Injury Report: Raiders Neiron Ball And Keith McGill Out, Rodney Hudson Is Doubtful Against Titans
By Abraham Gutierrez
With their backs against the wall, the (4-6) Oakland Raiders will have a pretty healthy bunch when they try and get back in the win column by facing the (2-8) Tennessee Titans in Nashville. According to Jack Del Rio's Week 12 (final) injury report, only a pair of Raider players will be in street clothes Sunday afternoon at Nissan Stadium.
After failing to participate in practice all week, linebacker Neiron Ball and cornerback Keith McGill have been officially ruled out. Ball is nursing a knee injury, while McGill is dealing with a bummed ankle.
The rookie out of Florida will miss his fifth straight game, failing to add to his 9 tackles and one sack on the season. Meanwhile, the second-year man out of Utah, who comes in with just two tackles, will sit out his second game of the year, but only the first in eight weeks.
In addition to Ball and McGill, there will be two other Raider players in danger of sitting out this week's game. With this team's recent offensive struggles, Raider Nation will not be thrilled about the possibility of having center Rodney Hudson and/or running back Taiwan Jones in street clothes.
Hudson, who is nursing an injured ankle, was unable to participate in this week's practices, and thus, is listed as doubtful. In his fifth year out of Florida State, this would be only the second time this season that Hudson sits out. This is the same injured ankle that forced him to miss the Raiders (14-20) loss against the Minnesota Vikings, and the team is prepared to replace him with Tony Bergstrom.
In the case of Oakland's second-string running back/kick returner, he's been battling through a number of injuries this season. Jones landed in the Raiders report in Weeks 4, 5 and 7 due to an injured foot. This time, the Eastern Washington product was unable to practice due to a knee injury suffered in last week's 13-18 loss to the Detroit Lions.
According to reports, Jones has a PCL sprain, but there's lots of optimism coming out of the Raiders locker room. In the case that he's unable to go, however, Del Rio is ready to distribute his touches to third-string running back Roy Helu, Jr., and fullbacks Marcel Reece and Jamize Olawale can also expect to see action coming out of the backfield.
The last player on the Raiders Week 12 injury report worth noting is the one and only, (safety) Charles Woodson, who is listed as probable. Aside from his accolades on the field (52 tackles and league-best, 5 interceptions), it's amazing that the former Heisman Trophy winner has been dealing with a shoulder injury since Week 1.
Oakland Raiders NFL Week 12 Injury Report & Game Statuses
Probable:
(TE) Lee Smith (Wrist) - Full Participation in Practice
(S) Charles Woodson (Shoulder) - Full Participation in Practice
Questionable:
(RB) Taiwan Jones (Knee) - Did Not Participate In Practice
Doubtful:
(C) Rodney Hudson (Ankle) - Did Not Participate In Practice
Out:
(LB) Neiron Ball (Knee) - Did Not Participate In Practice
(CB) Keith McGill (Ankle) - Did Not Participate In Practice
Abe Gutierrez's (Twitter: @GutierrezAbe) passion led him to ditch law school journey in order to launch his own publishing company. His expertise make him a valued addition to Examiner.com, AXS.com and the CBS-Sports family. Some of his work can be found on CBS-Miami (Dolphins), CBS-LosAngeles (Chargers), CBS-BayArea (Raiders), CBS-NewYork (NY Jets), CBS-TampaBay (Buccaneers), AXS.com, Examiner.com and other online publications.