Raider Nation: Why We Embrace Bruce Gradkowski

I have no problem with Jason Campbell. I was as excited as the rest of Raider Nation when the Raiders traded for him during the draft. I enjoyed reading about his strong work ethic, his football IQ, and the way he meshed with the rest of the Raiders offense.

However, in the end, none of that mattered to me as a fan.

All the hard work, all the stats, all the deliberation, none of it compares to getting the win. "Just Win Baby" has been drilled repeatedly into Raider Nation. For a Nation with that type of slogan the past 7 years have been torturous, and I, for one, am tired of losing.

So here comes Bruce Gradkowski. He strides out onto the field and the Raiders become a different team. They earn stats in that most important of columns. The W's!

I watched Bruce come into games last year and win. In Cincinnati and in Pittsburgh. He gets injured and the Raiders start losing again. The next time he plays is in Oakland against St. Louis, and the Raiders win.

I read all the articles that say he's too short, or his arm's not good enough. I hear opinions such as "How far do the Raiders expect to go behind Gradkowski". I don't care about arm strength, or height. I care about intensity and the ability to lead your team.

I'm not saying he's the greatest QB in the league. I'm saying I'm sick of the "I like him better" drama in Oakland. I had enough of that with that other guy. I'm saying play the guy who can win football games with this team, cause we're tired of losing.

Devotion to teammates, devotion to the Raiders, and above all, devotion to Winning! That's what Raider Nation wants, and Bruce Gives it to us.