Aug. 17, 2011
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Paul Gutierrez
CSNCalifornia.com
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NAPA -- The inside joke throughout Raiders coach Hue Jackson's first training camp is that he refers to any injury as a "nick."But the "nicks" have turned to "knives." And the yucks, are no longer so funny.
Jackson on Wednesday acknowledged that receiver Louis Murphy and cornerback Chris Johnson had recently undergone surgical "procedures" on unspecified body parts.
RELATED: Camp Report -- Jackson gets raw on Raiders
Johnson left practice on Sunday, though Jackson said at the time he was not injured. Then, when Johnson did not practice Monday, Jackson said it was because he was part of the "Over-30" club that got the day off.But Wednesday
"Chris will be back here very shortly and soon, and we'll get him back into uniform and get him playing," Jackson said. "I'm not going to go into detail exactly what it is butwe had to have some things cleaned up with him, for him, and I think he'll be back and on the mend and ready to play football."Meaning Jackson expects Johnson to ready for the opener on Sept. 12 in Denver. Rookie DeMarcus Van Dyke is taking first-team reps in his place.Murphy, meanwhile, had not practiced since the first week of camp and said his injury "was a hammy and some of the groin" on Saturday, making a sports hernia a likely culprit."It will take a little longer than Chris," Jackson said. "Murph did have a procedure similar to Chris, but Murphy's was a little bit more extensive than Chris, so Murph might be out a little longer than C.J."Also, safety Mike Mitchell, who has not practiced in nearly two weeks, is "getting some things looked ata consultation" on another, undisclosed injury.Beyond the Johnson, Murphy and Mitchell injury revelations, the Raiders are already without receiverkick returner Jacoby Ford (broken left hand), running backs Darren McFadden (fractured left orbital bone) and Taiwan Jones (hamstring), receiver Chaz Schilens (sprained knee), offensive tackle Stephon Heyer (right triceps strain) and safety Hiram Eugene (dislocated hip).
Plus, center Samson Satele left practice early with what Jackson called a little discomfort.
"It's the lockout," Jackson said, specifically in regards to the Johnson, Murphy and Mitchell news. "Let's just keep it real. When you're not around your players and can't see them and deal with them and talk to them and be a part of what's going on, sometimes things happen that you're not sure until you get them out here. Then you realize, Oh, maybe we'd better fix something or get something right before we put them back out here."Media members were not the only ones caught off guard by the news. So, too, was free safety Michael Huff when told of Johnson's situation."Dang, wish I would have known," Huff said. "Nobody tells me anything."