MCFADDEN SECRETLY HAS SURGERY FOR INJURY THAT APPARENTLY WAS KEPT SECRET

Raiders running back Darren McFadden had some injury problems as a rookie. The best known were two cases of turf toe. The least known was a shoulder problem, which we don’t recall seeing on many/any injury reports. Per David White of the San Francisco Chronicle, McFadden suffered the shoulder injury in Week Two against the Chiefs. In that game, McFadden rushed for 164 yards on 21 carries. It was 118 yards more than he gained in any other game for the rest of the year. Per White, McFadden recently underwent surgery in Fayetteville, Arkansas. We’ve heard rumblings that McFadden specifically avoided the team’s medical staff because he wasn’t happy about the manner in which the team doctor’s handled his turf toe. White also reports that, according to a McFadden family member, the two-time Heisman runner-up will be ready to go for offseason workouts, which begin on March 16. Also, quarterback Jamarcus Russell had surgery to remove bone chips from his ankle. White reports that a team official confirmed the procedure on Thursday. (But does White have a second source?)