Jason Campbell officially replaced by Bruce Gradkowski (1 Viewer)

[Joe Summer]

So, Jason Campbell supposedly beats out Gradkowski over the course of 2 months of training camps and preseason games............and suddenly after 1 1/2 games the Raiders decide that Gradkowski is the better option after all?!

 

[Short Corner]

So, Jason Campbell supposedly beats out Gradkowski over the course of 2 months of training camps and preseason games............and suddenly after 1 1/2 games the Raiders decide that Gradkowski is the better option after all?!

To what degree did he beat him out?It is also possible that the Raiders were seeing that JC is at his best between the final whistle and the coin flip.

 

[Donsmith753]

Was Gradkowski not injured in TC and that could be why they brought in Campbell?

 

[Raiderfan32904]

I am a die-hard Skins fan, and for years we have had to deal with the lower-ended mediocrity that is Jason Campbell. First off, he should not have gone in the first round, not to mention trading up and giving 3 other picks to get him there. I think the organization felt since we paid that much for him, we needed to squeeze all the value we could out of him. It just wasn't there, though.

The guy would give up on deeper routes and check down. I can't recall how many times I saw Moss throwing up his hands when he had three steps on a DB.

He only exceedingly rarely could make things happen when a play broke down. Most QB's might try a pump fake, a scramble to open something up, this is not something you would see with Campbell.

His pocket awareness and awareness of the blitz is atrocious. So many fumbles came that just a simple step up into the pocket would have prevented.

Rodney Harrison even said that defenses do not fear him

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/dcsportsb...s_jason_ca.html

Campbell has a great arm, and all the physical tools, but the bottom line, he doesn't have "it". He doesn't have that fire in him to want the game to fall on his shoulders. I see it in top QB's like Brees and Rivers. I saw it in players like Jeff Garcia, who didn't have the strength that Campbell has, but he was a leader. I see it with Grads. A QB has to know when there are 3 minutes to go in the game, if the team is down, that he can lead the team to victory. Campbell just does not have that.

If you are a Raider's fan, be glad this was seen sooner, rather than later. Campbell was 20-32 as a Redskin. He might have compiled decent stats, but stats don't mean crap if you are sitting at home with a 4-12 record in December.

Thanks for feedback. Throughout the process of acquiring Campbell, I had heard from some Skins fans pretty much what you said. At first, I thought it was more Raider “hate”. But I couldn’t see why the Redskins fans could hate Raider fans. Super Bowl 14 was upteen years ago, so it couldn’t be that. When enough common opinions came from the Washington fan base, it did concern me, but I figured Campbell just needed a new start.I was high as a kite when we traded for him for 2012 4th round draft pick. Remember, at the time…we still had JaMarcus on our roster as our starter. He was out of shape and partying in Las Vegas half the time with an assigned Raiders scout. Gradkowski was training his butt off and ready to step up and be the Raiders starting QB. That’s what all Raiders fans wanted. That and getting JaMarcus and his $6.5 million contract off the team. But we all knew that Al Davis was stubborn. He wasn’t going to admit to making such an egregious error.

But things changed when Gradkowski hurt his pectoral muscle doing too much weightlifting in the offseason. He was at that time expected to be out for all of training camp, and who knew his status for the regular season. Suddenly, the Raiders were left with Russell, and Charlie Frye. Remember, the Skins called the Raiders to gauge their interest in Jason Campbell, and not the Raiders. That happened in the wake of the Raiders actively recruiting and losing out on acquiring Donovan McNabb. It seemed fishy that a coach with such bad blood for the Raiders like Washington Redskins coach Mike Shanahan would do any favors for Oakland. That should have been a warning signal.

But Campbell got off the plane and went right to work with new offensive coordinator Hue Jackson. The relationship was extremely professional. Gone were the paid Raiders lackeys following the starting QB around clubs in the wee hours of the morning. Gone were the loud fur coats and trashy jewelry and blank stares. In was the work ethic of Jason Campbell, who has worked very hard to be the starting QB, right from jump street. He worked with fellow gym rat and football nerd Charlie Frye during training camp, and the team really started to improve.

The first major improvement was to Darius Heyward Bey. After his tumultuous rookie year, with about as many catches as drops, he had a tremendous series of OTAs and training camp practices. The efficiency and marksmanship of Jason Campbell was thought to be at least in part responsible. But these were not game conditions. In reality, Campbell looked good because it’s difficult not to when compared to Russell. The Raiders for their part, anointed Campbell the starter before training camp, and that were to try to give Campbell some confidence in his 6th system in 6 years. It was slap in the face of the hardworking, overachieving Gradkowski. But none of us knew the extent of his injury. It was assumed that he’d be out awhile and Campbell was our fresh, new toy.

The preseason saw Campbell at least lead the way with a yeoman-like performance as he led the team by example. So when Gradkowski came back, it was assumed that he’d take his place on the bench and wait and be a backup. But every time that Gradkowski came on the field, you could see the ball go downfield with so much ease. For comparison, both Campbell and Gradkowski had QB ratings over 100 in the 3rd preseason game against the 49ers. But it was Gradkowski that threw an electrifying perfect pass to Louis Murphy for a 74 yard bomb that gave us a signal of things to come. That was the game that let the Raiders know that he was more than ready to be the starting quarterback. At the time, I thought it was nice to have a good backup.

But after seeing Campbell’s slow, plodding decision making, and his happy feet in the pocket, I pined for Gradkowski. The Titans were the better team on week 1, no doubt, but a Gradkowski led Raiders would have made this a game, I am sure of it. And the coaching staff saw this too.

After watching another pathetic first half performance against the Rams, it seemed the Raiders could now gauge themselves as being on par with the worst teams of the NFL. It was time to take out the brown paper sacks and cut out the eye holes.

But Tom Cable shook up the team at halftime and made the necessary adjustments and put in Gradkowski to start the 2nd half. Immediately the Raiders took on another personality, and seemed to play up to their speed. I don’t know if Al Davis endorsed this move, but in the end it probably saved his job.

It’s a tough call, but switching to Gradkowski is the right call and will likely save the Raiders season.

 

[a_rackowski]

Can Campbell be traded? Buffalo should have been in on him from day one.

 

[Slevin Kelevra]

Can Campbell be traded? Buffalo should have been in on him from day one.

LOLCampbell is no better than Edwards/Fitzpatric & co.

 

[Nightly Mistake]

I am a die-hard Skins fan, and for years we have had to deal with the lower-ended mediocrity that is Jason Campbell. First off, he should not have gone in the first round, not to mention trading up and giving 3 other picks to get him there. I think the organization felt since we paid that much for him, we needed to squeeze all the value we could out of him. It just wasn't there, though.

The guy would give up on deeper routes and check down. I can't recall how many times I saw Moss throwing up his hands when he had three steps on a DB.

He only exceedingly rarely could make things happen when a play broke down. Most QB's might try a pump fake, a scramble to open something up, this is not something you would see with Campbell.

His pocket awareness and awareness of the blitz is atrocious. So many fumbles came that just a simple step up into the pocket would have prevented.

Rodney Harrison even said that defenses do not fear him

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/dcsportsb...s_jason_ca.html

Campbell has a great arm, and all the physical tools, but the bottom line, he doesn't have "it". He doesn't have that fire in him to want the game to fall on his shoulders. I see it in top QB's like Brees and Rivers. I saw it in players like Jeff Garcia, who didn't have the strength that Campbell has, but he was a leader. I see it with Grads. A QB has to know when there are 3 minutes to go in the game, if the team is down, that he can lead the team to victory. Campbell just does not have that.

If you are a Raider's fan, be glad this was seen sooner, rather than later. Campbell was 20-32 as a Redskin. He might have compiled decent stats, but stats don't mean crap if you are sitting at home with a 4-12 record in December.

Thanks for feedback. Throughout the process of acquiring Campbell, I had heard from some Skins fans pretty much what you said. At first, I thought it was more Raider “hate”. But I couldn’t see why the Redskins fans could hate Raider fans. Super Bowl 14 was upteen years ago, so it couldn’t be that. When enough common opinions came from the Washington fan base, it did concern me, but I figured Campbell just needed a new start.I was high as a kite when we traded for him for 2012 4th round draft pick. Remember, at the time…we still had JaMarcus on our roster as our starter. He was out of shape and partying in Las Vegas half the time with an assigned Raiders scout. Gradkowski was training his butt off and ready to step up and be the Raiders starting QB. That’s what all Raiders fans wanted. That and getting JaMarcus and his $6.5 million contract off the team. But we all knew that Al Davis was stubborn. He wasn’t going to admit to making such an egregious error.

But things changed when Gradkowski hurt his pectoral muscle doing too much weightlifting in the offseason. He was at that time expected to be out for all of training camp, and who knew his status for the regular season. Suddenly, the Raiders were left with Russell, and Charlie Frye. Remember, the Skins called the Raiders to gauge their interest in Jason Campbell, and not the Raiders. That happened in the wake of the Raiders actively recruiting and losing out on acquiring Donovan McNabb. It seemed fishy that a coach with such bad blood for the Raiders like Washington Redskins coach Mike Shanahan would do any favors for Oakland. That should have been a warning signal.

But Campbell got off the plane and went right to work with new offensive coordinator Hue Jackson. The relationship was extremely professional. Gone were the paid Raiders lackeys following the starting QB around clubs in the wee hours of the morning. Gone were the loud fur coats and trashy jewelry and blank stares. In was the work ethic of Jason Campbell, who has worked very hard to be the starting QB, right from jump street. He worked with fellow gym rat and football nerd Charlie Frye during training camp, and the team really started to improve.

The first major improvement was to Darius Heyward Bey. After his tumultuous rookie year, with about as many catches as drops, he had a tremendous series of OTAs and training camp practices. The efficiency and marksmanship of Jason Campbell was thought to be at least in part responsible. But these were not game conditions. In reality, Campbell looked good because it’s difficult not to when compared to Russell. The Raiders for their part, anointed Campbell the starter before training camp, and that were to try to give Campbell some confidence in his 6th system in 6 years. It was slap in the face of the hardworking, overachieving Gradkowski. But none of us knew the extent of his injury. It was assumed that he’d be out awhile and Campbell was our fresh, new toy.

The preseason saw Campbell at least lead the way with a yeoman-like performance as he led the team by example. So when Gradkowski came back, it was assumed that he’d take his place on the bench and wait and be a backup. But every time that Gradkowski came on the field, you could see the ball go downfield with so much ease. For comparison, both Campbell and Gradkowski had QB ratings over 100 in the 3rd preseason game against the 49ers. But it was Gradkowski that threw an electrifying perfect pass to Louis Murphy for a 74 yard bomb that gave us a signal of things to come. That was the game that let the Raiders know that he was more than ready to be the starting quarterback. At the time, I thought it was nice to have a good backup.

But after seeing Campbell’s slow, plodding decision making, and his happy feet in the pocket, I pined for Gradkowski. The Titans were the better team on week 1, no doubt, but a Gradkowski led Raiders would have made this a game, I am sure of it. And the coaching staff saw this too.

After watching another pathetic first half performance against the Rams, it seemed the Raiders could now gauge themselves as being on par with the worst teams of the NFL. It was time to take out the brown paper sacks and cut out the eye holes.

But Tom Cable shook up the team at halftime and made the necessary adjustments and put in Gradkowski to start the 2nd half. Immediately the Raiders took on another personality, and seemed to play up to their speed. I don’t know if Al Davis endorsed this move, but in the end it probably saved his job.

It’s a tough call, but switching to Gradkowski is the right call and will likely save the Raiders season.

On a personal level, Campbell is an easy guy to like and root for, particularly after your experience with Jamarcus. Campbell's a humble guy, hard worker and good teammate. You can't criticize him on a personal level for anything off-field or in the locker room. Some of these things, such as being mild mannered, may work against him as a QB and team leader. He's also physically tough - he took an absolute beating last year and kept getting up and didn't really complain - though I'm wondering whether he's now more jittery because of that experience.

He is what he is. I like him and hope he succeeds, but if he doesn't it won't be a mystery why.

 

[fatness]

This is what the linked article says today. Campbell has not been demoted to #3.

Cable said he’d address the issue again Wednesday and talked up the quarterback depth that also includes No. 3 quarterback Kyle Boller.

LinkSomeone nailed it earlier in the thread.

I hope and expect Gradkowski to be named the starter but in regards to this article it seems to be a typo. I think McDonald meant Kyle Boller not Jason Campbell as the #3.

 

[Raiderfan32904]

On a personal level, Campbell is an easy guy to like and root for, particularly after your experience with Jamarcus. Campbell's a humble guy, hard worker and good teammate. You can't criticize him on a personal level for anything off-field or in the locker room. Some of these things, such as being mild mannered, may work against him as a QB and team leader. He's also physically tough - he took an absolute beating last year and kept getting up and didn't really complain - though I'm wondering whether he's now more jittery because of that experience. He is what he is. I like him and hope he succeeds, but if he doesn't it won't be a mystery why.

I like Campbell too. He is a nice guy, and hard worker. With the pourous offensive line having issues protecting the QB, I wouldn't be surprised if the Raiders need him soon. I think he should be the #2 QB though. We need this guy more than most realize.

 

[netnalp]

Can Campbell be traded? Buffalo should have been in on him from day one.

If buffalo were to trade for a QB, I'd rather see them give Josh Johnson a shot.

 

[Dr. Octopus]

Just seems like a rash decision to make all of the sudden.

Are there any other ways to make a rash decision?

 

[Clifford]

i dont know. i find it strange they would demote him to 3rd string. Even stranger that they benched him after 1.5 games under center. Gradkowski's stats weren't spectacular. I think you at least give Campbell another half of play to see if he can rally. Just seems like a rash decision to make all of the sudden.

This move really surprises me, even from the Raiders.

 

[Da Guru]

Wow. Was he not studying the playbook or practicing well enough?

I think it was because he was not playing well enough.The Raiders did not need Campell. They were a much different and much better team with Polish Rifle II last year. They guy deserves a shot.

 

[Nightly Mistake]

i dont know. i find it strange they would demote him to 3rd string. Even stranger that they benched him after 1.5 games under center. Gradkowski's stats weren't spectacular. I think you at least give Campbell another half of play to see if he can rally. Just seems like a rash decision to make all of the sudden.

This move really surprises me, even from the Raiders.

Now imagine you have the job security of Tom Cable.

 

[norgay]

I wasnt dismissing anyone out of indifference, and I wasnt slamming Campbell. I was merely responding to a post that said that Gradkowski showed last year why he deserved the #1 spot.

If anything, my thought is that if you thought you had a huge void at the position so you brought in a guy to address that void, and he then impressed you enough to land the starting job, then he probably deserves more than 6 quarters before turning it over to the next guy on the list.

No, I wasn't talking about your comments. They are fair questions. But you can't go and throw away the season when it is obvious that it is getting away from you.This is Grads team, and the entire team feels his presense. He has that "it" factor that JC just never had.

Fair enough. But then why wasn't this clear enough after last year that they felt they needed to bring someone else in as QB1. Not trying to be difficult, just trying to understand why now it's clear that Grads has the "it" factor but it wasn't clear after his play last season. Has he improved that much the past 6 months?

Gradkowski showed last year why he deserved the #1 spot. -- I know this was not your statement, but it puts things in context for me trying to answer your questions. I think relativity matters when discussing Gradkowski.Gradkowski showed he deserved the #1 spot *only* in comparison to JaMarcus Russell, who was one of the more abysmal starting QBs to waddle into the league in a while. It's not as if Grads showed he had the ability to be a consistent #1 starting QB in the NFL.

...why now it's clear that Grads has the "it" factor but it wasn't clear after his play last season?

What was consistent between last year's Gradkowski and this year's Gradkowski is that he provided the team with a little spark -- the team seemed to play "up" around him rather than the QB ahead of him on the depth chart. But again, this is relative -- it's not as if the Raiders changed from, say, the farting, undisciplined apathetic Wildcats to the highly oiled, Wesley Snipes-inspired Wildcats who destroyed their uppity gridiron rival Prescott.

I think it's overstating it that Gradkowski has an "it" factor. Rather, it's more that he simply seems to lead this team on the field with a little more heart and inspiration than Campbell has so far.

But then why wasn't this clear enough after last year that they felt they needed to bring someone else in as QB1?

The players may have responded to Gradkowski last year, but not in a way any NFL owner or coach would have confidence simply handing the keys over to him as the unquestioned starter for the next season. I'm glad the Raiders went out to find a better talent at QB. At the time, Campbell seemed perfect -- a guy with a decent arm and durability, who has faced myriad offensive schemes installed every year in Washington, such that he seemed he could handle the change to yet another system fairly well.

As others said well in this thread, Campbell wasn't Montana, but at the very least he was a middle-of-the-road NFL starting QB -- something the Raiders didn't have last year (and, I'd argue, even this year) in Gradkowski.

...he probably deserves more than 6 quarters before turning it over to the next guy on the list.

I think this is very valid. A switch this fast into the season is specious, and points out a variety of things -- that the Raiders are trying to find a way to win any way they can, even if it comes to desperate measures. That Cable may be trying to shake things out any way he can before he himself is shaken out of the organization. That the entire offense is in disarray and may just need to be turned on its head.

Time will tell what happens. I agree it's too early to just give up on Campbell, and I think he can still make for a decent QB with the right supporting cast, on the Raiders, or elsewhere.

But truth be told, if starting Gradkowski gets the Raiders up for games, nets more wins than they otherwise would have, then I'm all for it. Lord knows I've been watching this team lose ugly -- and win ugly the few games they actually manage to pull it off -- for long enough for a desperate experiment like Gradkowski to be a welcome one.

Good answers. Thanks.

 

[comet909]

Bump LM, DHB, DMC, JLH, etc....This is awesome news!But I am not ready to throw Campbell away. We really do need him as a backup. Grads health will be precarious.

Sorry but JLH?Never mind - got it - Jonnie Lee Higgins.

or Jennifer Love Hewitt

I'll bump her to.

 

[Raiderfan32904]

for title/original topic start change

 

[Raiderfan32904]

NFL Network’s Jason La Canfora reports that the Raiders will start Bruce Gradkowski in Week 3 against Arizona.

Source: Jason La Canfora on Twitter

 

[Raiderfan32904]

Gradkowski won’t have a long leash (Al Davis is a Campbell backer), but he’s worth grabbing in two-QB leagues and as a low-end QB2 in standard settings. Despite limited talent, Gradkowski has mastered the Oakland system and gives the Raiders their best chance to move the ball. His insertion is also good news for Louis Murphy and Zach Miller. Gradkowski gets a favorable Week 3 matchup against a Cardinals defense that allowed three Matt Ryan TDs last Sunday.

 

[TommyGilmore]

Campbell = Billy Martin

Gradkowski = Lou Piniella

Boller = Yogi Berra

 

[Casting Couch]

Is Campbell now a cut in all dynasty leagues, or should he be considered a stash ahead of Gradkowski in dyno leagues ?

 

[TankRizzo]

It Tom Cable a game and a half to figure this out, something that took the Redskins 4 years to do.

Great guy, just lacks the desire, leadership and the ability to pull the trigger on throwing the ball.