Oakland Raiders OG Robert Gallery Doubtful: Bad Omen for Raiders?

For Raiders fans, there is only one name that can be considered as a offensive line anchor.

That would be Robert Gallery, the first round bust that rebuilt himself into a quality guard on our line of ever-changing choices.

Likewise, Gallery has had some good times when you don't hear about him, and times that make you cringe.

Last year he was missed early and often and the results were painful. When he was in the game the team had a decent change to give the quarterback a chance to stay upright and alive. Whoever had to replace him seemed to be woefully undermanned.

How does his left hamstring injury, which leaves him doubtful for this week's game against St. Louis, bode for Oakland?

For starters, Oakland released Yamon Figurs and signed Erik Pears, a tackle by trade. While his primary spot as a tackle is noted, he could be a fill-in. Daniel Loper will probably start in Gallery's place, but if he is unable to hold back a team, it could be another case of "shuffle" on the offensive line.

Last year seeing a center play guard was not unheard of, nor was tackles swapping with guards, or trying to find players comfortable in all aspects.

The biggest problem is that we have two players on board from the draft, Jared Veldheer and Bruce Campbell. Tom Cable threw Jared into the fight right away. Will he remain in a center-only basis, or go back to his original tackle spot? What is the timetable for Bruce Campbell?

Gallery's injury simply adds a new twist to a bad situation. One can only hope that his hamstring injury lasts as long as Darren McFadden's did in the preseason, because right now we have two weeks of easy teams to play. Oakland will need him when Houston and San Diego come to play football.

Read more Oakland Raiders news on BleacherReport.com

...

About the Author