Matt Schaub talks about elbow concerns, doesn’t see himself missing Week One

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Aug 22, 2014; Green Bay, WI, USA; Oakland Raiders quarterback Matt Schaub (8) watches the game from the bench in the 4th quarter during the game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

Missing Sunday’s practice with what was reported as tendinitis, the last 24 hours have been a storm of speculation surrounding Oakland Raiders quarterback Matt Schaub’s status with an elbow injury similar to the one sustained by Matt Flynn during the 2013 preseason.

On Monday afternoon Schaub addressed those concerns during a press conference at the Raiders facility, telling media on hand that he isn’t concerned he will miss Week One after some rest and treatment.

Schaub mentioned that the elbow issue is something new and that it has been bothering him, lingering for some time to the point that the veteran is now something that needs to be dealt with before the season begins and he resumes the role of the Raiders Week One starter.

It is concerning that Schaub, who already has questionable velocity, is facing these concerns so early in the season. If he is the expected starter for the 2014 season there may be valid questions about Schaub’s ability to last an entire 16 game season already experiencing soreness in his elbow that is forcing him to rest. Hopefully Schaub will be good to go right away as the Raiders seem to be married to Schaub as their starter for the time being, if his elbow issues persist it may be an issue that costs the team games early.

Following is a transcript of Schaub’s interview courtesy of the Raiders official website:

Q: Is the elbow something you’ve been dealing with all camp?

Schaub: “It’s just been something that kind of came up. It’s lingered a little bit, but it’s come up. We’ve been dealing with it and it’s just something we want to take care of and get out of the way now before the start of the season.”

Q: Have you had this before? Have you dealt with this before over the years?

Schaub: “No, this is something that’s new.”

Q: You didn’t feel anything until Friday?

Schaub: “I felt it a little bit. Like I said, it’s been lingering around and we’ve been managing it, but it’s just something we wanted to take care of now, rather than wait.”

Q: How do you take care of it, just rest?

Schaub: “A little bit of that, and treatment. There are things we’re doing in the training room.”

Q: Has it affected your throwing at all?

Schaub: “It hasn’t really affected, it’s just bothersome. It’s something that I notice and something that I just want to take care of, you know, get out of the way.”

Q: Has it been over the last couple weeks?

Schaub: “It has been. It’s been something that’s been around and we’re just managing it and taking care of it. It just got to a point that we need to just figure out what is really happening and just take care of it.”

Q: Are you confident it can be taken care of before the season opener?

Schaub: “Absolutely, 100 percent.”

Q: Do you think you’ll play against the Seahawks?

Schaub: “That remains to be seen. That’s [Head] Coach [Dennis Allen]’s decision. I’m not … Right now, my focus is just to get it 100 percent ready for the opener. That’s No. 1 right now, is the start of the regular season. But we’ll see how coach feels as we get going and I start throwing again.”

Q: If you couldn’t play against Seattle, would that be troublesome to you?

Schaub: “No, it wouldn’t bother me. It wouldn’t concern me at this point. The big thing is to be ready for the Jets.”

Q: In order to get ready for the Jets, the passing game does need some work. Does this missed time kind of hinder things?

Schaub: “I don’t think it will. I don’t think it will at all.”

Q: Is this something you’ve dealt with before?

Schaub: “Never dealt with it before.”

Q: Do you worry about it at all because it’s a new thing?

Schaub: “I don’t. I don’t. No, I’ve always handled things pretty well.  You always go through things in this game, the little nicks and things that can come up, and you just deal with them and you handle them and you move on, so I’m not concerned about it.”

Q: Have they told you that you might be out for a certain length? Is there prescribed number of days?

Schaub: “No, they haven’t told me. It’s just each day coming in, seeing and taking it day-by-day. That’s how we’re going to approach it, but I’m not concerned about it?”

Q: Tendonitis, is that what they’re calling it?

Schaub: “I don’t know what they’re calling it.”

Q: Are you aware this kind of sets off alarm bells in that it’s a similar situation to Matt Flynn last year?

Schaub: “I don’t know what happened here last year. I don’t know what happened with anybody that was here last year. I just know myself and what we’re going through right now and to be ready for Week 1.”

Q: If it was up to you, would you play against the Seahawks?

Schaub: “If coach wanted us to play, I would be out there. That’s up to him and what he decides he wants us to do.”

Q: With the treatment that they’re giving you, is Week 1 still the goal and is there any concern about missing it? Schaub: “Not concerned about it.”

Quotes courtesy of Raiders.com