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What’s next for Raiders at QB? |
OAKLAND — On a day of immense emotion, the Oakland Raiders suffered a crushing blow that will force them to make a huge decision in the post-Al Davis era. Raiders quarterback Jason Campbell is expected to miss the rest of the season with a broken collarbone. Campbell was injured in the second quarter of the Raiders’ 24-17 win over the Cleveland Browns on Sunday. A source close to the situation said it is unlikely Campbell will return this year. Raiders coach Hue Jackson did not give a timetable for Campbell’s injury, but he sounded like a man who knows he needs to make other quarterback plans. The injury put a damper on what is developing into a very strong season for the Raiders, as well as on a poignant day where the Raiders paid tribute to Davis. Oakland’s owner died Oct. 8 at the age of 82. It was the Raiders’ first home game since Davis’ death. Campbell was one of the Davis’ favorite players and his acquisition in 2010 helped the Raiders begin a revival as they moved away from colossal draft bust JaMarcus Russell. Campbell was making great strides under Jackson and offensive coordinator Al Saunders this season and was the perfect game manager for an offense that features the NFL’s best running game. Now, the Raiders have to quickly figure out what they are going to do. For now, it looks like backup quarterback Kyle Boller will be given the first opportunity to start. The Raiders must decide now if they think Boller is capable of keeping them in contention. Oakland is 4-2 and trails San Diego (4-1) by a half game in the AFC West. The Raiders host Kansas City next week, then have their bye. They then host Denver. So, the Raiders — who are two games over .500 for the first time in nine years — have a manageable next few weeks. Boller was just OK Sunday as the Raiders won on the steam of a kick return for a score by Jacoby Ford, a touchdown pass on a fake field goal from punter Shane Lechler to Kevin Boss and improved defense. Boller was 8 of 14 for 100 yards. He missed badly on some passing attempts. [+] Enlarge
AP Photo/Paul SakumaKyle Boller will likely be given the first opportunity to start at quarterback for the Raiders. Still, Boller is experienced. He has started 46 NFL games, the last coming while with the Rams in 2009. He played under Jackson in Baltimore. Several Raiders receivers said Sunday they will have confidence in Boller if he is their starter. Ford said he will expect to see Boller as the starting quarterback “until I’m told otherwise.” Ford should expect Oakland to consider other options in the next couple of days. This is the first big personnel challenge for the Raiders since Davis’ death. Jackson and Mark Davis — Al Davis’ son — are currently making decisions with input from others including former Raiders employees John Madden, Ron Wolf and Ken Herock. If the Raiders decide to pursue a quarterback outside of the organization who can start, the list probably will begin with David Garrard. He is a free agent who was cut by Jacksonville. He would give the Raiders a veteran presence. But he hasn’t played in six weeks, so there is a rust factor. Perhaps Oakland would consider calling Denver about Kyle Orton, who was replaced by Tim Tebow last week. ESPN’s Chris Mortensen reported Sunday morning that the only way Denver would trade Orton is if a team suffered a major injury and called the Broncos. Would the Broncos deal the free-agent-to-be inside of the division, though? I bet they would. I’m sure the quarterback Jackson would most like is Carson Palmer. He coached him in Cincinnati. Yet, the Bengals have maintained they won’t deal Palmer. The trade deadline is Tuesday. Yahoo is reporting the Raiders are already trying to get Palmer. Of course, there’s another name out there. Yes, Brett Favre. He is 42 and has maintained he is retired. But wouldn’t that be the ultimate tribute to Davis, adding a beaten-up gunslinger to save the season? That scenario is much more of a pipe dream than reality and the Raiders must face reality in this situation. If they stick with Boller, I could see them bringing back Trent Edwards to back up Boller. Boller beat out Edwards for the backup job this summer. The Raiders also probably will try to speed up the developmental of rookie Terrelle Pryor. He is expected to be activated from the roster-exemption list Monday. His five-game NFL suspension ended last Monday. Pryor was expected to be a project. He is still a project, but if other options fail, he could be pressed into action. But he is far from being ready. This major flux at quarterback is definitely not what this team needed. It’s also devastating for Campbell. He fit in well with this team after not succeeding in Washington. Now, the future of Campbell, 29, is up in the air. His contract expires at the end of the season. There were indications that the Raiders could give him a new deal. Now, that is likely on hold. Jackson said Sunday the biggest thing the team will miss is Campbell’s leadership. They also will miss the balance he gave the Raiders’ offense. With Campbell out, teams will key on stopping the running game, which could limit the offense. The ever-optimistic Jackson vowed that his team will “be just fine.” There is a lot to like about this team. But the loss of Campbell certainty casts a cloud over this season. Not much else going on in the NBA world today. Posted in 1, Brett Favre, Cleveland Browns, David Garrard, Jacoby Ford, JaMarcus Russell, Jason Campbell, Kyle Boller, Kyle Orton, Oakland Raiders, raiders-news, Shane Lechler, Tim Tebow | Comments Off
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Quarterback Jason Campbell giving Oakland Raiders fans thrills and chills |
For the better part of a half, Jason Campbell was everything the Raiders wanted in a quarterback. He was patient but decisive, executing the offense when he got the right defensive look but unafraid to use his feet to get out of trouble. Campbell had the Raiders in position to take a 17-14 halftime lead against the New England Patriots until … “No! Jace! What’s he doing?,” coach Hue Jackson shrieked as Campbell’s second-and-goal pass from the 6-yard line went directly to New England safety Patrick Chung for a momentum-altering interception. Jackson, wearing a microphone for an NFL Network feature, was echoing the sentiments of virtually everyone watching the game either on site or on television about the biggest play in a 31-19 loss by the Raiders. It was enough to shake the confidence of fans who had just begun to accept Campbell as the quarterback who could lead the Raiders to the postseason, many of whom never wanted to see Bruce Gradkowski leave town. Campbell’s second interception, when he failed to see 6-foot-2, 325 pound nose tackle Vince Wilfork standing between himself and running back Darren McFadden, caused more doubt. “There was no pressure there, why were you going to the check down?,” Jackson inquired. Campbell said something about a matchup. “It’s not about a matchup there, baby, it’s Cover 2,” Jackson said, indicating there was no need for the dump-off pass against a two-deep zone. Later, Jackson found Campbell and said, “Can’t worry about it. One game. We’ve got to learn from it. You grow from it, you take it, it builds your resolve.” That resolve will be tested Sunday when the Raiders visit the Houston Texans, co-leaders of the AFC South with a 3-1 record. With a quarter of the season in the books, the Raiders will determine over the next several weeks if Campbell is the guy who completed 11 of his first 14 passes before the Chung interception, or the quarterback who went 11 for his next 21. It’s the first bump in the road for Campbell in 2011, having led the Raiders from behind twice in the fourth quarter in a Week 2 loss in Buffalo. Jackson said he is convinced Campbell shook off the mistakes. “That’s not the first interception Jason’s thrown,” Jackson said. “Jason’s a pro. He’s been at this for awhile. It didn’t come up aces for him the other day. He’s going to live to fight another day and he’ll learn from this experience.” Offensive coordinator Al Saunders thinks any effect the interceptions had on Campbell this week was positive. “I know one thing. He’s had two of his best days of practice,” Saunders said. “I know he’s excited to play the next game.” Campbell knows how it works. The two interceptions are all that matters, overshadowing an otherwise big statistical day (25-for-39, 344 yards). “You feel like you played a good game and then you lookat one or two throws you wish you had back that changed the whole complexion,” Campbell said. “The interception in the end zone, I wasn’t trying to throw it. The one (Wilfork) ended up getting, our line was blocking him and he just ended up falling into our checkoff. You put it behind you and move forward.” Unlike last season, when Gradkowski was openly competing to be the starter, Campbell is secure in the knowledge that it is his team. Kyle Boller will be the backup and Terrelle Pryor doesn’t join the roster until next week, at which time he will begin what will likely be an 11-game internship. Campbell, 29, is a team captain and has taken a leadership role of a young receiving corps, the oldest of whom is 27-year-old Derek Hagan. On the Chung interception, Campbell thought Heyward-Bey, tangled with a defender, would flash toward the middle of the end zone. Instead, he pivoted and ran to the corner. “You definitely have to be patient. You have to talk more to them,” Campbell said. “At the same time, I’m like a big brother to them. So my role has changed tremendously. It’s about communication, us staying on the same page. That’s why we meet together so we have a feel for what we see on the field.” Feel free to leave your comments below. Posted in 1, Bruce Gradkowski, Darren McFadden, Houston Texans, Jason Campbell, Kyle Boller, raiders-news, Vince Wilfork | Comments Off
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Oakland Raiders quarterback Jason Campbell not up to challenge against Patriots |
Jason Campbell got his chance to duel Tom Brady, and to carry the Raiders on his shoulders Sunday. Campbell failed, the Raiders lost, and there is no soft or consoling way to put that, for Campbell or the Raiders. Is it fair to measure Campbell against the best quarterback in the league, when so many other factors led to the Patriots’ 31-19 victory over the Raiders at O.co Coliseum? Maybe not so fair. So it goes. At its most elemental point, this game was about the quarterbacks — Brady held New England together, and Campbell helped break the Raiders apart. The Raiders could have won if Campbell had played better, and have to wonder if Campbell is the QB who can lead them into the playoffs or beyond. The Patriots won because Brady played the way he always plays. Not fair. But true. ”I started out fast, came out ready to play,” Campbell said calmly, standing in front of his locker after the game. “Unfortunately, I made a bone-headed mistake on the interception. ”That cost us. That’s something I don’t usually do. From that point on, I think it kind of stemmed the momentum … ”It changes the whole game, it changes the whole mindset.” He’s right. And instead of having a shot to go 3-1 and join the AFC elite, the Raiders fell to 2-2, back in the muddle again. There’s no question that the Raiders have a lot of things working right for them, from tailback Darren McFadden to their young receivers to their physical defensive line. But how far can they go if their quarterback goes haywire every now and again at the most crucial times? On Sunday, we saw exactly how far: Deep into the first half, until the mistake is made. The “bone-headed” play came late in the second quarter, when the Raiders were ready to score a touchdown that would’ve put them back ahead of New England in a seesaw tilt. On second-and-goal from the 6-yard line, Campbell had plenty of time, saw nobody, moved around, then was ready to fire the ball safely out of play. But when Campbell saw receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey flashing along the back of the end zone, the QB flinched in the middle of his throw, which caused it to flutter directly to New England safety Patrick Chung for a huge interception. From there, Brady immediately raced New England downfield for a field goal to put New England ahead 17-10 going into halftime. The Raiders never reversed the momentum from there. All by itself, the Campbell interception didn’t decide the game. But it did change everything. ”I think he played OK,” Raiders coach Hue Jackson said of Campbell, who threw for 344 yards on the day. “He did some good things. But there’s some things he wishes he could have had back, I think we all know that.” Campbell threw another interception in the second half — a dump-off right into the arms of defensive tackle Vince Wilfork — and ended up with a mediocre 79.4 passer rating. Flat out: Campbell wasn’t good enough in this game. Nobody expected Campbell to outplay Brady. But, with New England’s defense committing to stop McFadden, Campbell had to at least be efficient in this game. He didn’t have to match Brady pass for pass. But Campbell had to come close, which did not happen. ”Their good football players played great,” Jackson said. “Tom Brady (and) Wes Welker played well, and that’s what you’ve got to do. ”We have to rise up. When we get to the point where we’re going to get — and we’ll get there — then our great players will play very good, very consistent throughout the whole game.” Obviously, this was an extreme case for Campbell, who played well in the first three games of the season. Plus, the Raiders don’t have another option at QB, anyway. That’s the way they’ve set this up. They’ve got enough firepower elsewhere to win a lot of games, as they won last Sunday against the Jets. But when it comes to the biggest ones, it will be on Campbell. He can throw the right pass 20 times in a row. But the wrong pass, at the wrong time, ruins everything. ”We felt like we’re a really good offense, we could match (the Patriots) if it came to that, we could go point for point with them,” Campbell said. “One mistake like that (end zone interception) kind of throws you out of it.” He can’t throw that interception. He can’t. But he did. That doesn’t make Campbell a bad QB. Just not good enough, though. Read Tim Kawakami’s Talking Points blog at blogs.mercurynews.com/kawakami. Contact him at tkawakami@mercurynews.com or 408-920-5442. That’s all for today. Posted in 1, Darrius Heyward-Bey, Jason Campbell, raiders-news, Tom Brady, Vince Wilfork | Comments Off
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No mistake: Raiders can’t hang with Pats |
OAKLAND – The Oakland Raiders’ loss to the New England Patriots isn’t devastating in the grand scope of the season.
Oakland is now 2-2 and trails San Diego by one game in the AFC West. Not being ready to hang with Tom Brady and friends is not the end of the world for a program that is growing early in the season. The Raiders still can be good in 2011. But what the 31-19 loss to the Patriots did show the Raiders is they are not yet ready to be considered a top AFC team. They can get there and now know exactly what they have to do to take the next step. They must play better defense, they most stop the self-destructive penalties and quarterback Jason Campbell has to play mistake-free. All three areas were major issues for Oakland in a game where it simply couldn’t keep up with a better team. “We just didn’t play well,” Oakland coach Hue Jackson said. “That’s the way it is.” New England’s offense moved the ball at will. Brady, who was more efficient than electric Sunday, threw for 226 yards and the Patriots ran for 183 yards. New England spark-plug receiver Wes Welker picked on a young, hurt secondary as he caught nine passes for 158 yards. The Raiders have now allowed 113 points in the first quarter of the season. Oakland helped the Patriots by committing nine penalties for 85 yards. The Raiders, who have been the most penalized team in the league in recent years, have committed at least seven penalties in each game this season. Campbell endured his first poor game of the season even though he passed for 344 yards. Campbell, who has been efficient, threw two terrible interceptions. An interception in the second quarter in the end zone by New England safety Patrick Chung was the turning point of the game. Campbell threw the ball right at Chung. “I don’t make those kind of mistakes,” Campbell said. “As soon as a I threw it, I said, ‘Oh shoot, I hope he drops it.’” It wasn’t dropped. However, Oakland did drop an opportunity to show the Patriots and the rest of the conference it is ready to make a serious run at the playoffs for the first time in nine years. Oakland came roaring into this game off the glow of a tremendous win over the New York Jets last week at home. The Raiders were opportunistic and authoritative in that game. They dictated the game. That never happened Sunday. Oakland knows it has shoring up to do. The mood in the Oakland locker room after Sunday’s game was as it should have been. It was quiet, but there was not an air of despair. The Raiders know they were outplayed Sunday and they know their mistakes were too plentiful. But they aren’t packing in it because of a loss on October 2. “One game doesn’t change a season, but we do need to play better,” said Oakland defensive end Richard Seymour, who was clearly fired up to play the team that traded him two years ago. Seymour committed two 15-yard penalties on the Raiders’ first defensive drive. He added another 5-yard penalty later. “They outplayed us. We couldn’t make enough plays. But we can fix those things,” Seymour said. Oakland’s most urgent issue to address is the defense. There are talented players on this unit, however, it continues to get gutted in both the run and passing game. If Oakland’s stellar defensive line doesn’t harass the quarterback, the Raiders’ defense fails. Brady was sacked just once and he was hit just four times Sunday. [+] Enlarge
Cary Edmondson/US PresswireJason Campbell had his worst game of the season in a loss to the New England Patriots. New England kept Oakland off balance because it passed and ran the ball so well. According to ESPN Stats & Information, the Patriots ran for 174 yards on 21 carries (an average of 8.3 yards per carry) when the Raiders played seven or fewer defenders in the box. The Raiders entered the game allowing 6.6 yards per carry in those situations, which led the league. Oakland was no better against the pass. They had no answer for Welker. This secondary has been picked on all season. Opponents — beginning at potent Houston next week — will continue to peck away Oakland’s secondary until the Raiders prove they can make stops defensively. Jackson and defensive coordinator Chuck Bresnahan have a lot of work to do, or the Raiders will simply have to outscore opponents all season. Campbell wasn’t up to that task Sunday. Once the Patriots started taking control in the third quarter, it was evident the Raiders couldn’t keep up. According to ESPN Stats & Information, Oakland sputtered deep in New England territory. Campbell completed just 54.5 percent of his passes inside the Patriots’ 35-yard line. He completed 67.9 percent of those passes outside New England’s 35. “We’ll learn from this game,” Campbell said. “That’s the good thing.” This game will provide plenty of coaching points for Jackson and his staff this week. These Raiders now know what they can’t get away with against the NFL’s elite teams. Comment Below!. Posted in 1, Jason Campbell, New York Jets, Oakland Raiders, raiders-news, Richard Seymour, Tom Brady | Comments Off
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Campbell has key INT, Raiders lose 31-19 to Pats |
AP Photo/Ben Margot Oakland Raiders quarterback Jason Campbell watches the fourth quarter of their NFL football game against the New England Patriots, Sunday, Oct. 2, 2011, in Oakland, Calif. New England won 31-19. Jason Campbell looked left, then right, stepped up, pulled back and finally chose to loft a perfect strike to a wide-open Patrick Chung waiting in the back of the end zone. Feel free to leave your comments below. Posted in 1, Darren McFadden, Jason Campbell, Oakland Raiders, raiders-news, Richard Seymour, Tom Brady, Vince Wilfork | Comments Off
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