"Raiders managing general partner Al Davis never has wavered in his belief that Jason Campbell should be the team's No. 1 quarterback. His belief in Campbell was so strong that he extended Campbell's contract and compared him to Jim Plunkett before Campbell played his first game with the Raiders.

Winning over coach Tom Cable and offensive coordinator Hue Jackson took Campbell quite a bit longer. But he appears to have done so with back-to-back impressive games.

"It's been a roller-coaster ride," Campbell said recently. "Not just for me but for a lot of guys on this team."

Campbell has spent time in both the lead and last car of the roller coaster that has been his past three months.

He began the season as the unquestioned starter but was benched at halftime of the second game. He guided the Raiders to three straight victories in October, then was replaced by Bruce Gradkowski during a 35-3 loss at the Pittsburgh Steelers on Nov. 21. He sat out a 33-17 loss to the Miami Dolphins the following week, a game in which Gradkowski suffered a season-ending shoulder injury. Campbell has started the past two games and seems to have regained the starting job for good.

Campbell said earlier this season that he was confused by how the quarterback situation was being handled. Gradkowski's injury clarified matters."