Boller ready if called upon at QB
By Jerry McDonald - NFL Writer
Monday, October 18th, 2010 at 12:37 pm in Oakland Raiders.
Bruce Gradkowski was sidelined with what the Raiders call a sprain of the A-C joint and what CBS analyst Rich Gannon called a “separation’’ on the air.
A quick consultation with a medical dictionary says they are, in fact, the same thing. It’s simply a matter of degree, and since Gradkowski hasn’t been wearing a sling, we can probably safely assume it’s not serious.
That doesn’t mean Gradkowski is a slam dunk to play this week, either. That’s of some concern because quarterback Jason Campbell said during his postgame interview with CSN Bay Area that he sustained a knee injury at some point in the first half and would have an MRI today.
While struggling through the worst day of his professional career, Campbell was limping noticeably after being flushed from the pocket with 9:32 to play.
Later after a third-and-5 incompletion to Zach Miller, Campbell was bent over on the waist, hands on hips. He limped to the sideline where trainer Rod Martin was working on his left.knee.
Which brings us to Kyle Boller, the Raiders No. 3 quarterback, who grabbed a football and started playing catch with Nick Miller but was never called into action.
“I knew he had gotten dinged up a little bit so, sitting on the sideline for four quarters, you want to get loose, so I just grabbed a guy and started throwing a little bit,’’ Boller said.
Boller thrust himself into the quarterback picture during training camp, at which time Campbell was the undisputed No. 1, when Gradkowski missed time while recovering from a torn pectoral, as well as having groin and hamstring issues. While Gradkowski was on the sidelines, coach Tom Cable said Boller was in competition to be the backup.
Once Gradkowski returned and played well in the preseason, he retained the backup job. Boller finished the preseason completing 26 of 43 passes for 360 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions for a 102.9 passer rating.
“I always take the approach that it’s your job _ it doesn’t matter what position you play or what position you are on the depth chart to be prepared, because you never know when your time’s coming,’’ Boller said. “I’ve done a pretty good job with watching tape and staying in the game plan, because it’s also our job to help out the guys that are in there. And they need you to know what’s going on.’’
The former first-round draft pick from Cal describes his on-field personality as somewhere between the laid-back Campbell and the excitable Gradkowski, probably closer to the Gradkowski side of the scale.
Neither Gradkowski nor Campbell were around for the open locker room session.
More news and notes before Cable’s 2 p.m. press briefing:
—Darren McFadden was described as a game-time decision by Cable going in to the 49ers game with his hamstring injury, which was no doubt purely for the 49ers benefit.
McFadden never set foot on the Candlestick Park field for a workout, and it was decided well before the field was slick with rain.
“We just came to the conclusion that we weren’t going to be able to do it, so there was no point in going out there and risking injury,’’ McFadden said.
McFadden said his goal is to go out Wednesday and “see if I can burst.’’
There hasn’t been a lot of talking to any of the dozen or so other Raiders who have been sidelined at one point or another by hamstring pulls.
“For the most part, it’s up to the individual just how you’re feeling at the time and how much your body can withstand,’’ McFadden said.
— Defensive tackle John Henderson, who last week said his boot had come off and thought he was making progress with a stress fracture in his right foot, was not only back in the boot but walking with the help of a crutch.
– With a history of winning while in college at Florida, Louis Murphy is having trouble getting past the notion that he hasn’t won back-to-back games as a Raider.
“It’s frustrating, very frustrating,’’ Murphy said. “We have to get over that jinx of not winning two games in a row. We haven’t done that since I’ve been here. I don’t know how long it’s been before that. It’s frustrating. It’s happened after every win we’ve had. We haven’t put two and two together.
“(We’re) just trying to get back the confidence. We’re second in the division and we need to come out with a win this week.’’
– Had a brief conversation with Rolando McClain today after he declined to answer questions on the record. I asked if he had a media policy we needed to know about and we discussed his reluctance to be interviewed. McClain said it was nothing personal, it was just something he’d rather not do.
“Sometimes I say yes, sometimes I say no,’’ McClain said. “About 99 percent of the time, I say no.’’
I told him that as a prominent draft pick and player, a lot of fans would be interested in what he had to say and that we’d keep asking. McClain said he understood and that he’d keep it in mind.
By Jerry McDonald - NFL Writer
Monday, October 18th, 2010 at 12:37 pm in Oakland Raiders.
Bruce Gradkowski was sidelined with what the Raiders call a sprain of the A-C joint and what CBS analyst Rich Gannon called a “separation’’ on the air.
A quick consultation with a medical dictionary says they are, in fact, the same thing. It’s simply a matter of degree, and since Gradkowski hasn’t been wearing a sling, we can probably safely assume it’s not serious.
That doesn’t mean Gradkowski is a slam dunk to play this week, either. That’s of some concern because quarterback Jason Campbell said during his postgame interview with CSN Bay Area that he sustained a knee injury at some point in the first half and would have an MRI today.
While struggling through the worst day of his professional career, Campbell was limping noticeably after being flushed from the pocket with 9:32 to play.
Later after a third-and-5 incompletion to Zach Miller, Campbell was bent over on the waist, hands on hips. He limped to the sideline where trainer Rod Martin was working on his left.knee.
Which brings us to Kyle Boller, the Raiders No. 3 quarterback, who grabbed a football and started playing catch with Nick Miller but was never called into action.
“I knew he had gotten dinged up a little bit so, sitting on the sideline for four quarters, you want to get loose, so I just grabbed a guy and started throwing a little bit,’’ Boller said.
Boller thrust himself into the quarterback picture during training camp, at which time Campbell was the undisputed No. 1, when Gradkowski missed time while recovering from a torn pectoral, as well as having groin and hamstring issues. While Gradkowski was on the sidelines, coach Tom Cable said Boller was in competition to be the backup.
Once Gradkowski returned and played well in the preseason, he retained the backup job. Boller finished the preseason completing 26 of 43 passes for 360 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions for a 102.9 passer rating.
“I always take the approach that it’s your job _ it doesn’t matter what position you play or what position you are on the depth chart to be prepared, because you never know when your time’s coming,’’ Boller said. “I’ve done a pretty good job with watching tape and staying in the game plan, because it’s also our job to help out the guys that are in there. And they need you to know what’s going on.’’
The former first-round draft pick from Cal describes his on-field personality as somewhere between the laid-back Campbell and the excitable Gradkowski, probably closer to the Gradkowski side of the scale.
Neither Gradkowski nor Campbell were around for the open locker room session.
More news and notes before Cable’s 2 p.m. press briefing:
—Darren McFadden was described as a game-time decision by Cable going in to the 49ers game with his hamstring injury, which was no doubt purely for the 49ers benefit.
McFadden never set foot on the Candlestick Park field for a workout, and it was decided well before the field was slick with rain.
“We just came to the conclusion that we weren’t going to be able to do it, so there was no point in going out there and risking injury,’’ McFadden said.
McFadden said his goal is to go out Wednesday and “see if I can burst.’’
There hasn’t been a lot of talking to any of the dozen or so other Raiders who have been sidelined at one point or another by hamstring pulls.
“For the most part, it’s up to the individual just how you’re feeling at the time and how much your body can withstand,’’ McFadden said.
— Defensive tackle John Henderson, who last week said his boot had come off and thought he was making progress with a stress fracture in his right foot, was not only back in the boot but walking with the help of a crutch.
– With a history of winning while in college at Florida, Louis Murphy is having trouble getting past the notion that he hasn’t won back-to-back games as a Raider.
“It’s frustrating, very frustrating,’’ Murphy said. “We have to get over that jinx of not winning two games in a row. We haven’t done that since I’ve been here. I don’t know how long it’s been before that. It’s frustrating. It’s happened after every win we’ve had. We haven’t put two and two together.
“(We’re) just trying to get back the confidence. We’re second in the division and we need to come out with a win this week.’’
– Had a brief conversation with Rolando McClain today after he declined to answer questions on the record. I asked if he had a media policy we needed to know about and we discussed his reluctance to be interviewed. McClain said it was nothing personal, it was just something he’d rather not do.
“Sometimes I say yes, sometimes I say no,’’ McClain said. “About 99 percent of the time, I say no.’’
I told him that as a prominent draft pick and player, a lot of fans would be interested in what he had to say and that we’d keep asking. McClain said he understood and that he’d keep it in mind.
