Barrett Robbins' journey back to the Raiders won't be as adventurous as his Super Bowl trip to Tijuana, but it is every bit as uncertain.

	Robbins

No one from Robbins to coach Bill Callahan to Raiders teammates knows how this saga will be resolved. It can only be taken on a step-by-step basis, and so far Robbins is making the step to be back on the Raiders roster this fall. A misstep by Robbins, who is being medically treated for a bipolar disorder, could cause his termination. How his teammates accept him will be another factor, but that process started Thursday at the beginning of the team's mandatory minicamp.

Fortunately for Robbins, Raiders management won't rush to judgment. Owner Al Davis has always had compassion for players who have difficulty. He's given Robbins the space to deal with his bipolar disorder and his admitted alcoholism. Robbins has used this time to try to deal with his problems.

He spent 30 days in a treatment center. He recovered from a minor knee procedure. He's been working out at the team facility. He's doing everything he can to prepare himself for this comeback.

But don't discount how difficult this is for Robbins emotionally. No player, particularly one as talented as Robbins, an All-Pro center, has had to try to comeback to his team after such an incident. Robbins told ESPN that he began experiencing a bipolar episode approximately four days before the Super Bowl.

He said he started to have difficulty communicating as the week progressed. He started feeling afraid, and on Friday night, he started to drink and then he left for Tijuana early Saturday morning. Details of his trip were so distorted that he told ESPN that he believed that the Raiders had won the Super Bowl and he was celebrating.

Before training camp and during training camp, Robbins must stay sober and continue his medication. He said that he has been sober for the first time in 15 years. That's a plus. Doctors have prescribed the medication that has kept his bipolar disorder in check. That's a plus.

If Robbins continues in this positive approach to the season, he has a chance. Ultimately, it will come down to the players and how Robbins' teammates react to him. That will take time.

John Clayton is a senior writer for ESPN.com.