Post by TheShadow on Dec 4, 2003 19:23:20 GMT -5
www.pressdemocrat.com
Backup FB got poked in the eye, had strep throat and 104 temperature
December 4, 2003
By PHIL BARBER
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
ALAMEDA -- If fullback Chris Hetherington has many more Sundays like the one he just lived through, the Yale grad might consider putting his education to better use than playing football.
Hetherington felt unusually achy when he woke up on game day. "It was like my room was real cold," he said. "When I got back home about six (p.m.), I was freezing cold. About two hours later, I was sweating profusely."
In between, of course, he played in the Raiders' 22-8 loss to Denver, toiling on all of the Raiders' special teams and getting several snaps in the backfield.
That night, Hetherington's temperature peaked at 104 degrees. It turned out he had a case of strep throat. Fortunately, his parents were in town. They got him some penicillin, and his fever was soon under control.
But that wasn't Hetherington's only problem Sunday. While blocking on a kickoff against the Broncos, he took a severe poke in the eye.
"The guy tried to run me over, and he stuck his finger in my eye," Hetherington said. "It really blew up at the time. I could barely see."
The fullback missed only a couple plays before returning to the game. He's sporting a beauty of a shiner this week, and Wednesday he said he's still feeling weak after spending two days in bed. Nevertheless, he is expected to play against Pittsburgh this Sunday.
YOUNG AND RESTLESS
Running back Justin Fargas had supplanted Ronney Jenkins as the Raiders' kickoff returner, and had begun to assert himself in the backfield as well. Then he tore the medial collateral ligament in his left knee against Minnesota, getting hit from the side on a return. His season came to a sudden, bleak end.
"It was really disappointing," Fargas said Wednesday. "I had started to feel more comfortable in the offense. My opportunity was coming."
But the news isn't all bad for the swift rookie from USC. He won't need surgery on the knee. He's already working out on the stationary bicycle and lifting some light weights, and doesn't see this as a long-term ailment.
"I don't know if I'd be 100 percent, but I could be ready to play by the end of this season," he said. "(The surgery) was more a precautionary measure than anything."
Getting hurt in the midst of a promising first year might crush some athletes. But Fargas has been through worse. As a freshman at Michigan (he later transferred to USC), he suffered a brutal injury to his right leg. Doctors operated on the leg, and when it didn't heal properly they re-broke the limb and bolted rods to his tibia and fibia. The metal is still in there. Fargas had a third operation to repair tendons in his right big toe.
"Going through something like that, that was much more serious," he said. "This is a minor bump in the road. I hardly flinched in knowing I can come back. It's just a matter of work."
ANOTHER NEW FACE
The Raiders' practice squad underwent yet another alteration. The Houston Texans plundered the squad, signing safety Curry Burns to their active roster. To fill the gap, Oakland signed tight end David Newman, who was with the team in training camp. Newman, a 6-6, 265-pounder from Louisiana Tech, doubles as a long-snapper.
Backup FB got poked in the eye, had strep throat and 104 temperature
December 4, 2003
By PHIL BARBER
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
ALAMEDA -- If fullback Chris Hetherington has many more Sundays like the one he just lived through, the Yale grad might consider putting his education to better use than playing football.
Hetherington felt unusually achy when he woke up on game day. "It was like my room was real cold," he said. "When I got back home about six (p.m.), I was freezing cold. About two hours later, I was sweating profusely."
In between, of course, he played in the Raiders' 22-8 loss to Denver, toiling on all of the Raiders' special teams and getting several snaps in the backfield.
That night, Hetherington's temperature peaked at 104 degrees. It turned out he had a case of strep throat. Fortunately, his parents were in town. They got him some penicillin, and his fever was soon under control.
But that wasn't Hetherington's only problem Sunday. While blocking on a kickoff against the Broncos, he took a severe poke in the eye.
"The guy tried to run me over, and he stuck his finger in my eye," Hetherington said. "It really blew up at the time. I could barely see."
The fullback missed only a couple plays before returning to the game. He's sporting a beauty of a shiner this week, and Wednesday he said he's still feeling weak after spending two days in bed. Nevertheless, he is expected to play against Pittsburgh this Sunday.
YOUNG AND RESTLESS
Running back Justin Fargas had supplanted Ronney Jenkins as the Raiders' kickoff returner, and had begun to assert himself in the backfield as well. Then he tore the medial collateral ligament in his left knee against Minnesota, getting hit from the side on a return. His season came to a sudden, bleak end.
"It was really disappointing," Fargas said Wednesday. "I had started to feel more comfortable in the offense. My opportunity was coming."
But the news isn't all bad for the swift rookie from USC. He won't need surgery on the knee. He's already working out on the stationary bicycle and lifting some light weights, and doesn't see this as a long-term ailment.
"I don't know if I'd be 100 percent, but I could be ready to play by the end of this season," he said. "(The surgery) was more a precautionary measure than anything."
Getting hurt in the midst of a promising first year might crush some athletes. But Fargas has been through worse. As a freshman at Michigan (he later transferred to USC), he suffered a brutal injury to his right leg. Doctors operated on the leg, and when it didn't heal properly they re-broke the limb and bolted rods to his tibia and fibia. The metal is still in there. Fargas had a third operation to repair tendons in his right big toe.
"Going through something like that, that was much more serious," he said. "This is a minor bump in the road. I hardly flinched in knowing I can come back. It's just a matter of work."
ANOTHER NEW FACE
The Raiders' practice squad underwent yet another alteration. The Houston Texans plundered the squad, signing safety Curry Burns to their active roster. To fill the gap, Oakland signed tight end David Newman, who was with the team in training camp. Newman, a 6-6, 265-pounder from Louisiana Tech, doubles as a long-snapper.