Teams aren’t waiting to change signals at quarterback

Even though their one sack ranks them at the bottom of NFL teams, the Carolina Panthers sure know how to rush the passer.

Their own passer, that is.

Just two weeks into the season, the Panthers already are rushing starting quarterback Matt Moore off stage and replacing him with rookie Jimmy Clausen in hopes of jump-starting their offense.

And the 0-2 Panthers aren’t the only team pushing the panic button. Winless Buffalo is switching quarterbacks; injuries have led to promotions in Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia; and changes at least have been contemplated in Tennessee, Oakland and Jacksonville. That’s more than one-quarter of the league.

“We’ve just not been getting it done,” Carolina Coach John Fox said Monday, a day after Moore had three passes intercepted in the end zone and lost a fumble in a 20-7 loss to Tampa Bay.

“Jimmy is a guy we think highly of. I thought he made the most of his opportunities Sunday. We’ll see how it goes this week.”

In Buffalo, the hurry-up offense used to be a strategy. Now, it’s a plea: “Hurry up, offense!”

The Bills scored a combined 17 points in consecutive losses to Miami and Green Bay, prompting Coach Chan Gailey to make the quarterback change from Trent Edwards to Ryan Fitzpatrick.

“We’re looking for a spark,” Gailey said. “We’re looking for something that gives us a new look and thought process.”

That Moore or Edwards lost his job isn’t shocking, because both had tenuous holds on their positions in the first place. But what’s happening in Oakland is a jaw-dropper.

The Raiders are considering benching Jason Campbell — the just-acquired quarterback Al Davis recently compared to Jim Plunkett — after he was ineffective over the first six quarters of the season. He was replaced by Bruce Gradkowski in the second half against St. Louis on Sunday, and Gradkowski directed three scoring drives and led Oakland to a 16-14 victory.

Gradkowski started three games for the Raiders last season and earned AFC offensive-player-of-the-week honors after leading Oakland to an upset victory at Pittsburgh.

Raiders Coach Tom Cable said Monday he has a good idea who will start Sunday at Arizona, but wouldn’t disclose it. The coach insisted there is no “quarterback controversy,” even though it looks like one.

“I’ve heard if you have two running backs . . . you have a tandem,” Cable said. “But if you have two quarterbacks, it’s a controversy. There isn’t going to be a controversy. I’ll make a good decision, and we’ll go from there.”

Elsewhere in quarterback shuffling:

The 2-0 Steelers are waiting for Ben Roethlisberger to return from his four-game suspension. His replacement, Dennis Dixon, sustained a knee injury Sunday, leaving the job in the hands of third-stringer Charlie Batch. The club re-signed Byron Leftwich on Monday — after cutting him last week — and the Week 3 starter could be Leftwich or Batch. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, citing an unnamed source, said Dixon could miss three to five weeks.

In Tennessee, Vince Young was benched after committing three turnovers against the Steelers, and replaced by Kerry Collins — whom Young supplanted last season. Titans Coach Jeff Fisher said Monday that Young will be the Week 3 starter against the New York Giants.

Jacksonville’s David Garrard struggled in San Diego and had four interceptions. He was replaced by Luke McCown in the fourth quarter, but McCown suffered a season-ending knee injury.

•Seneca Wallace replaced an injured Jake Delhomme in Cleveland; and, in Detroit, Shaun Hill started in place of injured Matthew Stafford. The Browns and Lions are a combined 0-4.

One of the most interesting quarterback situations is in Philadelphia, where Kevin Kolb — the player who gave the Eagles the confidence to trade Donovan McNabb within the NFC East — suffered a concussion in the first half of the opener against the Packers.

He was replaced by Michael Vick, who played better than Kolb did in the Green Bay game, and Sunday led the Eagles to victory at Detroit.

However, Kolb has been cleared to return for Sunday’s game against Jacksonville and will resume his spot in the starting lineup.

He knows what’s at stake.

“I know I didn’t play well that first half” of the Green Bay game, Kolb told reporters in Philadelphia on Monday. “We didn’t play well. Mike’s done a great job. I’m really proud of him, the way he came in and . . . led us to the victory yesterday.

“All I can do is handle what’s on the field and that’s me getting out there.”

Extra points

•The Giants’ Brandon Jacobs didn’t talk to reporters Monday, but Coach Tom Coughlin and fellow running back Ahmad Bradshaw denied a report that Jacobs is requesting to be traded. The NFL is looking into Sunday night’s incident in Indianapolis, when Jacobs threw his helmet in frustration and it wound up in the stands. Jacobs insists he wasn’t trying to throw it there.

•Stewart Bradley, the Eagles middle linebacker who re-entered the opener after suffering a concussion and staggering around like a punch-drunk boxer, defended the handling of the situation by the team’s medical staff.

“I never really felt that bad, really,” Bradley said in his first session with reporters since his injury. “I always felt lucid and always felt like, other than that initial stumble, that my balance was good and I was mentally with it.”

sam.farmer@latimes.com