Raiders' McFadden all business to start NFL career

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NAPA, Calif. -- Darren McFadden didn't show up to Oakland Raiders training camp with an XBOX 360 and a copy of the video game "NCAA Football 09," which features his likeness on the cover.The fourth overall selection in the 2008 NFL draft isn't here to play games. The running back arrived from Arkansas ready to work and ask a lot of questions.But in fact, it's McFadden who is expected to be the one with all the answers for a team that has failed to win five games in a season since winning the AFC title in 2002. "I put a lot of pressure on myself to perform," said McFadden, a soft-spoken yet confident 20-year-old. "It's something I look forward to. The fans, they're looking for me to come out there and perform. I'm just going out there trying to learn the ropes and plays. And eventually, I think I will be a star."Greatness, not merely being good, is what's expected of McFadden.Much of the Raiders' success in 2008 depends on how fast McFadden can assimilate with the offense and produce the kind of big plays that became routine at Arkansas.The Raiders finished sixth in the NFL in rushing last season without the threat of a passing game. And along with second-year quarterback JaMarcus Russell, who will be in his first full season running the team, McFadden is expected to improve both areas.Russell looks forward to the pairing."It's a lot of fun, especially with his capabilities and the possibility of what he might do when he has the ball and doesn't have it," Russell said. "Guys look forward to him doing certain things when he gets it, and they have to be ready for the run and the play-action pass."The Raiders won't put the weight of the offense on McFadden immediately. Justin Fargas rushed for more than 1,000 yards last season, and second-year back Michael Bush could prove to be capable.But McFadden is no fool. He knows what's coming."I feel like there might not be as much attention focused on me but it's probably one of those things where guys will say, 'Fourth overall pick, highly rated coming out of college,' " McFadden said. "They're going to want a piece of me."People have wanted a piece of McFadden on and off the field for some time. He grew accustomed to it at Oak Grove High School in North Little Rock before moving on to Arkansas.But he has found being labeled the next great thing a little easier to deal with thus far.He's not pressed for autographs at every restaurant in California, as he is in Little Rock. And if he wants to meet with an old friend, McFadden doesn't have to find a vacant alley.His former high school coach, John Mayes, recalls such a meeting."I said we're going to meet in the back of Dillard's (department store) where nobody's there and where we can just talk," Mayes said in a phone interview from Arkansas. "We were there about 15 minutes before 15 or 20 people were there wanting his autograph. In Arkansas, nobody left him alone, but I think he handled the pressure well."McFadden has proven to be adept at dealing with the media and public during his first training camp. Interview requests don't stop, and he handles each gracefully. He's a player that is hounded by fans, and he has taken the time to sign autographs and pose for pictures.Being a star on and off the field, McFadden has become accustomed to the attention."It made me mature faster," said McFadden, the 2006 and 2007 Doak Walker Award winner and two-time Heisman Trophy runner-up. "Growing up, you just had to mature faster. You just have to be aware of who you're around at all times because you always have people watching."When he isn't being watched or asked for autographs, McFadden is asking questions, trying to improve his game.McFadden, who signed a six-year, $60 million contract ($26 million guaranteed) shortly after being drafted, has taken his quest for knowledge to new levels. He recently sat in on a special-teams meeting just to learn more about the game, even though he isn't a special-teams player."If he continues to do what he's doing, he'll be great," said fullback Justin Griffith, McFadden's roommate.The Raiders are confident they have the right man for the job."He's everything we thought when we picked him," Raiders coach Lane Kiffin said. "All the research was that this is the guy, that he has no issues on the field, in the classroom. Great preparation, great football guy, his teammates loved him and it's showing. I can't think of one negative with him."Obviously, he's going to have a lot to do with our success. The faster that we can get him ready, the more we get him the ball, the better we'll be."(Contact Jason Jones at jejones@sacbee.com.)(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)