Matt McGloin is quietly waiting for his chance. The Oakland Raiders quarterback was pushed to third string after starting the back half of the 2013 season. The Raiders had traded for Matt Schaub and drafted Derek Carr, no longer looking interested in McGloin's services. However, injuries have started to chip away at the position and given Carr's recent struggles, the former Penn State standout might be hearing his number called in two weeks.
McGloin saw his first bit of action of the season when he stepped in for Carr after the rookie suffered an injury in the loss to the Miami Dolphins. Carr has been diagnosed with a high-ankle sprain and MCL sprain after going down in the third quarter on Sunday. According to NFL.com, x-rays were negative on both locations, but the quarterback could miss some time to heal both. That injury gets paired with Schaub's elbow tendinitis that flared up prior to the regular season. It is unknown if Schaub is actually healthy or not. He has been active since the diagnosis, but not playing. He did not make the trip to London for the Miami game.
That leaves McGloin as the man in charge after the team's bye week. The second-year quarterback is no slouch after getting some momentum working late last season. The quarterback saw six starts last year, filling in for Matt Flynn and Terrelle Pryor. He threw for 1,547 yards and eight touchdowns. McGloin looked poised to take over the starting job in 2014, but the Raiders opted to get Schaub from Houston despite his struggles last year and Carr in the draft to develop for the future. McGloin notes that he is simply doing all he can to stay involved and hopes to see the field at some point.
"We were just going over what we were seeing, communicating with one another," McGloin said, via CitizensVoice.com. "It's something all quarterbacks do. Making sure we're seeing the same things and if not, find out why. Quarterbacks are constantly learning, competing with one another and challenging one another. The quarterback position is one of the greatest positions in all of sports. Unfortunately, only one guy gets to touch the ball. It is what it is."
The Raiders are in need some something positive. After Dennis Allen was fired as head coach, Oakland is in danger of earning the No. 1 draft pick next season. Their run game is going nowhere and they lack a top wide receiver to be the playmaker on offense. Something needs to change. First it was the coach and next could be the quarterback.