have faced tougher challenges and have still come out on top. Just win baby!
