The Philadelphia Eagles made a ton of noise in the NFL world when they announced a sudden change at the quarterback position on Tuesday, granting quarterback Michael Vick the reins to a full-time first-string role ahead of Kevin Kolb, and the Raiders appear to be following in similar footsteps.

Despite having Jason Campbell prepare for months to be Oakland’s leading signal-caller, just as the Eagles did with Kolb, the Raiders have benched the 28-year-old passer in favor of backup Bruce Gradkowski.

When explaining why he decided to make a switch so early in the year, Raiders head coach Tom Cable was straightforward:

“The reasons are pretty simple,” Cable said. “First and foremost is the energy and the level of intensity that was brought into the huddle when he came into the game. The way the guys responded around him. And, obviously, scoring points. … That’s what we’re about. If we can get this thing to where we can score 24 points a game, I think we’ll be very tough to beat.”

From www.nfl.com (share this quote)

The Raiders acquired Campbell in a trade with the Redskins on April 24, and he was expected to help boost the level of success of the team’s offense. Many analysts believed that the move to Oakland would benefit the quarterback, who was used in Washington with a plethora of coordinators and was never really able to develop into the leader they envisioned him becoming.

Campbell had a solid training camp with the Raiders and appeared destined for a lengthy career with the team, but two games into the 2010 season, his future with the organization is quite cloudy, as Gradkowski has already replaced him in the lineup, at least for this week’s showdown with the Cardinals.

Campbell tossed 267 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions in the first two games of the year. Meanwhile, Gradkowski has thrown for 162 yards, one score, and one interception.

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