2010 NFL Injury Updates: Rolando McClain's Foot is Under Investigation

In what started off as arthritis then progressed to tendonitis, has now evolved to being unknown. This is the state of the status on the foot of the number eight pick in the 2010 NFL Draft, Rolando McClain. Tom Cable updated the status in his Monday press conference.

He first began feeling the pain after the Week 13 loss to the Miami Dolphins. It caused him to miss most of that week’s practices. It did not, however, keep him out of the Week 14 game against the Chargers. It was, in fact, probably McClain’s best overall game of his young career. He also played it to the end and was seemingly no worse for wear.

Then he was not able to practice the entire week leading before not being able to play in last Sunday’s 38-31 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Tom Cable had this to say about his you middle linebacker,

It’s just the foot. Today his rehab stuff was really pretty good, but he still has an issue with it, and we’re going to continue to research it and figure out exactly what’s going on here.

Needless to say, McClain’s playing status is up in the air.

Bruce Gradkowski, who separated his shoulder on the last offensive play of the Riaders’ loss to the Dolphins, has been placed on the IR. Coach Tom Cable is unsure if Gradkowski is going to have surgery on his shoulder or not. Gradkowski had all suffered through and then recovered from one shoulder separation this season. It took him five weeks to come back from that one. So, instead of holding a roster spot open for someone who may not be ready again this year, they placed him on IR. Gradkowski will end his season with a 66.3 Quarterback rating. He had five touchdowns and seven interceptions, in a season completely derailed by injuries. He tore is pec in the offseason, was hobbled by a groin issue in the preseason and then suffered through the two shoulder separations.

Gradkowski’s placement on the IR paved the way for the Raiders to sign, J.T. O’Sullivan. O’Sullivan was with the Chargers earlier this year. The Raiders will be O’Sullivan’s tenth team. Bay Area fans should know O’Sullivan well. He got his most playing time with the San Francisco 49ers in 2008. He started eight games that year and ended with a 73.6 Quarterback rating and completed just over 58 percent of his passes.

The final offensive play during last week’s loss to the Dolphins, will likely be, Bruce Gradkowski's last pass of the season and perhaps as a Raider in the final offensive play during last week’s loss to the Dolphins. The results of his MRI revealed what he already knew. He had re-separated his throwing shoulder.

After the Dolphins game, Gradkowski said it felt like it did in the Charger game, when he separated his shoulder and missed five weeks. He said then that, if what he knew he felt was correct, then his season was over. Gradkowski:

a third-degree separation is not the greatest thing to have on your throwing shoulder. Whatever I have to do to get right, I will.

Gradkowski didn’t spend enough time healthy, proving he deserved to be the starter that Tom Cable had, in all likelihood, attached his job to. Gradkowski, is likely to be a free agent, depending on the bargaining agreement, and there is a good chance he has thrown his last pass as a Raider.

If the Raiders win enough games to keep Cable’s job, you’d have a hard time making a case for Gradkowski coming back. If they don’t win enough to keep Cable’s job? Then it will be up to Hue or Jim Harbaugh or Dennis Green to pick up a QB to help them win and the chances are they aren’t going to talk their new boss into that re-signing.

In a move that most were expecting, the San Francisco 49ers have placed Frank Gore on the injured reserve list due to the hip fracture he suffered last night against the Arizona Cardinals. Gore suffered the injury early in the first quarter after five rushes for 52 yards. Brian Westbrook put together an excellent performance in relief of Gore, and rookie Anthony Dixon was able to get some solid work in as well.

In addition to Gore, the 49ers placed wide receiver Dominique Zeigler on injured reserve. Zeigler suffered a knee sprain last night and further tests revealed he tore his left ACL. This loss hurts more because of Zeigler’s special teams capabilities.

The 49ers replaced those two on the 53-man roster by promoting safety Chris Maragos and RB DeShawn Wynn. In other moves the team waived kicker Shane Andrus and released offense tackle Xavier Fulton from the practice squad. All of this shuffling leaves the 49ers with one 53-man roster slot and two practice squad slots.

Tom Cable addressed some of the long term injury concerns for his team during his Monday afternoon press conference. Following the Raiders' loss to the Dolphins, I am sure Raiders fans could use some good news. This is not it.

Nnamdi Asomugha, said he realized he couldn’t plant and turn on his ankle at the start of Sunday’s game. He was in and out of the lineup all day. He was scheduled for an MRI on Monday. Chances are he will not be 100 percent for the next game and maybe anytime this season.

Tight end Zach Miller missed time on Sunday with a fibula injury. He received X-rays, which came back negative. Cable described it as “quite a contusion on his lower leg." The injury may be a bigger concern if he didn't already have a bigger concerning injury. Miller later announced that his earlier arch issue was actually the just out of vogue, torn planter fascia. I don't know much about planter fascias, but I do know that they aren't likely to go away during the course of a season.

Bruce Gradkowski, was scheduled for a Monday MRI as well. He re-injured his right throwing shoulder at the end of Sunday’s game. After the game, Gradkowski admitted that it felt much like it did after the San Diego game and it took him five weeks to recover from the grade three shoulder separation. In the one piece of news that could be construed as good, Chaz Schilens will resume practicing in a limited fashion after suffering through a setback with his foot last week.

An important win for the San Francisco 49ers was hampered by some terrible news about their starting tailback. Gore rushed for 52 yards on 5 carries to get the Niners offense humming, but then he left the game. Jason La Canfora of NFL.com tweets that it'll be the last time he walks off the field this year..

Big win for 49ers but at a price - Frank Gore out for season with a hip injury. Tough loss.

Brian Westbrook played well in relief, racking up 136 yards on 23 carries, and Anthony Dixon was the solid second back with 54 yards on 13 carries. However, can they replicate those performances down the road?

Here are the teams they play down the road, and their rush defense ranks according to Football Outsiders.

• at Green Bay Packers (22nd)
• Seattle Seahawks (18th)
  
• at San Diego Chargers (9th)
• at St. Louis Rams (17th)
  
• Arizona Cardinals (21st)

So, two average rush defenses, two mediocre rush defense, and one pretty good one, and two games against the teams that are one ahead of them in the NFC West. Not the worse position for Westbrook and Dixon to try and power the run attack to the playoffs, no?

They won't be Gore, but they might be just enough for one last December run.

Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee is reporting viaGib Twitter that starting center and team captain Eric Heitmann has been waived and placed on injured reserve. That means he's done for the season and no longer counts toward the 53-man roster. It's significant for the 49ers in that many would argue Heitmann's case for being the team's best offensive lineman these past few seasons.

Heitmann had yet to appear in a game yet this regular season for San Francisco, suffering a broken fibula during the team's preseason training camp. He was carried on the roster and was expected to make a full recovery, but has had a nagging neck injury that apparently is more serious than once thought. David Baas has been taking all of the starting snaps at center for the team, and is doing a decent-to-good job on an otherwise streaky offensive line.

The 49ers recently claimed LB Thaddeus Gibson off of waivers.

Tom Cable alerted the press that QB Bruce Gradkowski will be day-to-day with his injured throwing shoulder and that he had an MRI on Monday. Cable also stated that Gradkowski will remain the team’s starting QB health permitting.

Cable may or may not alert the press of the results of the MRI.

There appear to be no other significant injuries from the Week Five victory against the Chargers.

It was also mentioned that Chaz Schilens is not as close to returning as they hoped, as his recovery is going slower than expected.

John Henderson was on crutches at the Raiders Wednesday practice. After the practice, Tom Cable revealed that Henderson has a stress fracture. It is typically a 3-6 week recovery period, but given Henderson’s size Cable it admitted it will probably be on the longer end of the recovery time frame.

John Henderson has been held out of practice since the Raiders' Week 2 victory. Originally, both he and head coach Tom Cable expected him to be ready for the Week 3 contest and then the Week 4 match. Instead he was inactive for both as he continued to rest his aching foot.

Henderson will undergo more tests on his foot since, as Tom Cable puts it:

to see if we can really figure out what’s going on with this. He was getting better every day and then Saturday and Sunday it got really sore doing nothing,

49ers head coach Mike Singletary addressed the media earlier today and provided updates on the various injuries suffered by the 49ers during their loss to the Falcons.

On the injury updates for this week:

“(G) Chilo (Rachal), left knee sprain. That’s a day-to-day thing. (TE) Delanie Walker, left ankle sprain. We’ll reevaluate him at the end of the week. (LB) Manny Lawson, knee contusion, will be fine. (S) Reggie Smith, hamstring, will be fine.”

Raiders running back Darren McFadden pulled his hamstring in Sunday’s loss to the Houston Texans. After breaking away from the defense on a 23-yard scamper he pulled up short, grabbing his hamstring and going out of bounds.

McFadden’s status for next week's game will be evaluated at some point today and if he does miss time Michael Bush will look to take most of the carries.

As of today there are no updates, except that Richard Seymour has a lingering hamstring issue and Langston walker has a banged up elbow.

Be sure to check in tomorrow to see if Gallery will be back and if Schillens will be cleared to practice.

There were no reported injuries following the Raiders 16-14 victory over the Rams.

Michael Bush had his stitches removed and plans on practicing at full speed this week. His status for Sunday is still undetermined.

FB Luke Lawton is done serving his two game suspension for violation of the league’s substance abuse policy. He is also now, no longer a Raider. They have cut him.

The 49ers were without their strongest pass rushing threat in week one against the Seattle Seahawks and it appears that he was sorely missed (though it's not really up for debate whether or not they'd have won with him — we can assume not) throughout. Brooks was injured before the start of the regular season and was out with a kidney laceration.

Now it appears he'll see some action in Monday night's game against the New Orleans Saints. Brooks was not listed on the injury report and participated in practice on Thursday. He was healthy enough to get into a scuffle with CB Shawntae Spencer.

The team is moving in both directions, while Ahmad Brooks and Kyle Williams appear to be nearing the end of their injuries, Ted Ginn Jr. and Chilo Rachal both were held out of practice, alongside Will James and Eric Heitmann, the latter of which was the only player to be listed as out for sure. For the injury report on upcoming game on Monday, see below. Also, you can see our stream for the game here.

49ers
Out (Definitely will not play)
C Eric Heitmann (fibula)

Did Not Participate In Practice
WR Ted Ginn Jr. (knee)
CB William James (ankle)
OG Chilo Rachal (stinger)

Limited Participation In Practice
LB Patrick Willis (knee, thumb)
WR Kyle Williams (toe)

Full Participation In Practice
OG/OT Adam Snyder (illness)

From Jerry McDonald

Players who didn’t practice Thursday were WR Chaz Schilens (knee), Gallery, DT Richard Seymour, CB Walter McFadden (hamstring) and LB Travis Goethel (lower back).

Those were limited included Bush, CB Nnamdi Asomugha, S Hiram Eugene (hamstring) and CB Chris Johnson (stinger). DT Desmond Bryant (elbow) practiced fully for the second consecutive day.

Schilens, Goethel and McFadden can be expected to be inactive, with Gallery the least likely of the rest of the group to play. Cable said early in the week they were hoping to see him practice by Friday.

This does not bode well for Sunday’s game. If Seymour and Nnamdi miss this game, this could be the most embarrassing loss in the last 7 years. The Rams have lost 26 of 27 games. The Raiders HAVE to make it 27 of 28 or this thing will come unglued very quickly.

Tom Cable discussed LG Robert Gallery's hamstring injury with the media on Wednesday. Cable on Gallery.

He’s got a pretty good strain. This is one of those things we’ll see in 48 to 72 hours and see where he’s at. Fortunately, those guys on the line of scrimmage, if they worked on Friday, they could play on Sunday.

In what can be construed as a sign that Gallery won’t be available on Sunday, the Raiders made a move to bolster the depth of the offensive line when they re-signed Tackle Erik Pears.

WR Yamon Figurs was released to make room for Pears. Figurs was the starting Kick/Punt Returner last week in Tennessee. Figurs likely sealed his fate when he fumbled the opening kickoff last Sunday.

The following Raiders missed time on Sunday with various aches and pains. The severity of these injuries won’t be know until Wednesday, when the league forces Cable to discuss it. Even then, we will probably gain only a rough idea.

Robert Gallery (hamstring), Yamon Figurs (stinger), Hiram Eugene (lower leg), Michael Huff (knee) and Richard Seymour (hamstring)

Watching the action, Gallery’s hamstring looked to be the most serious.

While the Raiders had their problems on the field, they managed to avoid getting banged up. Michael Bush was inactive with his busted thumb, but there seem to be no indications of any injuries to any Raiders during the game.

The 49ers took one on the chin against the Seattle Seahawks yesterday, but managed to avoid any major injuries, which is really only a small consolation (if that).

Chilo Rachal suffered a stinger that required him to twice leave the game. He left once and was replaced by Tony Wragge. Rachal attempted to come back but then had to leave a second time, this time for the remainder of the game, and was replaced by Adam Snyder. Rachal is considered day-to-day with the stinger.

Ted Ginn put on a nice little display of punt returning but suffered a knee strain while catching a 19-yard pass early in the fourth quarter. He was replaced on the last punt return by Phillip Adams and on a subsequent kick return by Josh Morgan. He apparently was walking without assistance after the game and will likely be back next week.

Manny Lawson went down with a rib contusion at one point in the game but returned and should be fine going forward.

Head coach Mike Singletary spoke with the media on Monday and had a few updates on players on the 49ers roster and their status for the upcoming week.

TE Vernon Davis (knee): could return this week, but there is no guarantee.
WR Michael Crabtree (neck): status to return this week is uncertain.
LB Ahmad Brooks (lacerated kidney): status for this week is still uncertain. Singletary has said that he doesn’t expect Brooks to miss any of the regular season.
WR Kyle Williams (toe): not expected to practice this week.

The only concern that has been voiced over the past few weeks is that the entire offense hasn’t gotten a chance to play all together during the preseason. QB Alex Smith will have to hope that both Davis and Crabtree would be able to at least get some time on the field together before the season opener.

Oakland Raiders quarterback Jason Campbell suffered a couple of injuries in the team’s most recent preseason game against the San Francisco 49ers, but none of them kept him away from practice for long.

Campbell showed up to the Raiders’ practice on Monday and threw 20-30 passes according to the Contra-Costa times.

I would assume Campbell will be held out of Thursday’s preseason game, but this is certainly encouraging news for those that worried Campbell might not be ready for the regular season opener.

Raiders coach Tom Cable held a conference call (transcript here) earlier this afternoon and addressed the various injury issues facing the Raiders following their game with the 49ers.

Jason Campbell left the field with what was reported as a stinger. However, Coach Cable indicated that Campbell came down on his right throwing wrist and had sprained it on the Travis LaBoy sack. However, the stinger and wrist injuries do not appear to be too serious and Campbell is expected to be ready for Week 1 of the regular season. One would imagine he’ll sit out Thursday’s preseason finale.

Michael Bush will have a “procedure” on his left thumb tomorrow (Monday), at which point more will be known as to the extent of time he will miss. Cable seemed to be optimistic Bush would be back for Week 1, but more will be known after the procedure.

Chaz Schilens recently had his knee scoped this past Tuesday and Cable indicated Schilens would miss anywhere from three to six weeks with the injury. We’ll see if that ends up being an accurate assessment.

The 49ers emerged from Saturday’s 28-24 victory over the Raiders without any major injuries. That being said, Brian Westbrook and Joe Staley were a bit banged up and both left the game early as a precaution.

Staley sprained his right knee, which is the same knee that caused him to miss extended playing time last season. He appeared to be up and moving around without a limp as the game went on, so it would seem that his removal was a precautionary measure. The team replaced him with Barry Sims, who had a strong half season in place of Staley last year. The team also has Alex Boone on the roster, but seemed to show a bit more trust in Sims last night.

The other injury was a hamstring cramp for running back Brian Westbrook. Westbrook has had a long injury history, so I’d imagine the team wanted to make sure he didn’t aggravate the injury any further last night. Anthony Dixon replaced Westbrook, and I’d imagine Dixon will get a decent amount of playing time in 2010 because of little injuries like this that Westbrook might continue to suffer.

The Raiders lost a sloppy game to the 49ers, but likely avoided an even bigger loss of their starting quarterback. Jason Campbell took a big sack from Travis LaBoy and was laying on the field for several minutes before a cart took him off the field. It was hard to figure out what had happened, but the in-game reports indicated it was merely a stinger, as opposed to a more serious neck or head injury.

Coach Cable has since said he doesn’t think the stinger will keep Campbell out of the team’s regular season opener, although he wasn’t 100 percent sure of Campbell’s status after the game. Coach Cable will be taking part in a conference call at 5 p.m. today, during which I’d suspect he’ll provide an update on Campbell’s injury.

The other significant injury for the Raiders was MIchael Bush fracturing his left thumb during the game. He was scheduled to see a specialist today, and I’d imagine Coach Cable will have an update during the above-mentioned conference call. If Bush misses extended playing time, Darren McFadden would get the bulk of the carries. Given McFadden’s own brittle nature, that could be a tricky proposition, even with his immense talent.