Oakland Raiders Who May Never Wear Silver and Black Again
By Vic Lopez
Dec 21, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
Darren McFadden
The potential was real….The talent was tempting….But the promise that was Darren McFadden, was never fulfilled.
DMC for some odd reason seems like an old man in Oakland, so much has changed since he was drafted in 2008. Still only 27 years old, McFadden was supposed to be a key cog in the trifecta of consecutive 1st round draft picks. Starting in 2007 with Jamarcus Russell and ending in 2009 with Darrius Heyward-Bey. While McFadden can at least say he was the most productive of the three, his career was one of injury and ineffectiveness.
I have been calling for the release or trade of McFadden since the Michael Bush days (remember him?). Even despite McFadden’s ability to provide some spectacular displays of greatness, that left you wondering if he was one of the best in the NFL.
McFadden should have left Oakland last year, but was signed on the cheap with a “prove it” contract. That proved to be a huge mistake in hindsight, as McFadden although healthy remained ineffective, and in turn took carries away from a budding star in Latavius Murray.
In the end Darren McFadden becomes just another Raiders jersey in the trash heap, from a time when draft picks came and died in Oakland. Good Luck in Dallas next year….
Next: Struggling Denarius Moore on his way out