An MRI revealed Gradkowski has a third-degree shoulder separation. That would be the same shoulder he injured earlier in the season against the Chargers.

Perhaps a blessing in disguise, this could bring about some stability to the QB position. At least until JC has another slow start in which case we could see Boller thrown into the mix.

If indeed this is the end of the road for The Big Gradkowski, it has come in very unceremonious fashion. The journeyman thrower was never the long term solution to begin with but made the most of his opportunity to the point where he made JaMarcus Russell expendable and forced Campbell to actually compete for the job.

Thanks for everything, Bruce! I’m sure you’ll be taking another job in the near future. I hear they might need some help on the other side of the Bay. I’d say to give Mike Singletary a call but there’s a good chance he won’t be able to be reached at the same extension much longer.

The Battle of the Bay is Back! (Photo: YardBarker.com)

Forget about the records, tear up the playbook and toss out any cliché you want. This Sunday is all about pride and bragging rights as the Raiders and 49ers tangle in a Bay Area brawl filled with more plotlines than a daytime soap.

Before the season started, if you said one team would enter this game 0-5 and the other would be 2-3 coming off a dramatic win over a longtime rival. Most would assume it was the Raiders who were just over a quarter of the way to joining the Detroit Lions in football failure and the 9ers were the squad looking to get to .500.

What a difference a difference can make.

While the 49ers – the over-hyped darlings of the NFC Worst – chose to stand pat with Alex Smith, the Raiders went out and made moves by dumping the dead weight of JaMarcus Russell and trading for Jason Campbell. Acquiring Campbell was supposed to be the change the Raiders needed. Turns out they should have just stayed the course with Bruce Gradkowski. However with Campbell helping to end the era of Charger dominance and Bruce Almighty nursing a bum shoulder, JC could be the difference in this contest if he gets the call as the starter.

Speaking of changes – this could be the last week for Mike Singletary if he can’t deliver a loss to his foes in the East Bay. Tom Cable got a stay of execution by beating the Bolts and was a Sebastian Janikowski shank away from having the Silver and Black on winning terms just over a month into the season.

Still not enough drama for you?
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Heyward-Bey is signed, sealed and delivered to camp

This is not an “I-told-ya-so” post. But it is a strong endorsement of the Raiders selecting Darrius Heyward-Bey over Michael Crabtree. Be warned, it is Raider propaganda and not suggested for those who have been brainwashed by Disney.

Just because Heyward-Bey is reported to be under contract and ready to participate in camp, while Crabtree continues his Quixotic quest to destroy the slotting system by netting a top five contract, does not mean the Raiders are validated.

However, it does speak to the nature in which Tom Cable has gone about rectifying a once toxic environment in the East Bay.

While most analysts took Al Davis behind the wood shed for selecting DHB, all acknowledged that the Maryland track star has a reputation for being a hard worker. Meanwhile, Crabtree has done little to justify the toddler fit Mike Leach pitched when Eric Mangini let the world know that the receiver believed to be the best in the draft was more diva than dynamic.

Again, this is not to say that the Raiders are validated. Only wins and production from Heyward-Bey will justify that.

The facts remain that Hey-Bey is doing his part to prove the doubters wrong and Crabtree is doing his part to prove the Mangenius right.

Since Mel Kiper’s initial Viagra induced reaction to Crabtree entering the draft, the Texas Tech dud has shown significant warning signs. Crabs shrunk at the combine from 6’3” to 6’1”, then it was discovered that he needed surgery on his foot and has yet to workout for the 49ers who took him 10^th overall. Mike Singletary nearly brought him to tears in an OTA in which he was simply watching from the sideline and now he’s holding out for a contract he feels he’s owed simply because Todd McShay says he should have been a top 5 pick.

What would Jerry Rice do?

Why was passing on Crabtree such a bad thing?

For the last time, I’m not saying that DHB will go down as the best receiver in this draft simply because his holdout lasted all of 24 hours. All I’m saying is that if this whole off-season has been about getting guys into the silver and black who are dedicated, hardworking and committed, then Cris Carter might want to take a trip to Napa and apologize now before that egg on his face goes sunny side up.

Good luck getting Crabtree into camp anytime soon and for a reasonable price. If Singletary is making the rookie cry in OTAs, then wait until he moons him in the locker room for a couple of drops in a game.

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