Really Worth IT??

But there's not much question that the McFadden-Bush rookie-camp introduction was the most high-powered meeting of young Oakland Raiders running back talent since Marcus Allen once exchanged mitts with a guy named Bo Jackson.

Sensing a similar union of purpose, people are already getting excited about this tandem. How excited? The Raiders' media room was filled to standing-room only on an otherwise quiet mid-May Saturday to listen to Bush and McFadden — one after the other — answer questions.

On this day, anyway, the two young prodigies shared the load quite well. Each got about 30 questions, and neither fumbled an answer. Between them, they probably provided 100 yards of copy apiece. Good work, fellas.

Just imagine what it's going to be like when Justin Fargas joins the fold. Will there be enough footballs for all of these guys to tote? Will JaMarcus Russell ever get to drop back and actually throw a pass?

And of course, there's that not-so-small issue of who's going to be "Da Man."

The tailback drama could play out any number of ways, but maybe there really will be enough duty for all three backs if they show themselves to be that varied in their skills. One thing's for sure, with Lane Kiffin and Greg Knapp in control of the offense, there will be considerable sentiment for running the rock.

With Bush coming off a two-year layoff, McFadden learning the league and Fargas returning from his first season as the team's workhorse, a share-the-wealth backfield might be the wisest course anyway.

Roles? Bush, because of his size, could be very valuable in short-yardage and goal-line situations, if he doesn't immediately establish himself as an every-down back. McFadden's the home run hitter, the guy who can score from anywhere on the field. Fargas is the classic grinder clock-winder.

For his own part, Bush isn't even thinking about the division of labor at this point. Last year's fourth-round draft pick is ready for any role that gets him back on the field for the first time in nearly two seasons after suffering a career-threatening broken leg in the 2006 season opener at Louisville.

"Personally, I really don't care right now," he said. "I just want to get on the field and play. Special teams, I'm all down for anything, just being on the field and getting back into the atmosphere."

McFadden doesn't sound selfish, either. A full two days on the job, he envisions a multi-back attack as one that will work best for both the players and the Raiders.

"I feel like it's something like that will help out in the NFL system because it's hard for a guy to go out there and go every down, take every snap," McFadden said. "Especially in the NFL, you have linebackers and defensive ends running 4.4s, so to have a fresh guy in there all the time is something that'll help the team out a whole lot."

Fargas waited nearly five years to get his first real shot, so we know he'll be amenable to just about any plan as long as he isn't the forgotten man. And McFadden's right — in a league where it now takes 19 or 20 games to win the Super Bowl, one stellar back simply isn't enough.

A lot of the work distribution will depend on just how much the Raiders run, period. With Russell still learning his way under center, it very well could be a year like 1977, when Oakland established an NFL record for rushing attempts with 681, a mark that somewhat remarkably still stands considering it was accomplished in a 14-game season.

The Raiders nearly averaged 50 handoffs a game that year ... 48.6, to be exact. Astounding. Mark van Eeghen had 324 carries for 1,273 yards, Clarence Davis added 194 carries for 787 yards while Pete Banaszak, Carl Garrett and Terry Robiskie managed to squeeze out 142 more totes among them.

Just a few years before, the unbeaten 1972 Miami Dolphins might have had the most celebrated three-back rotation in NFL history with Larry Csonka (213 carries, 1,117 yards), Mercury Morris (190 carries for 1,000 on the nose) and Jim Kiick (137 carries, 521 yards).

Last year, the Minnesota Vikings offered something of an updated version with Adrian Peterson, Chester Taylor and Tarvaris Jackson.

In short, there is plenty of precedent for a two-back system working, and a multi-back rotation is certainly not unprecedented. The 1978 New England Patriots have the distinction of holding the all-time single-season team rushing record — 3,169 yards — with their leading rusher, Sam Cunningham, accounting for a mere 768.

That was the ultimate tailback-by-committee team, but the Raiders have an extensive history in that regard, too. Even during the Jackson-Allen years, you'd be amazed how many carries Steve Smith got.

Perhaps what's most significant about this refreshing stockpile is that the recent era of Raiders quarterbacks occasionally leading the team in rushing is most definitely over.

Raiders running back Michael Bush wasn't referring to the football field when he made that statement, rather the media throng as he sat behind numerous microphones.

The same can be applied to the media.

It has been a while since Bush was in the football spotlight. His last taste perhaps came in the fall of 2006, when he was a Heisman Trophy hopeful for Louisville. Then came a broken right leg in the season opener against Kentucky.

Suddenly Bush became a man on the mend, a stint that lasted through 2007 after the Raiders selected him in the fourth round of the NFL draft.

And because he spent last season on the physically unable to perform list, Bush is eligible to participate in this weekend's rookie minicamp.

It's not exactly how he envisioned things in the fall of 2006.

"It's awkward, but at the same time, I love it because I've been out of football," Bush said. "And I'm just glad to be doing football plays and getting out there and running around and showing the coaches that I'm healthy and that I'm fine and I'm ready to play."

The Raiders' decision not to release LaMont Jordan last fall kept Bush from joining Oakland's backfield in 2007. Bush was allowed to practice with the team toward the end of last season, but once the Raiders didn't activate him, he went back to individual workouts.

The meeting room for running backs remains crowded. Dominic Rhodes is gone, but the Raiders selected running back Darren McFadden with the fourth overall pick in last month's draft. Bush watched the draft and was puzzled that the team would add to its deepest position.

"At first I was like, Why do we need another back?, because, at the time, we did have Dominic, and LaMont still on the roster, and (Justin) Fargas and me," Bush said. " … It kind of bothered me, but it didn't because he can help us. … I'm glad that he's on our side."

The buzz about McFadden was considerable coming off his All-America season at Arkansas. Bush, who rushed for 2,508 yards and 39 touchdowns for Louisville, might have had the same hype if not for his injury.

"Actually, I was watching the game when he broke his leg," McFadden said. "It was the only time I really got to see him play."

They have seen a lot of each other this weekend. When they're not rotating plays, they're on the field together to give the Raiders' offense some new looks.

McFadden is known as a speedster, and Bush is different from the other Raiders running backs mainly because he looks more like a linebacker. Listed at 6-foot-1, 245 pounds, he spent a lot of time solidifying his frame in the weight room.

On the field, Bush moves fine and says the knot in his shin is the only reminder of his broken leg. He's eagerly awaiting the exhibition season so he can hit someone for the first time in almost two years.

"I think Michael's in a great place right now," coach Lane Kiffin said. "It was a good challenge for him for us to have drafted Darren, for him to see that. It's kind of similar to what Justin went through last year … Rhodes comes in, LaMont's here, and Fargas just keeps working and working. I think it's going to continue to show up, and we'll keep using (Bush) in different ways as camp goes on."

That just wasn't coach-talk from Kiffin.

Bush said he was "happy" the Raiders drafted McFadden and that he would play special teams just to get on the field.

"I think the coaches still know what I can bring to the table, as well," Bush said. "I've never doubted myself at any point. And as far as team-wise, bringing in the best guy that was on the board at the time is good because it'll also help us out as a winning team."

In response to the revelation that Rams cornerback Fakhir Brown avoided a one-year suspension after a sample he produced for drug testing during the 2007 season was deemed to be diluted, a league source tells us that the NFL’s policy regarding samples containing too much water hasn’t been very successful in application.

Per the source, the policy regarding dilute samples has been used five times since its inception.  The source says that, in each case, the test result was overturned.

The source explained that the entire concept of a diluted specimen contradicts the league’s obsession with proper hydration (a concept that likely became even more important in the wake of Korey Stringer’s death during training camp in 2001). 

In fact, at least one player who tested positive under the drug policy by virtue of generating a diluted specimen was already having his urine tested by the team on a daily basis in order to ensure that there was enough water in his wee.

The source points the blame for these conflicting programs directly at the union: “Why did the NFLPA ever agree to a rule that is nothing more than a trap for many players?”

It’s a great question — one of many that need to be asked, and answered, when it comes to why the union does what it does.