The Facts:
With the Raiders apparently tired of being unable to count on McFadden, McFadden due to become an unrestricted free agent on March 11 and Hue Jackson just promoted as the Bengals' offensive coordinator, might McFadden find a new home in Ohio? “You guys know how I feel about Darren McFadden; he's still one of my favorite players,” Jackson said last Friday. “What a tremendous talent. But I really like my little guy Gio [Bernard]. He had a real good season. But I don't think you can ever have too many good backs.”
Reported by ESPN.com
Fantasy Football Diehards Line:
As ESPN.com's Paul Gutierrez notes, over the course of McFadden's star-crossed six-year career with the Raiders, the only coach to get consistent production out of the running back was Jackson. And it began with Jackson simply asking McFadden what kind of plays he liked to run upon Jackson's arrival as the Raiders' offensive coordinator prior to the 2010 season. Under Jackson, McFadden's average went from 3.4 the year before Jackson arrived to 5.2 and then 5.4. ... Bernard averaged 4.1 yards per carry for 695 yards and five touchdowns and caught 56 passes for 514 yards and three scores as a rookie this past season. But he had a costly fumble for the Bengals in their wild-card weekend loss to the Chargers. ... Does Jackson still think McFadden, who missed six games this past season with an assortment of ailments, can be a game-changing player? “I would have to be around him again but I think it's still no different with Darren,” Jackson said. “Somebody's going to get a really good football player here in the future if he doesn't stay there in Oakland and I just wish him the best.”
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