Injuries continue to derail Raiders’ Heyward-Bey

By Brad Wilbricht  |   Thursday, June 18, 2009  |  Comments( 13 )

Oakland Raiders
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The Oakland Raiders went against the grain with their selection of wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey with the seventh overall pick in April's NFL draft; although extremely early, their risk has provided little return thus far. Heyward-Bey has been injured on two different occasions, and with so much invested in the rookie wideout, the Raiders are hopeful the trend quickly comes to a halt.

While the cause of Heyward-Bey’s recent rash of injuries is uncertain, there’s no denying the distress and caution it has created. If the ex-Maryland Terrapin is unable to stay on the field, his initial campaign in the NFL could prove hugely disappointing. With a youthful signal-caller and a relatively young offensive unit in general, developing chemistry this time of year is imperative.

Hopefully for the Raiders, the recent setbacks are merely a conditioning issue that can be corrected between now and the season opener. However, two pulled hamstrings in as many months is certainly a cause for concern. Heyward-Bey is expected to be out until training camp and his status at that point could still be up in the air. Furthermore, hamstring injuries have proven to linger and this could be the first aggravation of several more to come during the upcoming season.

Another discouraging trend includes quarterback JaMarcus Russell, who continues to be plagued by inconsistent play. Russell misfired on numerous easy passes during recent practice, including several overthrows. Russell’s play will be under the microscope this season now that established veteran Jeff Garcia is close behind on the depth chart. Russell’s performance will be linked with the Raiders’ offense as a whole and his development is vital to the team’s overall success.

On a positive note, Russell seems to have taken the initiative of becoming a team leader, having been much more vocal on the field and in the locker room. That's certainly an encouraging step in the right direction for the third-year man and ex-No. 1 overall pick.

With organized team activities now complete, a few red flags are beginning to surface in Oakland -- which hopes those red flags will prove to be addressed and corrected prior to the regular season. If not, Raider Nation could be set to endure the team’s seventh consecutive losing campaign and yet another disappointing year.
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About Brad Wilbricht

Brad Wilbricht covers numerous sporting events including the NFL, NFL Draft and college football. His analysis is simulcast through several media outlets across the country. Additionally, Brad is a regular guest on a variety of talk radio shows and can be frequently heard on the airwaves. To ...
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CommentsComments: 13  |  Sign Up  View all comments
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No.1
03:14 AM
06/19/2009
Heyward-Bey’s injury issues should be a concern for the coaching staff. If he is not on the field, that will change the whole ...
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No.2
neil b		04:35 AM
06/19/2009
"Mike Mitchell, the safety out of Ohio University and second-round pick, was also running behind. Mitchell also has hamstring ...
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No.3
Raidehz		07:42 AM
06/19/2009
The biggest concern to me is that JaMarcus is still inconsistent. My feeling is if Charlie Frye looks better in preseason we ...
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