Oakland Raiders Bench Campbell, Bruce Gradkowski To Start At QB

Added on Sep 23, 2010 by Jason Kearney in

NFL

The Oakland Raiders acquired former Washington Redskins’ starter Jason Campbell in the hope they could put the Jamarcus Russell debacle behind them. Instead, they’re essentially back where they were before he joined the team. On Wednesday, Oakland coach Tom Cable announced that Jason Campbell was no longer the starting quarterback and had been replaced by Bruce Gradkowski. Basically, the decision made permanent the move Cable made in the second half of last Sunday’s game against the St. Louis Rams which was eventually won by the Raiders 16-14.

In announcing the decision Cable stressed the improved energy of the team with Gradkowski at the controls:

“The reasons are pretty simple. First and foremost is the energy and the level of intensity that was brought into the huddle when he came into the game. The way the guys responded around him. And obviously scoring points. … That’s what we’re about. If we can get this thing to where we can score 24 points a game, I think we’ll be very tough to beat.”

Cable conferred with his coaching staff early this week and sought their input on the move:

“When we did it, obviously it was the right decision, it worked, and then as we talked about it here the last couple of days and came to a decision this morning. Again, we’ve made it and there’s no issues or controversies or anything like that. The decision’s been made.”

He said that at the end of the day Gradkowski was simply more effective in an identical game situation:

“The thing that stood out to me, is the same people, same day, same defense, same opponent, same people in the huddle with you, didn’t change the plan, and yet we were able to go out and move the ball and score some points. He’ll go in there and do the job. It’s his now. Where we go from here, obviously, will be decided by how well he plays.”

Offensive coordinator Hue Jackson (not to be confused with Australian actor Hugh Jackman) was asked about the impact of the decision on Campbell. He responded with his own version of a ‘there’s no crying in football’ speech:

“We’re all grown men. We’re all big boys here. Obviously, people get discouraged, get disappointed. I understand that. I get discouraged and disappointed, too, but the bottom line is, there’s a job to be done. There’s a job to be done and the job has to be done to the best of our ability.”

Cable would not make Raiders’ players available for comment on the move. He also stressed that team owner Al Davis–who compared Campbell to Raiders’ great Jim Plunkett before the season began–was not involved with the decision. Campbell is under contract through the 2011 season.