ALAMEDA — Raiders wide receiver Jordy Nelson arrived with a midwest mentality borne of his roots on a Kansas farm.
Work and prepare. Stack practices as if they’re bales of hay. Don’t allow outside influences to impede your progress. Train the next generation to carry on in your absence.
But even the most dedicated farmers wear down, and when Nelson was battling a bum knee and caught all of five passes from Weeks 6 through 12, it was fair to wonder whether he had reached the end of the line at age 33.
Nelson laughed Wednesday when I asked him if he’d begun to have doubts.