Q: How does it feel to be named the starter, so this whole team knows who's going to be there?
Jason Campbell: You know I just came here to work hard. I work hard and give it everything I've got, just do what I can to help the team win. Just try to work each and every day with the guys, try to build some chemistry with our receivers and also our offensive line and so you know early on in camp I think they give us an opportunity to grow together and get to know each other. Those reps are very important because I haven't been here before so you know it's important we know each other.
Q: How do you feel that you've come from another team?
Jason Campbell: It's a little bit tough, but you know at the same time I think OTAs and minicamp you know helps out a lot because you get a chance to get some reps in the summer so it wasn't like I missed the entire summer and I was coming here just during training camp.
Q: Have you ever dealt with a coach like you guys are taking here where the first eight practices are all basically walkthroughs and do you like that? Do you think it'll help?
Jason Campbell: Well you know it's the first time, but at the same time I think it helps out in a lot of ways especially for the younger guys, you know just getting here because it's one thing when you look at it in the classroom on the board and be like you know what you are doing, but it's another thing you know when it's time to get on the field and everything is moving 100 mph and you have to be on top of it. So I just think they are trying to slow everything down right now. And even for the vets, just to get their feet back on there because we have a lot older vets, such as Seymour, Tony Stewart, and Kelly. You try to take care of those guys also, and give them the opportunity to get in there, get their feet wet, and get back into their groove.
Q: How much time did you spend with offensive coordinator Hue Jackson?
Jason Campbell: We spent a lot of times at the OTAs and minicamps, in the meeting room, and the classroom. You know not just me; he spent that time with all the quarterbacks. We want to make sure that we are on top of our game, and that we are in a position to lead. For the quarterback, there is a lot of terminology, there also is a lot of volume in our offense, and you have to be ready to go.
Q: What challenged you the most in your first practice?
Jason Campbell: We did seven-on-seven live, against each other, and it's ones versus ones and we try to compete at a high level against each other to get a feel for what we're doing. The most challenging thing, you have to slow yourself down in practice and work on your technique, work on your assignment, and then you get to seven on seven, it's time to pick it up. It's almost like during a game when there's a change of situation, and you have to quickly react. You may be sitting down, and obviously you have to jump off the bench and be ready.
Q: How does Hue Jackson communicate in a way that might be different from other coaches?
Jason Campbell: He's very energetic. He's been that way since he's been here. I think it's great for our football team, I think it's great for us offensively. Two-a-days get tough some times, and sometimes you need that extra to just keep that going. I think with his mindset, tempo, and excitement, I think he brings that to us.
Q: Have you ever had an assistant coach or an offensive coordinator run wind sprints with you guys?
Jason Campbell: The head coach was running them also. I guess they're trying to get lean. I don't know if their wives are telling them something that we don't know. But he was out there trying to run strides with us.
Q: What's your impression of your receiving corps?
Jason Campbell: We have a lot of young talent. The guys are very talented. They're tall, they're big. Sky's the limit for them. I think for us, it's going to be about assignment, technique, and getting a feel for one another.
Q: In your eyes, what's the difference between being a good football team, and a bad football team?
Jason Campbell: Chemistry. When you look around the league, there are a lot of teams with talent, and talent can win you games, talent can get you beat if it doesn't come together. Our main focus is coming together as a team and getting to one another as if he were your brother. When you play on Sundays, you need to have some sense of closeness. You need to know what the other guys are thinking. Sometimes it gets aloud, but you need to be on the same page. Also, you have to have each others' backs. One guy misses something, the other guy picks it up for him. We are just trying to build a sense of chemistry, a sense of togetherness. And I think that will win games on Sundays because we are out there playing for each other, and not as individuals.
Q: Do you see that talent, that chemistry? I mean I know it's early, I know you haven't been here long?
Jason Campbell: We've been talking all summer, just about winning. We have one goal and one goal only. Everyone has individual goals, but all that takes care of itself when you win. Our only goal and our motto for this season is one game at a time and win. That's it, whatever it takes to win.
Q: As the quarterback, how much of a responsibility do you feel you have to create that chemistry?
Jason Campbell: Yeah, you have to stay after practice with guys, continue to do the little things. Continue to keep throwing; you're not going to get all the reps in practice. But whatever you miss in practice, you should stay out and get those throws in and get those routes in, until you can get there. Each day it feels, the more you do after practice, it feels (better) each and every day.
Q: Coach Cable has said one of the biggest things you bring to this team is your leadership. What style of leader are you? Are you quiet? By actions?
Jason Campbell: It's kind of like whatever the feel is…kind of like knowing when to say something, knowing when not to. At the same time, the tempo at practice has to be fast. You know we have to be in and out of the huddle. We aren't working against the play clock right now, but we will when we get to the games. You want to make it feel as slow as possible during the games because in practice you are building your tempo to a high speed.
Q: What do you think is your biggest strength as a quarterback?
Jason Campbell: I'm just going to try to complete the passes and move the team. Like I said, we have an opportunity to go down the field. I think that'll be something that we'll be able to do.
Q: This is a unique organization…The Raider Nation, the Black Hole. Have you felt any of this and are you starting to feel like a Raider?
Jason Campbell: I definitely feel like a Raider. It's Raider Nation out here. You can tell the fans really want to win. It would be special if we could win this year and do something to turn it around because they are hungry for it. We are going to give them all we've got, and we're going to fight for them. We're going to work hard. Is it going to be great each and every week? No, maybe not, but we're going to fight through the ups and downs of a 16-game season. There are highs and lows. When you're high, you can't feel like you're above everyone. When you're low, you can't get so down that you can't get back up. So we have to try and keep an even keel for the rest of the season.
Q: You've been in a lot of systems, how have you come along in this one and how hard is it to put out of your mind all the other terminology?
Jason Campbell: Sometimes it's like speaking my second language. We were in a meeting the other day, and Coach asked me what the protection change was here, and I called back one of my protections in last year's offense when I was in Washington because it started with the same letter. Sometimes you have to block those things out and just focus on trying to learn new plays. I've done a lot of these plays before so I don't really focus on the different systems or anything like that. I just want to play football.
Q: Is this your team now? Are you the leader now?
Jason Campbell: I definitely now feel that way. As I said, guys are dependent and we're going to be a team. It's not going to be one individual that's going to do it; it's not going to be two individuals that are going to do it. We are going to have to do it as a team, as a whole unit. That's my plan; just to work with my teammates.
Q: How much has this rejuvenated your career to come to this organization?
Jason Campbell: Five years in Washington, went through a lot of highs, a lot of lows. I went through some different changes there. Coming here is kind of like you've gotten drafted all over again. It's a new start. Oakland's trying to turn it around, they're trying to become a new team. They've made a lot of changes. I think they are trying to do the right things to get it going in the right direction. I think we have to buy in to it. When it happened on draft day, it was almost like you got drafted again.
Q: You were talking about your wide receivers before, but when you talk about the overall offense, where do you see its strength and what excites you?
Jason Campbell: Just the way we can attack defenses. It's not like we are going to be just a running team or just a passing team. We are going to be able to do a lot of different things. Our whole game plan is to keep defenses off balance. I think with the talent that we have, with the receivers and the running backs, we have fast running backs. And then you look at our interior line, guys have been together for a little bit so they kind of know each other. Hopefully we can put it all together and keep fighting because our offense doesn't have a name for it, we do what we have to in order to test defenses.
