With no OTAs  two weeks in camp is barely enough time to get more than 90 men in the same place at the same time so it’s going to take a minute to get them all on the same page.

Still, there are definite patterns you can see emerging early as the camp battles heat up.

Here are a few things that caught my eye during last night’s game

- Right tackle is going to be the position of MHN (Most Help Needed). Khalif Barnes has the job only by default right now. He had three false starts (one on special teams that took the Raiders out of field goal range which is saying something when Sebastian Janikowski is your kicker). I’ll chalk that up to camp rust but these pre-snap penalties have got to. Joe Barksdale looked good but also gassed. No doubt the O-linemen are the ones hurting the most right now. Everyone is struggling to get in game shape but their road is just a little tougher right now.

- Stephon Heyer is going to be the most valuable sub of the season. He played both guard positions and some left tackle. He looked fresh the whole night and will prove invaluable as there are sure to be injuries during the season.

- Jason Campbell and the entire offense is out of sync as you’d expect this early in the process. JC underthrew on a couple of deep balls one to Marcel Reece to start the game and another to Darrius Heyward-Bey who ran a nice stop and go rote and would be been in the end zone had Campbell led him with the throw. The timing will get there but it was nice to see Reece used out wide and DHB to get open. Reece also bailed out Campbell by making a great grab on a screen pass that was thrown low and behind the athletic fullback.
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Oakland has won its last two tilts with the Cardinals. (Photo: YardBarker.com)

In two games played they’ve racked up double digits in penalties twice, can’t stop the run and have been blown out by 34-points on the road. Normally, these are the types of results you’d expect from the Oakland Raiders. In actuality, we’re talking about the 2010 Arizona Cardinals.

For the Raiders to get their second win in a row – a first in nearly two years – they have but one mantra: Play the game the right way.

Forget about the week long QB controversy. This issue of benching the Rodney Dangerfield of the NFL in favor of Bruce Gradkowski is controversial only in the short amount of time Jason Campbell was given to earn his keep. Gradkowski is the better option given the circumstances and oh, by the way, the Raiders did win last week.
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