ALAMEDA -- Raiders running back Darren McFadden has not played, or practiced, since badly spraining his right foot in Oakland's first series against Kansas City on Oct. 23.Monday morning, McFadden was working with a trainer on a side field as the locker room was opened to the media for the 45-minute access period.McFadden was mostly walking laps around the field and took a break to talk with the trainer when he noticed reporters observing from a distance.
Leading the NFL with 610 yards rushing when he was injured, McFadden has been passed by teammate Michael Bush, who has 668 yards rushing, as the Raiders' leading ground gainer.Coach Hue Jackson has repeatedly said in recent weeks that McFadden was closer to playing than he was to sitting out, yet he has missed four-plus games in a row, a career high-five if you count the Kansas City game in which he was initially hurt so early on."I know people probably think we're hiding him or something; we're not," Jackson said last week. "Trust me, if he could be out there, he would be out there. And it's not because he has some other injury or anything like that. That's not it. I think some people heal faster than others. Some things take time, and that's what we're dealing with here."I'm not putting him back out there if he's not 100 percent ready to go. I don't want a 70-percent Darren McFadden. I think that's unfair to the player and unfair to this football team."
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