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This isn't the way quarterback Bruce Gradkowski expected things to play out, going from the toast of Raider Nation to backup without a game being played.

Yet, he enters tonight's exhibition game against the 49ers locked in a heated competition against Kyle Boller for the backup spot to starter Jason Campbell.

"I've had to kind of sit in the background and watch everything go down," Gradkowski said. "It's frustrating, but I don't forget, and I don't think the players forget, what we did last year."

Ah, last year. That was when Gradkowski went from little-known backup to fan favorite by replacing benched starter JaMarcus Russell and pumping life into a listless offense.

In four games, Gradkowski engineered come-from-behind victories over the Cincinnati Bengals and the defending Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers, only to have his season end as a result of torn ligaments in both knees.

His performance was enough to make coach Tom Cable wonder what might have been had Gradkowski been the starter from the outset. It also was enough for Gradkowski to envision entering this season as the starter.

That changed in April when the Philadelphia Eagles traded quarterback Donovan McNabb to the Washington Redskins, which prompted the Redskins to send Campbell to Oakland for a fourth-round draft pick.

Suddenly, Gradkowski was right back where he started with the Raiders, and where he has been for most of his five-year NFL career: wondering where he fit in and whether he had any job security.

Cable anointed Campbell the starter the day before the first training camp practice, without giving Gradkowski, Boller or Charlie Frye a shot at earning the job.

"You could take it two ways," Gradkowski said. "I feel like I would be the best backup, but I also feel like I'd be the best starter. You have that confidence and, whatever my role is, I know that I'm going to be ready to play. I did it last year, and I'm going to do it again."

It's that team-first attitude, among other attributes, that endears Gradkowski to Cable and his teammates.

Tonight, he will play for the first time this season and for the first time since his knee injuries against the Washington Redskins on Dec. 13. For Gradkowski, it's an audition of sorts to show whether he is a better option than Boller as the primary backup.

Boller joined the Raiders in June as a free agent. Injuries to Gradkowski and Frye, who is out for the season with a wrist injury, enabled Boller to assert himself through increased playing time.

Cable said Gradkowski's pectoral injury in March, coupled with Boller's strong showing, negated the edge Gradkowski had based on last season's performance.

"One, he has not been able to participate because of injuries, so he has missed a lot," Cable said. "And, because of that, it created an opportunity for Kyle Boller to step up.

"And, obviously, we've all seen it, we're very pleased with what he's been able to do in his time. So, (Gradkowski) definitely has to compete his rear end off and go out and move the team."

That's just what Gradkowski intends to do against the 49ers and in the exhibition finale against the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday night, he said. It's his time to shine and remind Cable and others why they fell in love with him last season.

"I feel great about the way last year went," Gradkowski said. "I know it carries weight around here, especially with my teammates, and that's all I care about. But, you're only as good as your last game."

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