Injury Riddled Raiders Hope To Have Enough Players On The Field This Sunday
By Ryan Leong
Perhaps the Silver and Black should be sporting a revised logo this week. In addition to the head of a Raider wearing a football helmet, there should be a little red cross to symbolize the high number of injuries the team has reported in advance of Sunday's game.
20 players were listed on Friday's injury report. That doesn't include cornerback Ron Bartell who is on the temporary unable to perform injured list as well as linebacker Aaron Curry. Curry you may recall missed the first six weeks of the season recovering from knee injuries and the Raiders have one more week to list him as a roster exemption.
Head coach Dennis Allen says Curry is making strides and expects him to be added to the 53-man roster when the exemption expires.
Cornerback Shawntae Spencer with a foot injury and right tackle Khalif Barnes' groin injury have ruled out both players for the upcoming game.
The seven players listed as questionable include defensive tackle Desmond Bryant (elbow), linebackers Keenan Clayton (shoulder), Travis Goethel (back), tight end Richard Gordon (hamstring), running back Taiwan Jones (knee), defensive end Matt Shaughnessy (shoulder), and defensive end Dave Tollefson (shoulder).
Bryant injured his elbow in last week's win over Jacksonville. Goethel ended up on the list after suffering back spasms in Thursday's practice. He was limited in practice for Friday.
That list is even longer for those listed as probable: linebacker Miles Burris (elbow), wide receivers Juron Criner (hip), Rod Streater (knee) running backs Mike Goodson (hip), Darren McFadden (shoulder), kicker Sebastian Janikowski (left groin), defensive tackles Tommy Kelly (shoulder), Richard Seymour (knee), safety Michael Mitchell (ankle), tight end Brandon Myers (knee), and center Alex Parsons (back)
Of those 11 players, Goodson, Kelly, McFadden, Myers, and Parsons were all full participants in the final practice before hopping on the plane to Kansas City.
As for the Chiefs, their injury list is significantly shorter, only six players reported as injured. No one is ruled out for Sunday's game.
Running back Peyton Hillis is listed as probable and that's good news for the Chiefs who could use some backup help for Jamaal Charles. Hillis has missed the last three games with an ankle injury and the Chiefs had signed him in the hopes he and Charles would be a great tandem.
Defensive end Glenn Dorsey is questionable with a calf injury and was limited this week in practice but appears to be moving around without hesitation.
Cornerback Jalil Brown (groin) and tight end Steve Maneri (ankle) are also listed as questionable.
Wide receiver Devon Wylie has missed five games this season with a left hamstring injury and appears to finally have recovered. Wyle was a full participant in Chiefs practice all week and appeared to run without any problems.
Although Matt Cassel is medically cleared to return to action after suffering a concussion on Oct. 7 vs. Baltimore, Chiefs head coach Romeo Crennel is sticking with backup Brady Quinn at quarterback.
Quinn is only 3-10 as a starting quarterback in the NFL after the Chiefs lost by 28-points to Tampa Bay nearly two weeks ago. It's the first time Quinn will have back-to-back starts since the 2009 season in Cleveland.
That year, he led the Browns to late-season victories over the Steelers and Chiefs.
Raiders injury report:
Out:
T Khalif Barnes (groin), CB Shawntae Spencer (foot)
Questionable:
DT Desmond Bryant (elbow), LB Keenan Clayton (shoulder), LB Travis Goethel (back), TE Richard Gordon (hamstring), RB Taiwan Jones (knee), DE Matt Shaughnessy (shoulder), DE Dave Tollefson (shoulder)
Probable:
LB Miles Burris (elbow), WR Juron Criner (hip), RB Mike Goodson (hip), K Sebastian Janikowski (left groin), DT Tommy Kelly (shoulder), RB Darren McFadden (shoulder), S Michael Mitchell (ankle), TE Brandon Myers (knee), C Alex Parsons (back), DT Richard Seymour (knee), WR Rod Streater (knee)
Chiefs injury report:
Questionable:
CB Jalil Brown (groin), DE Glenn Dorsey (calf), TE Steve Maneri (ankle)
Probable:
QB Matt Cassel (concussion), RB Peyton Hillis (ankle), WR Devon Wylie (hamstring)
For reference:
- Probable: a 75% chance the injured player will be medically cleared for the game
- Questionable: a 50% chance the injured player will be medically cleared for the game
- Doubtful: a 25% chance the injured player will be medically cleared for the game
- Out: there is no chance the injured player will be medically cleared for the game
For more Local Football Bloggers and the latest Raiders news, see CBS Sports San Francisco.
Ryan Leong has reported on over 2,800 games in the Bay Area since 1998, covering the Sharks, Giants, A's, Warriors, 49ers, Raiders and the local college teams for radio networks and wire services. Having the best seat in the house to watch sports has been a thrill and Ryan still enjoys going to the games giving fans some insight and perspective on the players and coaches. His work can be found on Examiner.com.
