Injuries Kept RB McFadden From Being Even Better
Darren McFadden was supposed to be the next great running back for the Oakland Raiders when they selected him with the fourth overall pick of the 2008 National Football League draft out of Arkansas.
McFadden still ranks seventh on the Silver and Black’s all-time rushing list with 4,247 yards and 25 touchdowns in 2008-14, which were all losing seasons for the Raiders, and he was passed by the team’s latest star running back Josh Jacobs, who now is fifth with 4,470 yards, two seasons ago.
In addition, the versatile McFadden also caught 211 passes for 1,769 yards and five touchdowns with the Silver and Black.
“McFadden was one of the best running backs the Raiders ever had, but unfortunately, he played in some of their down years,” said Raiders Hall of Fame Coach John Madden, who at the time was one of the best NFL television commentators. “Plus, he had some injuries that held him back from being as good as he could have been.
“He was strong running the ball and also could catch the ball out of the backfield. He is one of the most underrated backs in the history of the Raiders.”
The 6-1, 222-pound McFadden sustained a toe injury in his second game with the Raiders, in which he rushed for 164 yards against the Kansas City Chiefs in 2008, and that hampered him for much of his rookie season as he finished with only 499 yards and four touchdowns.
Known as “Run DMC,” McFadden sustained a knee injury early in his second season and finished with only 357 yards rushing.
After being labeled as injury-prone, McFadden said: “It would be like a pep talk to myself, I’m always telling myself: ‘Don’t worry about that stuff, you’re going to do you regardless of what other people say.’”
However, McFadden broke out in his third season with a career-high 1,157 yards rushing, and in a game against the Denver Broncos, he rushed for 165 yards and three touchdowns in addition to catching a touchdown pass on his way to rushing for seven scores that season.
The Raiders didn’t have a winning record in any of the seven seasons McFadden played with the Silver and Black from 2008-14, as they compiled a 37-75 record during those seasons, with the best marks 8-8 in 2010 and 2011.
McFadden also rushed for 1,089 yards and three touchdowns in 2015.
However, the overall career was not what the Raiders expected from a guy who rushed for 1,830 in 2007 and 1,647 more in 2006 at Arkansas while scoring 41 touchdowns, numbers that eventually got him elected to the College Football Hall of Fame.
In 2015, McFadden became a free agent, signed with the Dallas Cowboys, and rushed 1,089 yards that season, but a broken elbow the following year led to the end of his NFL career.
Despite his injuries, McFadden rushed for 5,421 yards and 28 touchdowns while catching 254 passes for 2,114 yards and five scores during his 10-year NFL career.
In addition, at Arkansas, McFadden was a two-time consensus All-American, a three-time All-Southeastern Conference selection, and winner of the 2007 Walter Camp Award, the Doak Walker Award in 2006 and 2007, and the Jim Brown Trophy in 2006 and 2007.
The Raiders saw flashes of that ability, but there would have been more without the injuries.
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