Bruce

Gradkowski

The terms provided by FOX are almost exactly what Tampa Bay gave Chris Simms, so this now looks likely to be a fierce training camp battle that may very well lead to a quarterback controversy. But Garcia and Jon Gruden have long been mutual admirers and Garcia has enjoyed most of his success in a West Coast offense, so it’s possible he’ll be a top-20 fantasy QB if he wins the job. Garcia’s signing makes it more likely Tampa will target Calvin Johnson or defensive help in the draft rather than considering JaMarcus Russell or Brady Quinn.

Considering Al Davis’ usual M.O., it certainly wouldn’t come as a surprise if certain employees were left in the dark. Davis tends to make bold, aggressive moves, so an interest in McNabb would suit his style. The 49ers could take a page from his book, as a McNabb trade is exactly what they need. Coach Mike Singletary conceded as much Wednesday, saying “there’s always interest” in a QB of McNabb’s caliber.

A third-stringer in Minnesota, Rosenfels would be a significant upgrade in Oakland over JaMarcus Russell and Bruce Gradkowski. According to Lombardi -- a former Raiders personnel man with close ties to Al Davis -- the Vikings will only trade Rosenfels if they are certain Brett Favre is coming back. Rosenfels could be a fallback plan if Oakland misses out on Donovan McNabb.

Boller is a local product, playing his college ball nearby at Cal. He also has a history with new offensive coordinator Hue Jackson from their time together in Baltimore. We’d like to say that Boller has no shot to start, but when the competition is Bruce Gradkowski and JaMarcus Russell, it’s entirely possible. Charlie Frye’s roster spot could be in jeopardy.

“We’ve got some issues,” said Cable in Wednesday’s conference call with Denver reporters. “So, I don’t really know when we’ll have something definitive, hopefully tomorrow, but today we’ll learn a lot, so we’ll see.” Jason Campbell will test his knee in Wednesday’s practice, and Bruce Gradkowski will do the same with his throwing shoulder. If neither shows significant improvement, Kyle Boller will likely draw the start against the Broncos.

The San Francisco Chronicle also seconds a report that JaMarcus Russell is likely to be released before next week’s minicamp. The Raiders are already on the hook for $3M to Russell this year, and $6.5M more becomes guaranteed if he gets injured in practice. Campbell will begin picking up Jackson’s offense this week as he plays for his ninth coordinator in ten years going back to Auburn. Bruce Gradkowski will be the backup in 2010.

This is more like it. Campbell and Bruce Gradkowski may split preseason reps, but Campbell blows Gradkowski out of the water in every area in terms of talent, save perhaps straight line speed (Gradkowski runs sub-4.5). The Raiders also run a hybrid West Coast/vertical offense. Campbell learned just about every system known to man during his five years in Washington.

Bruce Gradkowski (shoulder) is “encouraged by his improvement” and will throw some in Wednesday’s practice, but the Raiders aren’t going to sit Campbell when he’s posted passer ratings of 120 or better while engineering back-to-back wins. Gradkowski might be able to return to the lineup after Oakland’s Week 10 bye. Campbell is a safe bet to start versus Kansas City.

It was the only logical decision. Bruce Gradkowski (shoulder) still can’t make all of the throws, and Campbell has been taking all of the starting reps in practice. Campbell has averaged 10.9 yards per attempt over the past two weeks while directing the offense to back-to-back 500-yard games for the first time in franchise history. With Louis Murphy (lung) out and Zach Miller (foot) hurting, Campbell is still just a low-end QB2 candidate.

Cable praised Campbell’s “leadership and professionalism,” and says the “guys have responded to that.” Bruce Gradkowski is the favorite for backup duties. Campbell is easily Oakland’s best option, but he’ll be hard pressed for better than low-end QB2 fantasy value. The 2010 Rotoworld Draft Guide projects him to just barely top 3,000 yards, with a 15:10 TD-to-INT ratio.