"Jason Campbell let down his guard Wednesday, admitting he received satisfaction in hearing Raiders coach Tom Cable say Campbell "earned" the right to be the starting quarterback against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday.

"Yeah, (it was nice) because nothing is given to you in this league, nothing is given to you in life," Campbell said of Cable's praise. "To earn something makes you appreciate it more. At the same time, it makes you work even harder because you want to keep it going and you want to stay on top of what you're doing."

Campbell has steered clear of any talk about the quarterbacking situation since he was benched in favor of Bruce Gradkowski at halftime of Oakland's second game.

He replaced Gradkowski early in the Raiders' game against the San Diego Chargers on Oct. 10 after Gradkowski suffered a sprained right shoulder. He has started the past four games, with the Raiders winning the last three.

Cable called Gradkowski the "clear-cut" starter during his four-game absence. On Monday, Cable decided it made more sense to stick with "the hot hand" in Campbell."