ALAMEDA – Perhaps Dominic Rhodes will play against his old team after all.
Rhodes came to the Raiders as a free agent, but probably wishes he were free again after being relegated to third-string tailback and kickoff return duty much of the season.
Rhodes has been inactive the last two games.
Now that receiver Tim Dwight is hurt, there’s a chance Rhodes could be returning kicks since Chris Carr might have to takeover punt return duties Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts.
Dwight hurt his hamstring yesterday. At today’s practice he was working out on a separate field with Fred Wakefield, a tight end on injured reserve.
That’s not a good sign for Dwight’s status.
Also, with Justin Fargas playing after bruising his ribs last week, it would be wise to have Rhodes active.
If Fargas were to go down, the only tailback the Raiders would have would be LaMont Jordan, who has dealt with a bad back all season.
Also, without Dwight, the Raiders, who have inexplicably carried only four receivers most of the season, would be down to three. One of those receivers, Johnnie Lee Higgins, is a rookie the coaching staff hasn’t shown much faith in this season.
Having Rhodes as an option in the passing game would make sense, but Lane Kiffin might opt to simply use John Madsen as a receiver more than at tight end.
--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.