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The Raiders have placed 22-year old OLB Slade Norris and 22-year old KR Nick Miller on I.R. Norris was the Raiders’ 4th round pick out of Oregon State last April in the draft. He played in 4 games and made a whopping 2 tackles this year. Miller was injured in the pre-season but the Raiders didn’t know that he had a fractured tibia.
Starting QB Bruce Gradkowski tore his MCL in both knees ending his 2009 season. Gradkowski played in 7 games this season for the Raiders and he completed 82 of 150 passes (54.7%) for 1,007 yards with 6 TD passes and 3 INTs (80.6 QB Rating). He also carried the ball 18 times for 108 yards (6.0 ypc). This is a huge injury for the Raiders as Gradkowski inspired the team to play better when he was on the field.
The Raiders will be without starting guard Robert Gallery indefinitely due to a back injury. Gallery has played in 6 games (6 starts) for the Raiders this season. He has now played in 80 games (79 starts) in his six year NFL career. Gallery will be missed as he has been a good player since moving inside to guard.
UPDATE: Gallery is now out for the rest of the season for the Raiders and he will need some type of surgery to fix his back.
The Raiders have released 25-year old CB John Bowie with a injury settlement. Bowie played in 3 games this season for the Raiders and he made 1 tackle. In three years with the Raiders, Bowie played in 5 games in which he made 2 tackles. The thing that Bowie will be most remembered for in Oakland though is that he was the return the Raiders got when they traded Randy Moss to the Patriots. Moss has played in 10 games for the Patriots this season and he has caught 63 passes for 925 yards (14.7 avg) with 8 TD grabs. In his three years in New England, Moss has played in 42 games in which he has caught 230 passes for 3,426 yards (14.9 avg) with 42 TD grabs. What a terrible trade that turned out to be as the Raiders could probably use Randy Moss right about now.
The Raiders have placed 26-year old OLB Jon Alston on the Injured Reserve List due to a severe concussion. He played in 9 games for the Raiders this season and he had 23 tackles including 2 tackles for a loss. In his four years with the Raiders, Alston has played in 39 games in which he has 66 tackles, 1 pass defensed and 2 forced fumbles. This will hurt the depth of the defense and the special teams of the Raiders.