Oakland
Raiders

"I just felt like (Bruce) would give us a better chance to win football games," Cable said.

Gradkowski was not available for comment, and before practice said he wanted to wait for Cable to make an announcement before addressing his status. Russell, benched after each of the last two home games in favor of Gradkowski, was surprised both times and no doubt surprised again when he was told by Cable.

"He was disappointed, as you would expect him to be," Cable said. "But I explained to him why and the reasons behind it, and the decision's final, and this is where we're going to go. And he came out today and worked hard and did what he needed to do."

Russell will serve as the backup quarterback, with Charlie Frye remaining No. 3.

Reading between the lines, it's clear the Raiders feel Russell's development has been slowed in part because of his own maturity in terms of preparation and taking his job seriously.

Russell has never been comfortable serving as the face of the franchise -- he seldom talks except for his mandatory sessions following the game and once a week -- and he apparently hasn't grasped the amount of time and effort it takes to be an NFL starter.

Cable won't say as much directly, but the things he says about Gradkowski and Frye point to what he sees as shortcomings in Russell.

"(Bruce) and Charlie are absolutely pros," Cable said. "I mean, they're here all the time. They're here early. They're here late. They study. They watch film. They talk about it. They draw it up. They involve they're teammates to a great degree. Just what you'd expect."

When asked if those were the same areas lacking in Russell, Cable said, "Well, I think this -- I think those guys helped him in that area, in terms of putting in the time and what it takes to be prepared."

Russell is 7-18 as a starter, getting just one start in his rookie season after holding out until Week 2 and signing a contract which guarantees him $30-$32 million, according to published reports.

"This is in no way giving up on the guy," Cable said. "This is just trying to jumpstart this team and really break it down and make a decision based on what gives us the best chance to win."

Russell's biggest shortcoming has been the inability to connect with wide receivers, which have combined for 36 receptions, 453 yards and one touchdown in nine games. The touchdown came in the season opener against San Diego, a 57-yard touchdown pass to Louis Murphy on a fourth-and-14 play that gave the Raiders a short-lived 20-17 lead.

"I think that was the primary concern," Cable said. "I just feel like we've got some guys open, and I think we're getting a better understanding what we're doing. We've got to put the ball in their hands and find a way to do that, and I think this will give us an opportunity to do that."

Gradkowski doesn't come in with a glowing resume.

He has completed 17 of 30 passes for 163 yards and a pair of interceptions subbing for Russell, and his quarterback rating of 44.2 is lower than Russell's 47.7. He did engineer a two-minute drive against Kansas City that ended when a pass bounced off the hands of Darrius Heyward-Bey for an interception.

Gradkowski is 3-9 as a starter and has been sent packing by Tampa Bay, St. Louis and Cleveland over the past two years. He was the starter in last year's season finale for Cleveland and was 5-for-16 with two interceptions and a quarterback rating of 1.0 in a 31-0 loss to Pittsburgh.

Without divulging he would be the starter, Gradkowski said he looked forward to getting a full week of practice should it occur, and also noted he had begun to get increased reps the previous week as the Raiders were apparently considering making a move if Russell didn't improve.

Although Cable's job security has been an issue because of his 6-15 record as a starter as well as an alleged scuffle with assistant coach Randy Hanson and an ESPN story focusing on his alleged history of domestic abuse, he said he had the autonomy to make the decision and that owner Al Davis was on board.

"He left this up to me; this is my decision," Cable said. "We talked about it and he supported it. We know it's important to include him in everything so he knows what's going on with this football team."

SERIES HISTORY: 26th regular-season meeting. Raiders lead series 17-8. Oakland has won three of the last four. The Bengals won the last meeting 27-10 on Dec. 10, 2006, as Carson Palmer passed for 297 yards and Cincinnati outgained Oakland 439-223. In the last meeting at the Coliseum in 2003, Raiders won 23-20 on Sebastian Janikowski's 39-yard field goal with nine seconds remaining. Cincinnati has never won in Oakland.

In a 16-10 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, Bush had 114 yards, including a 60-yard run on his first carry.

As the last healthy running back last Dec. 28, Bush had 177 yards against the Bucs and a pair of touchdowns, including a 67-yard touchdown run as the Raiders prevailed 31-24.

Through nine games, Bush is the Raiders' leading rusher with 350 yards on 77 carries. His 4.5 yards-per-carry average also leads the team, and his two rushing touchdowns are tied for the lead.

All of this doesn't mean coach Tom Cable will suddenly be inclined to give Bush the most work on a week-in, week-out basis. Going into the season, the running back position seemed to be an embarrassment of riches with Darren McFadden, Justin Fargas and Bush.

The team invested heavily in McFadden as the No. 4 overall pick in the 2008 draft. McFadden had toe problems and shoulder issues as a rookie and missed four games this season following arthroscopic knee surgery.

Cable has made it no secret he loves the straight-ahead style of Fargas, the Raiders' leading rusher each of the last three years. Fargas had 41 yards on 10 carries against the Chiefs and McFadden 11 yards on four carries in his first game back. Cable wasn't inclined to single out Bush afterward.

"It was really all of them, when they were in there," Cable said. "Just guys blocking up front, making the right read and running with good violence."

Bush, who admitted to looking up at the video screen on his 60-yard run -- enabling him to be caught from behind -- thought the run started things out the right way. Fargas eventually scored from the 1 on the Raiders' first game-opening drive for a touchdown since Week 16 last season.

"To me, it's a way to start the game out, give everybody energy on the field," Bush said. "I kind of feel like I set the tone."

--Wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey dropped a potential touchdown pass inside the 5-yard line and had another ball bounce off his hands to the Chiefs' Mike Brown for an interception in the final minute in a loss to Kansas City.

Heyward-Bey was gone from the locker room before the media arrived, but by the next day, was buoyed by the support of his teammates and friends throughout the league.

"My teammates, they had my back. And they supported me, telling me that don't look at it as it's my fault that we lost the game," Heyward-Bey said. "They just want to remind me of that. And I appreciate that from my teammates, that they said that and they support me 100 percent."

The rookie offered no excuses for his final drop.

"That's me being a rookie, getting so excited," Heyward-Bey said. "Everything I've been working on since Day 1 went out the window. And that's something that I know, so that's something that I can improve on. And everything I work on in practice needs to carry over into the games."

Heyward-Bey said he would consider himself the starter until he heard otherwise.

--Taking on a Cincinnati team that went 4-11-1 last season and was last above .500 in 2005 when it was 11-5 has left tackle Mario Henderson believing that if the Bengals can do it, the Raiders can do it as well.

"Yeah, it's kind of one of those things where you look at them and say, 'If they can do it, why can't we do it?'" Henderson said. "And we can do it. Every year is different. It's what we have to do here to get better."

--With the offense having scored seven touchdowns all season, cornerback Chris Johnson realizes that giving up one score may be too much. He said the defense enters the game understanding its mission.

Johnson had reminded the media that if the Raiders ran the table on the second half of the season, they'd finish 10-6, so he's lowered his sights a little.

"The defense is fine," Johnson said. "What we have to do is with the turnovers we get, we've got to make sure we try to get in the end zone. Or not let the offense in the end zone and we win 3-0. That's our mentality now.

"If not score, then set up a score. If we do that the rest of the seven games, I think we'll be all right."

--The Raiders and the Joint Powers Authority representing Oakland and Alameda County announced a lease extension that will keep the Raiders in Oakland through 2013.

The Raiders have been blacked out in four consecutive games and are likely to be blacked out for the last three. Only the Monday night season opener against San Diego was a sellout.

Rumors had begun to circulate that the team could be looking to make another run at Los Angeles, where it resided from 1982-94 before returning to Oakland.

The current lease was set to expire after the 2010 season.

BY THE NUMBERS: 12 -- Possessions inside the 20-yard line for the Raiders through nine games -- the lowest total in the NFL.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "It happened now instead of 10 years down the line, (when) we're in the Super Bowl and it happens." -- Wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey, looking at the bright side of his final dropped pass against the Chiefs.

There also could be fewer slant passes and sideline routes, which were often called because of Russell's arm strength even if he often didn't deliver because of issues with accuracy.

PLAYER NOTES

--LB Isaiah Ekejiuba was limited with a sore shoulder but is expected to play against Cincinnati.

--DE Greg Ellis, who had arthroscopic knee and shoulder surgery during the bye week, increased his practice load. He might practice in full Friday and could start.

--WR Javon Walker did not practice with a hamstring pull and will not be active against Cincinnati.

--WR-KR Nick Miller did not practice, is still recovering from a broken tibia and won't play against Cincinnati.

--FS Hiram Eugene practiced without limitations after missing Wednesday's session with a shoulder injury and should play on special teams and as a backup defensive back.

--WR Chaz Schilens will start this week alongside rookie Darrius Heyward-Bey.

GAME PLAN: Job 1 for the Raiders will be to load up and stop the run defensively, and the good news is that lead back Cedric Benson, who has run well against teams with far better run defenses than the Raiders, is hurting and is no lock to play. The bad news is Larry Johnson, signed after being waived by the Chiefs, has a history of running well against Oakland, and Marvin Lewis hasn't ruled out playing him. Slow the run game and the chances are better to get after Carson Palmer and depend on Nnamdi Asomugha and Chris Johnson to stick with Chad Ochocinco and Laveranues Coles.

Offensively, the Raiders hope to get a boost from quarterback Bruce Gradkowski, who will throw shorter, safer passes and make quicker decisions than JaMarcus Russell. They'll also look to run as often as possible -- with Michael Bush in particular. Bush had 114 yards last week, the first Raider back over 100 yards this season.

MATCHUPS TO WATCH: Raiders DRE Richard Seymour vs. Bengals LT Andrew Whitworth. The Raiders' defense has been at its best in those games where Seymour has been dominant, pushing the pocket and creating havoc even when not accumulating tackles or sacks. The more opponents are able to handle him without additional help, the more vulnerable the Raiders are defensively. Whitworth is a key part of an offensive line which has given up just five sacks in the last five games.

Bengals CBs Leon Hall and Johnathan Joseph vs. Raiders WR Chaz Schilens. Schilens was out the first eight weeks with a broken left metatarsal and immediately contributed to the NFL's least productive wide receiver group. He was targeted four times and caught three for 27 yards -- not big numbers but already a better percentage of targets to completions than any other Raiders wideout. He was on the field for 38 snaps last week and his role figures to expand this week in hopes that he can get some first downs and open things up for Oakland's other wideouts. Hall and Joseph have been excellent in coverage all season and both will get their shot at slowing Schilens.

INJURY IMPACT: With Nick Miller still out with a broken tibia, the Raiders, unless they make a roster move, will face the Bengals with the struggling Johnnie Lee Higgins continuing to return punts. Higgins hit a low point against Kansas City, losing yardage on three punt returns and allowing two catchable punts to drop and roll, with the Raiders losing an additional 20 yards in field position. If the Raiders choose to waive a player or put someone on injured reserve, Shaun Bodiford would be the likely promotion from the practice squad.