Is Michael Bush on His Way Out of Oakland?

I remember watching Michael Bush play at Louisville and thinking to myself that he was going to be a beast in the NFL.

After an unfortunate broken leg ended his college career early in 2006, Bush went from a potential Top-10 pick to a speculative and risky selection for teams since his leg wasn't completely healed entering the 2007 draft.

When the Raiders selected Bush with the first pick of the fourth round of the 2007 NFL draft, I was convinced that Al Davis was a drafting genius. Davis understood his potential and got him on the cheap—the old wizard had struck again!

As 2007 started to unfold, Bush never made into the lineup. Coach Lane Kiffin was excited about having Bush and was hoping he would be fully healed during the first part of the season. Somehow Kiffin never got to play Bush, as he mysteriously stayed inactive for the entire season, even though reports were that Bush had healed.

So we went into 2008 with excitement to finally see a fully healthy Michael Bush. But then came the 2008 NFL draft "curveball," where the Raiders selected Darren McFadden with the fourth overall pick.

A few rumors came out that the Raiders had even been trying to trade Bush during the draft but were unable to get a high enough draft pick for him. That rumor seemed erroneous to me at the time, partly because it just didn't seem plausible. No way Davis would sell his diamond in the rough without seeing him play. Right?

As the 2008 season unfolded, instead of giving Bush a fair shot at being the leading running back, he was listed as the Raiders' third-string running back. Bush only saw limited carries in 2008. These seemed to only come in part because of injuries to McFadden and Justin Fargas. He also filled in as a blocking fullback.

The high point for Bush came in a Week 17 game against the Buccaneers, when Bush rushed for 177 yards on 27 carries and two touchdowns to help Oakland deny Tam...

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