Suddenly, Jordan’s the man in Oakland again

By Anthony Carroll  |   Tuesday, September 04, 2007  |  Comments( 28 )

Oakland Raiders
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Oakland Raiders running back LaMont Jordan doesn't look like a man who was almost cut six months ago.

The 28-year-old, who back in March was debating whether he wanted to remain a Raider, is now ready to head into the 2007 season as the team's top option on the ground. Injuries, suspensions and lackluster performances around the 230-pound running back have cleared the way for Jordan heading into Week 1.

Just a half-year ago, the Raiders gave their top runner from 2005 two options. One, he could shave $1.75 million off of his 2007 salary; two, he could find a job elsewhere.

In the end, Jordan chose the former. Thus far, getting paid a bit less seems to have paid off.

One suspension, two injuries and one less-than-stellar preseason performance has put the 5-foot-10 halfback in the driver's seat. A not-too-shabby preseason from Jordan himself didn't hurt, either.

Most important for the former Maryland standout -- not the Raiders as a whole -- was the suspension of Super Bowl XLI star Dominic Rhodes. Signed by the team during the offseason to a two-year, $7.5 million deal, the ex-Indianapolis Colts running back was primed to compete for the starting job with Jordan. A four-week suspension for violating the league's substance abuse policy, though, will prohibit the 28-year-old from playing until Oct. 1, a quarter of the way through the season.

Another unfortunate event for the team, but not necessarily for Jordan, has been the developing plot around rookie rusher Michael Bush.

While both personal doctors and Bush himself have insisted that the ex-Louisville Cardinal is all but ready, head coach Lane Kiffin and team doctors believe otherwise. Bush will begin the regular season on the physically unable to perform list. Eventually, he may be moved to the injured reserve.

"There's a very good chance of that," Kiffin recently the San Francisco Chronicle. "We'll make that final decision next week after this game."

If Bush does land on the IR, he'll join another Raider halfback who will be unable to see the field this season, the 26-year-old ReShard Lee.

Lee was considered a versatile player who could jump in and offer relief at both the halfback and fullback spots, but a knee injury will keep him sidelined for the entirety of 2007. For Jordan, it's one fewer back to enter the game and steal a few reps.

Finally, there's Justin Fargas, a fifth-year running back from USC.

Despite leading the team in rushing just one year ago, the 6-1, 220-pounder has all but disappeared this summer. Fargas carried the ball just 19 times during the preseason, good for only 66 yards, and coach Kiffin has had very little to say about him. After 178 carries last season, expect the 27-year-old's workload to be greatly reduced, close to his 2003 and '04 numbers, when he averaged just 38 ground attempts a year.

"There's a lot of people questioning whether I'm the guy for the job," Jordan commented back in mid-August.

The question, though, isn't whether he is the guy for the job. There aren't many options, at least until Week 5.

At this point, Oakland can only hope Jordan takes this opportunity and runs with it.

Literally.

Anthony Carroll, a senior writer for RealFootball365.com, can be contacted at acarroll@realfootball365.com
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About Anthony Carroll

Anthony Carroll began writing for RealFootball365.com on Sept. 26, 2005, making him one of the longest tenured contributors to the “365” team. As a senior writer, Anthony has taken on the task of delivering original content to the silver and black faithful year round, despite having to deal...
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CommentsComments: 28  |  Sign Up  View all comments
No.1
blacnsilvr		02:07 AM
09/04/2007
YEAH RIGHT! Once again........i'll take the wait and see approach! Lamonda jordan needs to follow the yellow brick road all the...
No.2
raidersensation		02:46 AM
09/04/2007
I must say that Jordan's performance was impressive this pre-season. It's amazing what lighting a fire under a player's as$ can...
No.3
the franchise		02:53 AM
09/04/2007
all i hope is bush is activated after week 6, otherwise jordan should be spelled by griffith in order to keep jordan fresh and...
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