Reports indicate that the Silver & Black re-signed Kyle Boller before last Thursday’s deadline.

Hue Jackson, Oakland’s first year head coach, had Boller while in Baltimore and on the depth chart in 2010 behind Jason Campbell and Bruce Gradkowski. The reported $1.25 million deal likely means the end of Gradkowski, who was tendered in March of 2010 and was paid more than $1.7 million last season.

Boller appeared in five games last year, mostly in emergency duty.

With Campbell locked in as the starter and the amount of money being forked over to Boller, the Raiders may either go with staff favorite Charlie Frye as the third stringer, draft a project passer or bring in a veteran to fill the back-end of the depth chart.

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Contact Author: Victor Cotto – SB Report Columnist

That should not be such a surprise considering that the fiery passer is fragile and when he was injured, Jason Campbell played his best football, with no looming controversy.

Gradkowski hypes up an offense, players love to be in the same huddle with the career back up, but facts are, he probably feels he deserves a shot to start in Oakland, even though the team won the majority of their games with Campbell.

There is no denying his effort on and off the field. But that same tenacity plays with has been his downfall. Gradkowski plays recklessly, and that fires up a team and crowd. But with that reckless style comes injuries that far too often sideline the fragile passer.

Plus, it doesn’t help that the owner doesn’t see him as a long-term solution and possibly, a player who is living off his memorable comeback victory in Pittsburgh, two seasons ago.

“I also realized that as good as Gradkowski is for a single game, we can’t hold up the injury factor from happening,” Al Davis stated in January. “He incurs injuries, and that worries the hell out of me.”

Not that Campbell needs any more assurances, but Gradkowski being out of the picture could help the former Redskin take a grasp of the locker room, the offense and lead them, undoubtedly.

Davis was the one who brought in Campbell. It was Davis that compared him to Jim Plunkett and it was Davis that extended him an extra year last April.

Hue Jackson stated at the combine: “I am looking forward to Jason leading our offensive football team to winning this AFC West championship and the playoffs. Jason Campbell came in last year and, in my opinion, did a tremendous job.”

So both owner and coach want to go full steam ahead with Campbell. The next move in making him feel this is his team was letting Gradkowski walk away.

Could Gradkowski return, with the staff clearly stating his role as a back up and him accepting it? Possibly.

But the likely scenario could be drafting a passer in April, and then letting Charlie Frye and Kyle Boller compete for the back up job.

Oakland could also get a veteran passer with clear intentions to place him behind Campbell and go with Frye, Boller a draftee at the back-end of the depth chart.

Frye is a favorite of the staff, a coach in the making and was the ultimate soldier after being placed on injured reserve.

SATELE TENDERIZED

Samson Satele was reportedly tendered prior to Thursday’s deadline.

The speculation is that he was given a second-round tender.

The center played well as the season wound down. Oakland could not risk losing many of their linemen and then starting anew in 2011 with a bunch of youngsters all over the front.

Satele could bring back some cohesion and stability to a unit that will likely feature Jared Veldheer and Bruce Campbell at a guard spot, with Robert Gallery looking to sign elsewhere.

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Contact Author: Victor Cotto – SB Report Columnist

The fiery passer, who was injured late in the closing minutes of the Oakland Raiders 33-17 loss to Miami, aggravated his right shoulder, sustained initially against the Arizona Cardinals in week-three.

“It’s just frustrating, you just want to be out there trying to help, do what you can,” said Gradkowski on Sunday after the game.

It appears that Gradkowski will avoid surgery in order to come back as the season winds down.

Jason Campbell, who led the team during their three-game winning streak, is the starter when they face the San Diego Chargers on Sunday.

Gradkowski following the loss against Miami stated, “It’s tough, you have to remain optimistic. With this injury, I’ve talked to guys that have had it. Brian Griese, a couple of other guys. I just remember Griese telling me that he waited 5, 6 weeks, came back and first hit he took, boom – he was back on the sideline. So is kind of, you don’t want that to happen, but it is always a fear of yours.”

ANALYSIS

Campbell should be the starter for the remainder of the season. Gradkowski has not been able to stay healthy and quite frankly, any of the lightning he caught in a bottle last season has escaped in 2010. It was Campbell that led the Raiders to most of their wins and the best football played in years.

The former Redskin is not lighting up the league or putting up stellar numbers, but he has been the victor more often – and that weighs heavily in the locker room and ultimately, all that matters.

An injured Gradkowski is too limited. If he’s not at 100%, Oakland cannot compensate with other parts of their offense. It’s not like Peyton Manning or Drew Brees when they are injured; their abilities when injured or hindered with an impediment are still far greater than many other passers around the league.

Gradkowski has a lot of qualities; but those intangibles can be overshadowed when he’s not completely healthy.

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Contact Author: Victor Cotto – SB Report Columnist

In back-to-back losses to Pittsburgh and Miami, the Silver & Black has managed a combined 77-yards rushing. This after averaging 162.2 yards per game leading up to the game against the Chiefs a few weeks ago.

It’s one thing to get manhandled by the Steelers on the road, but to run for a mere 16-yards at home against the Dolphins is inexcusable.

“If teams are smart, if they have good defensive coordinators, they are going to load up against the run when they play us,” Langston Walker stated after the game.

But just 12 attempts during a game where the passer was unreliable are not going to get it done for the Raiders.

The Raiders need a productive Darren McFadden if they plan to put point on the board. They need a steady ground game to move the chains and put their quarterback in manageable 3^rd down situations.

All issues that Oakland encountered the last few weeks.

ROOKIE WATCH

Walter McFadden saw extended action and the Dolphins made sure to attack the rookie as often as possible.

The rookie allowed five receptions for 113 yards. Four of those were on 3^rd down conversions. With Nnamdi Asomugha not fully healed, the Raiders needed their 5^th round pick to step up, instead Chad Henne, Davone Bess, Anthony Fasano (McFadden was infracted on a defensive hold on the TE) and Roberto Wallace tortured him all afternoon.

“Sure it is,” a helpless Tom Cable said, watching McFadden’s play. “You put a guy out there to do a job and it’s not going his way. We tried to help him with some coverage and things like that and bring some pressure. We didn’t get to the quarterback enough, either.”

Chris Johnson and Jeremy Ware were inactive.

QB SITUATION

There may not be a full-blown controversy, but the Raiders sure have a mess under center. Bruce Gradkowski said he was told early last week that he would start versus the Dolphins. This after Cable stated after the game in Pittsburgh that Jason Campbell was his starter.

“You’re a competitor and you like to compete, but by no means are you understanding or anything,” Campbell said. “It’s kind of tough because you’re caught right in between something and you don’t know what’s going on.”

That instability is what Oakland has avoided this year, which has led to more success this far into the season than they’ve had since 2002. Steering away from that was vital this campaign, but it appears that this volatility and constant change at quarterback will come back to bite the Silver & Black.

Regardless of who the owner or coach wants, they must decided who will go on as the starter and make it public.

The rest of the team is clouded as well and with no clear-cut leader on offense, this mixing and matching will become intolerable.

The signs of distress are there. The two-game losing streak will expose all unhappiness about the situation. And one more loss next week will not only put the Raiders on the verge of another losing season, but quite possibly a player revolt if the quarterback situation is still muddy.

“I’ll go look at it,” Cable said about assessing the state of affairs for next week. “I don’t know that Bruce is going to be healthy, based on what I was just told.”

Campbell led the team to a three-game winning streak. The team was feeling good. But now, everything’s a mess.

You would think Oakland would go with the guy that was navigating the ship through their wins.

Then again; what’s a season in the Bay Area without any controversy or confusion?

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Contact Author: Victor Cotto – SB Report Columnist

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OAKLAND, CA – The Oakland Raiders showed life on defense to start the 4^th quarter with a Desmond Bryant sack on 3^rd and 4 from the Miami 47-yard line.

On the ensuing play, Rock Cartwright busted through the line of scrimmage and nearly got his hands on a punt.

Bruce Gradkowski on the next play again under threw rookie Jacoby Ford on a deep toss, but the receiver made a spectacular catch, snatching the ball away from Chris Clemons at its highest point and coming down hard on the turf with a 52-yard gain.

The Raiders drive ended with a Sebastian Janikowski field goal from 30-yards out to cut the Dolphins’ lead, 23-17.

Miami answered with an efficient drive that started with Ronnie Brown runs for 5 and 8 yards. Then, Brown broke a Nnamdi Asomugha tackle and scampered for 5-yards before Brian Hartline beat the star cornerback for the Raiders for an 8-yard gain. Chad Henne a few plays later connected with Davone Bess for 29-yards, beating Walter McFadden again.

Seven plays later, Dan Carpenter nailed a 25-yard field goal to give the Dolphins a 26-17 lead with 4:03 remaining.

After a blown up screen, Gradkowski connected with Louis Murphy for 17 yards. On 2^nd and 10, Ford recorded 6-yards on a catch and on 3^rd and 4, Ford was unable to haul in a errant Gradkowski pass.

Facing a 4^th and 4 from the 46-yard line, Oakland’s woes on offense all afternoon came to an end with a poorly tossed ball by Gradkowski to Johnnie Lee Higgins that could’ve kept the drive alive.

Ricky Williams scampered for a 45-yard touchdown with 3:12 remaining to end any hope of a Raiders comeback. Miami led 33-17.

The Dolphins at that point had racked up 475-yards of total offense and 24 first downs. They were 9-of-18 on 3rd downs and owned the edge in time of possession.

FINAL SCORE: Dolphins 33 – Raiders 17

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OAKLAND, CA – The Miami Dolphins had the first possession of the second half in Oakland. Ronnie Brown ran for 5 and 7 yards on consecutive plays before Miami faced a 3^rd and 7.

Then Marlon Moore got into the end zone from 57-yards out, beating cornerback Walter McFadden to give the Dolphins a 20-14 lead. Nnamdi Asomugha was not on the field to start the second half.

The Oakland Raiders went three and out on their first offensive possession of the final half.

Miami took over at the Raider 44-yard line after a 40-yard Shane Lechler punt.

Ricky Williams then ran for 15-yards on three plays before a 3^rd and 12 where back-up passer Tyler Thigpen ran a draw for 8 yards on 3^rd and 12. Dan Carpenter extended the Dolphin lead to 23-14 after nailing a 44-yard field goal.

Oakland had another three play drive after Louis Murphy dropped a potential first down reception and Darren McFadden was corralled on a loss of 2 and on 3^rd and 12, gaining just 7 on a dump off.

Davone Bess contributed on special teams on the ensuing play with a 47-yard punt return to the Oakland 30-yard line. At that point, Bess had also compiled 82-yards on 5 catches.

The Dolphins facing a 3^rd and 11 a few plays later went after Walter McFadden, who continued his struggles today with a defensive holding infraction on Anthony Fasano. The fresh set of downs set Miami up at the 26-yard line.

Vernon Carey’s second penalty of the game slowed the Dolphins’ momentum though, and on 3^rd and 16, Chad Henne was not able to hook up with Moore for a first down.

Carpenter missed a 49-yard field goal wide right.

Darren McFadden opened the next drive with a 15-yard catch and a 6-yard run on consecutive plays. After a McFadden 4-yard run, Bruce Gradkowski was late in seeing a wide open Jacoby Ford and severely under threw the rookie on a pass picked off by safety Chris Clemons.

Cornerback Walter McFadden was picked on again by Henne on 3^rd and 8 to close the quarter, this time beaten by Roberto Wallace for 19-yards.

SCORE: Dolphins 23  – Raiders 14

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OAKLAND, CA – The Miami Dolphins were driving at the start of the 2^nd quarter, running with Ronnie Brown for 6 and 7 yards before Ricky Williams ripped a 4-yard gain. On a 3^rd and 6, the Oakland Raiders blitzed and Stanford Routt was beat by Brian Hartline for a 19-yard reception down to the 12-yard line.

But the Oakland Raiders held when Rolando McClain hauled in his first career interception to stall the Miami drive. Walter McFadden was hurt on the play, as Oakland blanketed the field and Chad Henne attempted to force a pass into coverage.

At the 11-yard line, Bruce Gradkowski hooked up with Zach Miller for 6-yards and two plays later, Darren McFadden scrambled for 20-yards on a screen.

Gradkowski attempted to hit Marcel Reece on a sideline pattern after a Miami timeout, but the toss was picked off by Yeremiah Bell and returned for 24-yards to their own 46-yard line.

Miami could not take advantage of the turnover, facing a 3^rd and 10; the Raiders blitzed Tyvon Branch, Michael Huff and Mike Mitchell. Henne was sacked by Huff and the loss of 9-yards forced a punt that Johnnie Lee Higgins returned for 15-yards to his own 26-yard line.

After a Jacoby Ford 6-yard catch, Oakland went to their ‘wildhog,’ but after McFadden handed off to Marcel Reece, the fullback fumbled setting up the Dolphins  at the Raiders 30-yard line.

On 3^rd and 8 for Miami a few plays later, Branch was able to sack Henne for a 9-yard loss. That pushed Dan Carpenter far enough to miss a 52-yard field goal attempt on 4^th and 17.

Jacoby Ford struck again on the ensuing possession, taking a reverse for 13-yards and then capping the 4-play 58-yard drive with a 44-yard reception to give the Raiders a 14-10 lead.

Ford beat cornerback Benny Sapp on an out pattern towards the sideline – a stellar catch that he was able to take to paydirt with his speed.

Miami got a break on their next possession when Nnamdi Asomugha was flagged for a defensive holding while covering Brian Hartline on a 2^nd and 15.

Davone Bess beat Asomugha on 3^rd and 7 a few plays later and then Hartline evaded Stanford Routt for a 23-yard gain.

At the 2:00 minute warning, Miami continued to mount their drive with a Bess catch for 18-yards and again on 3^rd and 10, a reception of 11-yards to give them a 1^st and goal.

Tyvon Branch had a key break-up on 3^rd and goal, hitting Hartline as the pass approached to force a Dan Carpenter field goal attempt.

Carpenter nailed the 23-yarder to cut into the Raiders lead, 14-13.

HALFTIME: Raiders 14 – Dolphins 13

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OAKLAND, CA – The Oakland Raiders got the scoring started quickly, as Jacoby Ford evaded three would be tacklers to hit paydirt on a 101-yard kickoff return. Ford’s bolt down the middle of the field excited an Oakland crowd and jolted the Miami Dolphins.

With Oakland up 7-0, the Miami Dolphins went to work at the 40-yard line after Sebastian Janikowski booted his kickoff out of bounds.

Chad Henne immediately went after Nnamdi Asomugha, connecting with Brian Hartline for 27-yards on their opening play. Four plays later, Dan Carpenter cut into the Raiders lead with a 49-yard field goal conversion.

Oakland’s first offensive possession was a three and out. After starter Bruce Gradkowski hooked up with Marcel Reece for a 2-yard gain, running back Darren McFadden was chopped down by Cameron Wake for a loss of 2 and a For false start set up a 3^rd and 15 that the Raiders were not able to convert.

Miami went to their ‘wildcat’ formation on their ensuing drive and on Henne’s first attempt on their second possession, he connected with Davone Bess for 13-yards while working on Asomugha. On 3^rd and 7, Henne found Anthony Fasano for 6-yards and on 4^th and 1, Lousaka Polite got a yard on 4^th and 1. Henne completed his fifth pass of the game on the next play, a 29-yard scoring toss to Patrick Cobbs to give Miami a 10-7 lead.

The scoring drive amassed 65-yards on 8-plays.

The Raiders could not mount a threat after Louis Murphy hauled in a 29-yard catch to open the following Oakland drive. Oakland punted three plays later and Miami took over on their own 13-yard line.

The visiting club ran Ronnie Brown on consecutive plays before converting a 3^rd and 10 to Bess for 23-yards (Stanford Routt in coverage). Ricky Williams ran for 8-yards and Brown again for 8-yards as time expired in the 1^st quarter.

Score: Dolphins 10 – Raiders 7

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Contact Author: Victor Cotto – SB Report Columnist