Josh McCown is one of the nicest guys in the NFL you'll ever meet.
But he isn't lucky.
An NFL.com report said McCown could miss three to four weeks with a cracked bone in his index finger.
If he does and Daunte Culpepper gets rolling, McCown's time as the Raiders starting quarterback could be over.
Lane Kiffin loves McCown, evidence by him starting over Culpepper, who's name and reputation would seem to give him an edge over the unheralded McCown.
But even the headstrong Kiffin would be crazy to bench a hot Culpepper in favor of McCown if he were to miss a month.
If McCown can't play, Kiffin will miss the days he was peppered with questions about when JaMarcus Russell was on his way to camp.
At least then, he had to worry about having four healthy quarterbacks and Kiffin knew Russell wouldn't be a factor.
Now, with McCown possibly down, he would only have Andrew Walter to turn to in case Culpepper went down.
And talk about impeccable timing.
Russell hasn't signed his six-year contract yet, but might have to get ready for an emergency QB sooner than any one in the Raiders organization wants him to.
Or Ronald Curry might have to go from being the Raiders best receiver to becoming the emergency quarterback.
With all that in mind, Kiffin just want's McCown's hand to be OK.
Kiffin won't want to reveal the severity of the injury, unless McCown is walking around with a cast tomorrow and he has to admit McCown can't play.
But don't be surprised if Kiffin plays coy again with his starting quarterback.
--Jason Jones
About Comments
Reader comments on Sacbee.com are the opinions of the writer, not The Sacramento Bee. If you see an objectionable comment, click the "report abuse" button below it. We will delete comments containing inappropriate links, obscenities, hate speech, and personal attacks. Flagrant or repeat violators will be banned. See more about comments here.