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He works out under the watchful eye of trainers while on the PUP list
NAPA -- Day after day, rookie running back Michael Bush can be found doing the same thing: running by himself, executing drills under the watchful eye of a trainer and yearning for the day he gets to join his teammates on the practice field.
"If you're out here, you see the stuff they put me through, running-wise, and you think, 'Why is he not out there (with his teammates)?' But, I feel good every day," Michael Bush said Tuesday.
Michael Bush isn't on the practice field because he fractured his right leg in the first game of his senior season at Louisville. The injury required the insertion of a steel rod and a second surgery to facilitate the healing process.
The Raiders selected Michael Bush with the first pick of the fourth round of the NFL draft in April. Michael Bush has been monitored closely and brought along slowly ever since.
He was placed on the physically-unable-to-perform list at the beginning of training camp, which prohibits him from participating in the team's practices. The next step is for the Oakland Raiders to activate Michael Bush, extend his stay on the PUP list or place him on the injured-reserve list.
Michael Bush wouldn't be eligible to play until after Week 6 -- and no later than Week 10 -- if he remains on the PUP list beyond the final roster cutdown. After Week 6, teams have four weeks to decide whether to activate, release or place on injured reserve players on the PUP list. Michael Bush would be ineligible to play this season if he were placed on the injured-reserve list.
Injured reserve
isn't an option, Michael Bush said.
"No doubt in my mind, I'm not even close to thinking about I.R. ... They'd like for me to play this year, but if I can't they know they've got other guys."
Oakland Raiders coach Lane Kiffin is keeping tabs on Michael Bush but is not ready to make a determination on his status for this season.
"We look at him every day, one-on-one every day," Kiffin said one week into camp. "I just don't know when it's going to be."
Quote of the day
"There's a lot of people questioning whether I'm the guy for the job. And, of course, at some point pride's going to get in the way and, at some point, you're going to want to make a statement. But it's not something I talk about. Right now in the AFC West, I'm clearly the back that's not even in this hemisphere. When you look at Travis Henry (Broncos), Larry Johnson (Chiefs) and LaDainian (Tomlinson, Chargers), I'm not even mentioned on the same page as those guys. That's something that I would like to change. I have to do my part, the offensive line has to do their part, us as a team, we have to do our part." -- Oakland Raiders running back LaMont Jordan on his playing with an attitude this season
Play of the day
Cornerback Chris Carr jumped in front of a Daunte Culpepper pass for wide receiver Travis Taylor and intercepted the ball in the end zone during the morning practice.
Extra points
Oakland released guard Ben Claxton, who sustained a knee injury early in camp and missed a majority of the team's practices. ... Wide receiver Carlos Francis returned to practice. ... Jordan (back) said he intends to play against the 49ers on Saturday night. He missed Oakland's first exhibition game, against the Arizona Cardinals last Saturday. Defensive tackle Terdell Sands missed the evening practice. No reason was given. ... The Oakland Raiders signed defensive tackle Jared Clauss, who appeared in 29 games for the Tennessee Titans in 2004-05.
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