ALAMEDA -- This was supposed to be the year Jacoby Ford took his electrifying game to the next level.Instead, it's been more of a profile in frustration.Three times since the lockout ended Ford has been shut down due to injury -- a broken left hand suffered on the first day of hitting in training camp was followed by a strained right hamstring in the season opener at Denver, after he fumbled on the Raiders' first offensive play of the season and his sprained left foot suffered Nov. 10 at San Diego has kept him on the shelf ever since.
"It's just one of those years," said Ford, who has caught 17 passes for 260 yards with a touchdown while returning 11 kickoffs for 341 yards, including a 101-yarder for a touchdown against Cleveland."I just think it's a test. I definitely think it's something I will bounce back from. I've done it every time. Definitely frustrating but I'm not going to worry about it. Still going to have a smile on my face, I'm still going to be the same person. It's just that when I get back on the field it's back to work. It is what it is."Ford has missed four of the Raiders' 11 games, including the last two in a row.He hopes to practice this week. A likely return, though, appears to be the following week, in the freezing temperatures of Green Bay."It's kind of how it feels," Ford said. "It's kind of week-by-week, day-by-day. That's just kind of how we're taking it. Slow process but it's getting there. It's definitely getting better."
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