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Steve Corkan of the Contra Costa Times is reporting, according to several sources, that Al Davis has expressed his desire for Jason Campbell to remain the starting quarterback. This was one of the possible scenarios I presented this morning for Tom Cable's stunning change of heart. To be fair to the organization, Davis may not be forcing the issue, but rather making his desire known to Tom Cable and Hue Jackson. Tom Cable would have to be very confident in Bruce Gradkowski's play and health to consider going against his bosses' wishes. Al Davis could keep his opinions to himself, but why would he? He owns the team and operates the football side, why wouldn't he? That's a better question.

To start the season, few were doubting Jason Campbell’s status as the starting quarterback of the Oakland Raiders. Bruce Gradkowski had supporters, but even they thought it was Campbell’s job to lose. Fast forward six quarters of the season and Gradkowski is the new undisputed starter. The coaches reasoned with the media that Gradkowski’s personality fit the team better without going into any of the specifics of the situation. Those specifics are important, because they are the same specifics that could keep Campbell the starter and push Gradkowski back into a backup role. When Campbell was benched, the offensive line was doing a terrible job pass blocking and the Raiders hadn’t yet become the run dominant team they are now. The offensive line simply couldn’t block for Campbell because he was slow to make his reads and has a long delivery. Gradkowski only lasts two games behind the porous Raiders pass protection. He doesn’t do significantly better and currently has a quarterback ra...

92-17. That's the Raiders combined score the last two weeks against the Broncos and Seahawks. The Raiders also have 500+ yards of offense in back-to-back victories. Darren McFadden continues his resurgence and had 135 total yards against the Seahawks. This actually lowers his per game average. Bush added 51 yards and a late touchdown. In a game in which the Raiders needed a receiver to step up in the absence of Louis Murphy, Darrius Heyward-Bey hauled in five balls for 105 yards including a 69-yard touchdown. Fullback Marcel Reece added three receptions for 90 yards and a touchdown. Jason Campbell completed 15 passes for 310 yards and two touchdowns and his performance has begged the question as to who the Raiders starting quarterback will be once Bruce Gradkowski is healthy. The Raiders defense combined for eight sacks and held the Seahawks to 47 yards rushing. If there was any concerns that came out of the win, it was Nnamdi Asomugha injuring his ankle and Zach Miller only having...

The Raiders wasted an opportunity an opportunity to get to 2-1 last week, while the Houston Texans fell to 2-1 after a loss to the Dallas Cowboys. Both teams will try to rebound in week four and put tough losses behind them on the 100% grass surface at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum this Sunday. These teams are familiar foes, having traded blows each of the past four seasons. The Texans defeated the Raiders 29-6 almost exactly one year ago in Houston. The previous three games were in Oakland with the Raiders winning 27-16 in 2008 and the Texans defeated the Raiders in 2007 and 2006. Offense The Texans pass defense has surrendered 369 yards per game through the air in the first three weeks, having played Peyton Manning, Donovan McNabb and Tony Romo. Bruce Gradkowski has the opportunity to expose the Texans young secondary with a big day. The Texans have surrendered pass plays of 60 yards or more in each game this season. It is possible the quality of quarterback...

Studs Richard Seymour (+8/-1) His hamstring didn't seem to bother his play. He was applying pressure consistently and was a force stopping the run. The Raiders are paying Seymour elite money this season and can't be disappointed with his play. Seymour and Henderson have both missed a game this season and have really stepped up in each others absence against the run. Seymour missed practice Wednesday, but if he can stay healthy he will have a chance to make this list weekly. Marcel Reece (+8/-0) It isn't often a fullback will make a list of studs, but Reece had an amazing game last Sunday in Phoenix. He did an excellent job picking up blitzes and finding players to block in the run game. He became a receiver on multiple occasions and looked more like a running back catching the ball and running with it. He has come a long way and deserves some recognition for his efforts. Rolando McClain (+7/-1) McPain has game. He still learning things in coverage, but is beginning to tr...

Bruce Gradkowski is the Raiders new starting quarterback. The majority of fans get what they wanted. There is no denying Gradkowski deserves to start based on his play in the second half of last Sunday’s win against St. Louis and his production last season. If Jason Campbell wasn’t the answer, why name him the starter before training camp and not give Gradkowski a shot at the job? Why bring in Jason Campbell for a fourth-round pick and extend his contract? If it was only because Gradkowski is injury prone it seems like a steep price to pay when Kyle Boller costs basically nothing. Switching quarterbacks just six quarters into the season undermines what the coaches have been selling all offseason. The sell was that Campbell is the guy that can take the team back to the playoffs. By making the switch, the Raiders are basically passing the blame to Campbell and it encourages the players to do it, intentionally or subconsciously. That makes it nearly impossible Campbell will be able ...

Every team and coach dreams of having two great quarterbacks and being forced to decide between them. It isn’t unprecedented. The Falcons once had Michael Vick and Matt Schaub. The Falcons chose unwisely, but they still had two franchise signal callers on the roster. History seemingly repeats itself, now Kevin Kolb finds himself as the backup to Vick in Philadelphia. Unfortunately, seldom are quarterback changes a good thing. More often quarterbacks are changed early when the offense is struggling and the team isn’t performing. What kind of quarterback controversy does Al Davis and Tom Cable have on their hands? Prized acquisition Jason Campbell went from the quarterback that could lead the franchise to the playoffs to the backup in six quarters and Bruce Gradkowski went from backup to favorite to start in two. Did Campbell have enough time to prove himself as the starter? Did Gradkowski do anything more impressive he did last season? The answer to both questions is quite simply...

It wasn't pretty, but the Raiders got a win to improve to 1-1. Studs Tommy Kelly and John Henderson Stopping the run was the goal and these two guys were the biggest reason. Henderson’s efforts were almost entirely stopping the run, while Kelly also was getting to the passer. Kelly did have two penalties, but on this day he was dominant despite them. Darren McFadden A recipe for success is stopping the run and running it well. The Raiders were able to do this Sunday. Tom Cable has been impressed with McFadden “running behind his pads.” Indeed that could have been part of his issues in the past, lower his head and basically losing balance too often. McFadden is also pumping his legs after contact. This is newly learned skill for McFadden and it is benefiting him greatly with yards after he is first hit. Certainly his health and Hue Jackson’s scheme are helping him. He even had a couple nice blitz pickups. Bruce Gradkowski He came in and ignited the offense. He got the ball out quick...

Bruce Gradkowski started the second half and ignited the Raiders offense, but it took a roughing the passer penalty in the final minutes and superb rushing by Darren McFadden to seal a 16-14 home win. The Raiders were expected to win and did. That is a step. A win is a win, but it was ugly. The Raiders nearly doubled up the Rams in total yardage yet only won by two points. Is there a quarterback controversy in Oakland or did Gradkowski do enough to be the uncontested starter? It should be an easy call for the coaches to make based upon the results, but they will want to go back to film. Gradkowski is mobile, gets the ball out quickly and demands more from the offense with his fiery style. Maybe that is just what this Raiders team needs. Maybe Jason Campbell isn't the right quarterback to lead the Raiders franchise. Maybe two bad weeks are just two bad weeks. Perhaps Campbell can't find a rhythm when his left tackle can't block his own shadow.   The playcalling change...

The Matt Leinart era is about to end in Arizona. He is being shopped around the league. According to Adam Schefter, the three teams who have discussed trading for Leinart are the Bills, Raiders and Giants. There are a few ways to look at this news. Scenario A: The Raiders are not interested, but because other teams know they can always mention the Raiders they get thrown into the mix on just about every possible trade. The Raiders will never confirm or deny these reports. Scenario B: The Raiders are not content with Bruce Gradkowski and Kyle Boller as the two backup quarterbacks. Despite strong preseason performances and positive reviews from the coaching staff, the Raiders simply want another option. It certainly makes much more sense for the Bills and Giants, both in need of a quality backup. Scenario B doesn't seem likely at this point. It seems this is just another case of the Raiders being used to create interest from other teams. The 53-man roster cut looms and I’ll have...

We learned quite a bit about the 2010 Raiders in the third preseason game, often considered a regular season primer. Although the Raiders lost the final score, the score when the bulk of the starters exited the game was 21-17 with the Raiders leading. Bruce Gradkowski played significant time with the starters taking over for Jason Campbell when he was knocked from the game with a stinger. The injury to Campbell is not considered serious. Campbell was hit on the blindside by Travis LaBoy, who blew by left tackle Mario Henderson.  Henderson continues to be a below average left tackle. If the Raiders had a legitimate alternative Henderson would be benched. The only other option is rookie Jared Veldheer. Although Veldheer's talents may be put to better use as the center if Samson Satele misses significant time with an ankle injury. Veldheer failed to diagnose an A gap blitz by Patrick Willis, but otherwise performed well. Langston Walker has been inconsistent at right tackle ...

Bruce Gradkowski can't seem to stay healthy. Among his ailments of the last two seasons are torn MCLs in both knees, a torn pectoral and sore groin. Despite Gradkowski's extensive injury history he has started a few games and been moderately successful. The Raiders still brought in veteran help in Jason Campbell and Kyle Boller in the offseason. It now appears Gradkowski could be looking up to both on the depth chart come September 12 in Tennessee. It wasn't hard to imagine such a scenario given Gradkowski's injury history and the obvious match between Boller's skill set and the Raiders favored offensive scheme. During mini-camp the Raiders quarterback spot was competition and it seemed the Raiders were content to wait for Gradkowski to rehab his pectoral.  That turned out not to be the case, training camp started and the starting quarterback was announced to be Jason Campbell. Gradkowski never really had a shot to showcase he could be the starter and now training c...

Preseason is not a time to worry about wins and losses. The coaches aren't worried about wins because too often a score is the result of little to no game planning. The coaches will go back and evaluate every player in the film room, but only a few fans even watch a preseason game more than once. Tom Cable has stated the offensive problems in last week's preseason game were minor things that can be tweaked. That theory will be put to the test today in Chicago. So what should the fans be looking for in the second preseason game of 2010? Since this will be the first action of the season for Bruce Gradkowski, Jacoby Ford and Colt Brennan this will be the first chance the coaches and fans have to evaluate their performance and progression. The poor showing from Jason Campbell and the receivers in last Thursday's preseason win over Dallas will likely bring a more critical eyes to both groups. Darrius Heyward-Bey has missed nearly the entire week worth of practice due to fatigue....

The Washington Redskins parted ways with Jason Campbell after five seasons, trading him to the Oakland Raiders for a fourth-round pick in the 2012 NFL draft. The Redskins along with new General Manager Bruce Allen and Head Coach Mike Shannahan decided Campbell wasn't going to lead the team to the promised land and traded for veteran Donovan McNabb. The Eagles traded McNabb within the division opting to go with young quarterback Kevin Kolb, who was drafted the same year as JaMarcus Russell. Comparing Quarterbacks 2009 Stats (as starters) Bruce Gradkowski - 4 starts 65 Comp 118 Att 55.1% Comp 844 yards 210 YPG (injured in 4th) 6 TD 1 INT 2 Fumbles Lost (4 Total) 91.2 Rating Donovan McNabb - 14 starts 267 Comp 443 Att 60.3% Comp 3553 Yards 254 YPG 22 TD 10 INT 3 Fumbles Lost (13 Total) 92.9 Rating Jason Campbell - 16 starts 327 Comp 507 Att 64.5% Comp 3618 Yards 226 YPG 20 TD 15 INT 3 Fumbles Lost (13 total) 86.4 rating Kevin Kolb - 2 starts 55 Comp 85 Att 64.7% Comp 718 yards 359 ...

People will be talking about JaMarcus Russell for weeks to come. Who was responsible for him being so terrible? Who will give him a second chance? JaMarcus Russell is a “big” bust in every sense. He has struggled with weight and he will be in the conversation as the biggest draft bust in NFL history, even if he doesn’t take the title. As the NFL moves to a rookie wage scale, smack in the middle of the history books will be the $39 million that Russell pocketed over the course of three seasons. You will have people come out on Russell’s side, as his high school coach already has. Various Raiders players will support Russell in the days to come, while many others will give a no comment or simply refuse to comment. I’ve said before that Russell was not a bad guy, but a raw football player that didn’t have the work ethic to become a good football player. Maybe he was coming along and the Raiders would have liked to keep Russell provided he didn’t cost $9 million to have on the roster. No o...

I'm about as steadfast in these predictions as a politician is in a campaign promise. Read. Laugh. Enjoy. 1. The quarterback depth chart will be Jason Campbell, Bruce Gradkowski, JaMarcus Russell barring injury. 2. The Raiders will win nine games or more. 3. Darren McFadden will have 1500 all-purpose yards 4. The offensive line will continue to be Achilles Heel of the team. 5. The Raiders will have a top ten defense. 6. The Raiders will have a top 15 run defense. 7. The Raiders will have a top ten running game. 8. Jason Campbell will improve on his 2009 season statistically. 9. Rolando McClain will be the defensive rookie of the year. 10. Tyvon Branch will be a Pro Bowl alternate. 11. Stanford Routt will be a starting corner by season's end. 12. Bruce Campbell will be a beast on special teams, but won't see the field as an offensive lineman very much. 13. Nnamdi Asomugha will be thrown at him this season. 14. Richard Seymour will register more than six sacks. 15. Jared Veld...

How about some one-liners? - JaMarcus Russell looked good, who knows what that means going forward. - Russell looked noticeably thinner than last season, not 300 pounds (Shame on NationalFootballPost.com for reporting it) - Richard Seymour is working on a long-term contract with the Raiders - Oren O'Neal was waived - Veteran Michael Bennett is in for a tryout as was rookie DT Allen Smith from Stanford. - Bruce Campbell has a severe learning disability, which likely aided his fall in the draft. More on that as it becomes available. - Additions and subtractions to my undrafted rookie list. Add TE John Owens and DB Joey Thomas, remove WR Trent Guy (Panthers). - Russell hasn't taken a pay cut...yet. - The Raiders are still a 4-3 defense, despite much speculation. - Lamarr Houston is indeed playing left end. He will have a tough time earning a starting role there. - Russell's bling necklace inventory: #2 Jersey, The Chosen One, Russell Figure with a cape, a hand giving a middle ...

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Russell will be allowed to report to minicamp and compete for the job. If Al Davis is intent on keeping Russell, this is the way to do it. Cutting Russell right now would be a favor, allowing him to potentially hitch a ride with another team. It also gives Russell time to learn the offense for that new team. Keeping Russell around allows him to compete for *a* job on the team. If the Raiders decide not to hold onto JaMarcus come cut down day, he will walk away with the $3 million and be hard-pressed to find another team. This type of maneuver gives the Raiders serious leverage in trying to force Russell to take a pay cut. If the report proves true, the Raiders are happy to keep JaMarcus around in a reserve roll or are intent on seeing how he responds to true competition. I'll call ESPN out for reporting this both ways. It is easy to float a rumor like this, the Raiders will never confirm the report and usually they don't even bother to den...

It isn't often you can get a starting QB via trade. It is even more rare when you can get a starting QB for a fourth round pick two years into the future. The Raiders have added a year to Campbell's deal making him a Raider through 2011. Jason Campbell's deal in oakland will pay him $3.14 million this season and $4.5 million in 2011 according to Adam Schefter. What does this mean for JaMarcus Russell and Bruce Gradkowski? Give the reigns to Campbell or a true competition? Time will tell. So who is Jason Campbell? Some scrub that couldn't win in Washington? Not exactly. Cambpbell has improved every year of his NFL career and each year has had a new offensive coordinator. He already gives the Raiders what they want, a 60% completion percentage and 3,000 yard passer. Clearly a great draft for the Raiders. Al Davis reportedly called Kirk Morrison to thank him for his service. Classy move by the old man, Kirk was a fan favorite.

As first reported by Profootballtalk.com Bruce Gradkoski tore his pectoral muscle during the bench press on Wednesday. Gradkowski's agent, Ralph Cindrich, confirmed the injury is to his left pectoral muscle. He will have surgery on Friday and hopes to be ready for camp. How does his injury alter the Raiders plan? Can he still compete for the job with Russell?