McClain's arrest — Raiders' depth chart

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First things first -- it is not clear whether Rolando McClain will face a suspension for his role in a shooting incident that resulted in him being arrested and charged with third-degree assault, menacing, reckless endangerment and discharging a firearm in city limits.But if precedent serves -- think the New York Giants suspending Plaxico Burress for four games -- and if the disturbing police report is correct that Wednesday McClain fired a shot past the ear of a beaten and prone man in Decatur, Ala., the Raiders will slap their middle linebacker with a suspension. It could be a season-turner for a team which has seemingly turned a corner in sitting in first place in the AFC West at 7-4.RELATED: McClain arrested for firing gun, assault, two other chargesBecause while McClain has been anything but the defensive game-changer the Raiders envisioned when they drafted him with the No. 8 overall pick in 2010, it's painfully obvious when he's not on the field. The performance gap has been evident on several occasions this season as he's battled a badly sprained left ankle that he re-tweaked Sunday against Chicago.McClain, who has 57 tackles, second-most on the team, and two sacks, initially injured himself against Houston on Oct. 9 and, while he was active against Denver on Nov. 6, he did not play. The Broncos gouged the Raiders' invisible run defense for 299 rushing yards, 230 in the second half, as Oakland fell to Tim Tebow and Co.A year ago, the former Alabama star sat out the Raiders' key December game at Jacksonville with a sore foot -- sources said he refused to take a pain-killing shot to play -- and his absence was greatly felt. The Jaguars ran for 182 second-half yards and scored 31 second-half points. The Raiders lost.Technically, the Raiders' backup middle linebacker is Darryl Blackstock, the UFL refugee who was playfully made fun of in the locker room by a teammate earlier this season for having "big eyes" when he had to play in place of the former Butkus Award winner.Realistically, the Raiders might have to move Aaron Curry from the weak side into the middle, which might actually weaken both positions against Miami this weekend, not to mention what Oakland would then have to do sans a suspended McClain.Anyone have Lofa Tatupu's phone number?McClain, though, may have already played his last down as a member of the Raiders, if not for the season, then for his career.Burress was suspended for the rest of the 2008 season by the Giants after he accidentally shot himself in the thigh at a Manhattan night club. New York's stringent gun laws had him serving nearly two years in prison and the NFL suspended him the length of his prison sentence. He never suited up for the Giants again.
Then, there's the case of Aqib Talib, the Tampa Bay cornerback who faced no suspension for his involvement in a Texas shooting this past March.Of course, in a court of law, McClain is innocent until proven guilty. But the NFL has its own set of rules and neither the league nor McClain's agent have responded to inquiries by CSN Bay Area. The Raiders meanwhile, said they would have no comment on Thursday regarding the arrest.Earlier, though, coach Hue Jackson said he had spoken with McClain over the telephone."No question any time any of our players, I mean, I'm going to be concerned," Jackson said. "But again, until I have had an opportunity to really sit down and truly understand it all, obviously there's two sides to every story, and then I think you kind of work from there. I think the organization, myself, we've commented on it, as far as we can at this point, and we're going to leave it at that."I have had communication with the player. I feel comfortable where we are, and we'll just go from there."About an hour later, the 22-year-old was arrested.Perhaps most troubling for the Raiders, though, is that this is the second time since January McClain has been involved in a shooting in his hometown. In January, someone fired at McClain's Chevy Tahoe as he was driving and while no one was injured then, a slug was pulled from the SUV's rear hatch.While there's no link between video games and gun crime, McClain is an avid fan of the video game "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3." In an interview published this week on ESPN.com he said "I've been addicted to "Call of Duty" since the first time I played it. ...I'm always on the move looking for someone to shoot." Whatever the case, Jackson's mantra of "Next Man Up" in case of injury may have to be imparted this weekend. And maybe, for the rest of a potential playoff season that could be turned on its head by McClain's alleged gun play actions.

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