Darren McFadden: The Need for His Presence

The health of Oakland Raiders’ running back Darren McFadden is perhaps the most important issue of the team. The Lisfranc injury that McFadden suffered last season against the Kansas City Chiefs was by far the biggest scourge of the Raiders’ season. Amidst all of that, McFadden has been working hard to rehabilitate and get back on the field as soon as he can.

The NFL knows just how phenomenal of a player McFadden is. Coaches, fans, and the entire league witnessed him lead the league with 614 rushing yards through six games before he was forced to watch from the sidelines. His injury took a huge toll on the rest of the Raiders’ season, as they were not able to qualify for the playoffs without him.

The team understands that they need McFadden healthy in order to succeed, and new Raiders coach Dennis Allen is taking all of the precautions: “We want him to be able to stay healthy, and we want to do everything we can to keep him that way”. Throughout his four year career, Darren has never played more than 13 games. If there’s one thing that an NFL player can not stand, it’s to have the insignia of an injury-prone player, and many people have been declaring that about McFadden. However, he doesn’t let it bother him: “Everybody has their own opinion; I'm just out there playing, going hard. If I get hurt, so be it. I could see if I was just going down the street, falling over, getting hurt. It's all behind me. If I get hurt going hard, I can't do anything about it”, said the 6’1, 218 pound running back to the San Jose Mercury News.

Regardless of the complications Darren has faced in his past, he’s ready to put it aside. The team loves him and has use for his incredible speed, strength, but more importantly his leadership. Carson Palmer told the LA times about his teammate: “Guys love him. He’s a leader. When you have your best player on your team be one of your hardest workers, it’s great for young guys, vets, even guys like Richard Seymour who have Super Bowl rings.”

Beyond McFadden, the Oakland Raiders are pretty slim at the running back position, after key back-up running back Michael Bush signed with Chicago. However, the Oakland Raiders still have much hope in their team, after several beat writers have been reporting how healthy and sharp Darren McFadden has looked thus far in training camp. That said, watch out for the Oakland Raiders during the 2012-2013 season as a viable dangerous playoff bound team.

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