http://www.yardbarker.com/content/player/2014 Recent articles about Bruce Gradkowski en-us Things to Look Out For: 1. Who is carrying the ball? Antonio Pittman and Brian Leonard have been getting all the reps with the first offense in Steven Jackson's absence. They should continue to get the first team carries at the beginning of the game. Look out for any improvement in both Pittman and Leonard reading the game, picking up blitzes and finding the holes on running plays. Look for depth player and veteran, Travis Minor to impress late in the game playing against the scrubs. 2. Who's going to be the backup of the backup QB? As we learned last year, the 3rd string quarterback can be pushed into service because of injuries. Gradkowski and Berlin have both started in the NFL because of emergencies. Gradkowski with the Bucs and Berlin last year. Both probably have the same level of ability, but we can start to differentiate the two as they will both put in a considerable amount of minutes in the preseason. 3. Can Chris Long Impress? This is just the first preseason game, but it is the first professional game for Chris Long and other rookies, including my favorite, Mr. Irrelevant, David Vobora. This will be the Rams first look at him in a game and we will see if he impresses rushing the passer. 4. Quinton Culberson – Can he cement his spot as the strong side linebacker. I've been calling him the "Tackle Machine" all offseason and I hope he can live up to the moniker. 5. Lastly and most importantly, can the offensive line find some consistency and stability and actually block some people. There will be three groups or more of offensive linemen in the game, we will look to see if they can gel and begin to work with each other in a game situation. 6. Even more lastly and even more importantly can the Rams stay away from the injuries in 2008? Tue, 05 Aug 2008 17:15:54 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/301434 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/301434 What's going on in the NFL?  I'm a little behind myself, so this will be good to get me back on track. NFC North - Da Bears are at a crossroad? - Big Al is doing some housekeeping currently. - The Vikings think Bernard Berrian is pretty hot stuff. - The Vikings have a very unusual rookie safety. - The Queens could also be with an important part of their offensive line. The Rest - The Cardinals are doing some work. - Jamal Lewis has some choice words for the Ravens. - The Ravens could be willing to take a risk on Freddie Mitchell.  Ick. - God, I love Madden. - The Bills have the best Arab athlete in the world. - The Panthers are thinking playoffs. - There is a lot of doubt hanging over the Bengals. - The Browns are looking or some second-level help. - TO doesn't plan to leave Dallas. - John Lynch has a little competition. - A projected starting roster for the Colts is up. - A Chiefs perspective on the Broncos. - The Dolphins have some media issues. - Madden '09 is not kind to Tarvaris Jackson. - Deuce is back at training camp. - New digs in New York. - Analysis of Kellen Clemens. - The Eagles have extended their front office. - The Steelers are not too kind to Jason Taylor. - Want some tickets for a Chargers game? - Bruce Gradkowski is available for your team. - A new Music City Miracle? - This Skins think they're pretty smart, acquiring Erasmus James. A little late. Fri, 06 Jun 2008 21:53:16 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/275468 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/275468 The Tampa Bay Buccaneers made a few minor roster moves today, neither of which should come as any huge surprise. The team re-signed tight end Jerramy Stevens and decided to let Bruce Gradkowski try and find a quarterback job elsewhere. Each move represents something completely different thou, at the QB position the team is very over loaded and it was known they needed to clean out some guys. While, at the tight end position, some may of thought the team was set with the current group but this signing of Stevens may cast some doubt on the cast. Let's take a look at both. Fri, 30 May 2008 19:16:41 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/272596 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/272596 To no avail, the Bucs tried to get rid of Bruce Gradkowski during the Draft. Other teams were more interested in Chris Simms and Brian Griese. The Bucs only want 5 quarterbacks to take to training camp, and they have 6 right now, not including Jake Plummer. Jeff Garcia and Brian Griese are safe. Luke McCown will probably keep his job. They just grabbed Josh Johnson, and I don't think they drafted him just to trade him. Chris Simms has more value than Gradkowski, so if someone doesn't make the cut, it should be Gradkowski. Unfortunately, he probably doesn't have enough value to be traded. In my opinion, they should just let him go, and cut their losses. Other teams are inquiring interest in Simms, Griese, and even McCown. The latter two won't go anywhere. Fri, 02 May 2008 18:00:39 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/262918 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/262918 Jeff Garcia doesnt have a new contract and he's sounds off..... TAMPA â€" For the first time in five years, Jeff Garcia was thrilled he did not have a change of uniform or address in the offseason. The grass has never grown under the cleats of the vagabond quarterback. And it's starting to look as if the Bucs do not want Garcia to put down too many roots in Tampa Bay. Garcia said Tuesday that he's disappointed the team hasn't been willing to tear up his contract and reward him with a new deal that would enable him to finish his career with the Bucs. Garcia, 38, has one year remaining on his contract that will pay him a base salary of $2-million in 2008. He went 8-6 as a starter for the Bucs last season, leading them to an NFC South title and being named to the Pro Bowl. Nonrookie starting quarterbacks average between $7-million and $15-million a year in the NFL, making Garcia among the league's lowest-paid quarterbacks. After Tuesday's workout â€" the first of the offseason â€" Garcia was asked if he was disappointed by the lack of progress toward a new deal. "You could say that," Garcia said. "Talks haven't necessarily gone all that good. "So in a way, it's disappointing. At this point in my career, I'm no longer 24 or 25 saying, 'I'm going to prove to you I deserve this.' I feel like I've proved throughout my career. And I feel like at this time, it's time to just work with me, and you know what I bring to the team. You know what I've done for the team, and you know how much more I can do. And now I have a year under my system." The Bucs declined to comment. There's another reason why Garcia might be unhappy with his contract. Because of the Bucs' decision to rest him for the final two weeks of the regular season, he fell just short of participating in 70 percent of their offensive snaps, preventing him from earning a seven-figure bonus. Coach Jon Gruden did not allow Garcia to play the second half of the Bucs' 21-19 loss at San Francisco on Dec. 23. Garcia also was benched for the regular-season finale at home against the Panthers on Dec. 30. As a result, Garcia did not get at least $1-million in bonus money. Garcia is not required to attend the offseason workout program, which is voluntary. But he participated in Tuesday's as an act of good faith. Whether he attends the rest of this week's workouts or future offseason workout programs remains to be seen, but he indicated his options are limited. "I'm committed to a second year the way my contract is drawn up," Garcia said. "Yes, I would like to rip it up and create a new one that allows me to finish off my career here. But we're not necessarily on the same page as far as that's concerned." Garcia, Luke McCown and Bruce Gradkowski were the only quarterbacks that attended practice Tuesday. Chris Simms is not participating in offseason workouts presumably because he wants to be traded. Brian Griese, acquired in a trade with the Bears in March, had a commitment to a charity event. Tuesday's practice with the Bucs marked the first time since 2003 with the 49ers that Garcia has begun an offseason with the team he played for in the previous season. After bouncing to the Browns, Lions and Eagles in consecutive seasons, he finally found a home under Gruden in Tampa Bay. In 2007, Garcia completed 209 of 307 passes for 2,440 yards with 13 touchdowns and four interceptions for a passer rating of 94.6. Garcia said he has a chance to build upon the success he enjoyed in the team's offense a year ago. "My head was swimming," Garcia said. "When I heard the terminology (last year), I was still trying to figure it all out. And I'm not at that point. "So now I can take off from where I am now and build upon that. And going into the season, I just feel I'll be so much more confident and secure as to how to run this system as opposed to where I was last year. And last year, things didn't go all that bad." Wed, 09 Apr 2008 11:50:44 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/233336 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/233336 So there's Jeff Garcia and Bruce Gradkowski in Tampa Bay right? After I saw this picture, I'm not sure that there's not just another Garcia in Tampa and he is going with the more confusing name to avoid having to share the same jersey with his namesake Jeff... Yeah, that was a stupid way of saying that in this pic, Gradkowski looks like SERGIO! Sat, 01 Dec 2007 00:23:43 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/39793 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/39793 Do the Bucs really need another quarterback? In the eyes of Jon Gruden they must. They acquired Jeff Garcia who is the front runner to start and Jake Plummer who is currently retired. Now they are looking at the recently released Daunte Culpepper to come in and compete for a starting role. Culpepper is his own agent and is now looking for teams that will give him the best chance to start for the right price. If the Bucs do get Culpepper it could be trouble for either Chris Simms who is coming off a ruptured spleen and Bruce Gradkowski who was unimpressive in the starts he got. Fri, 20 Jul 2007 01:36:46 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/20332 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/20332 Jake Plummer's high school coach says Plummer told him recently he is definitely retired and has no interest in the grind of going to Tampa Bay's camp to compete with Jeff Garcia for the starting job. Fantasy Take: If this is true, you can take Plummer off your draft board, unless you want to "Ricky Williams" or "Vinny Testaverde" it with him in a keeper league in the hopes of him changing his mind this year or next. This report also boosts the value of clear-cut starter Jeff Garcia, as well as Bruce Gradkowski and Chris Simms, who will have a clearer path to the field without the more experienced Plummer in the picture Thu, 19 Jul 2007 20:19:36 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/20300 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/20300 Pro Football Weekly reports Jeff Garcia currently holds the starting QB job in Tampa Bay and Chris Simms has fallen behind Gradkowski on the depth chart, due to poor throwing habits in the wake of rupturing his spleen. Sun, 15 Jul 2007 08:55:47 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/19733 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/19733 We compiled a ton of quarterback Wonderlic scores from over the years and were kind of shocked at the results. Fri, 23 Feb 2007 10:17:34 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/10395 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/10395 After Chris Simms' season was ended when he had his spleen removed, many thought he would become a free agent at the end of the season. However, since the Bucs have gone 3-11 and QB Bruce Gradkowski has struggled. The Bucs have no possibility to make the playoffs and will finish up the season against Cleveland. Should the Bucs make this commitment to Simms? Is he worth up to $10 million over two years? Sat, 23 Dec 2006 21:33:07 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/7324 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/7324 Bruce Gradkowski and Tim Rattay have been so bad that the Bucs are actually going to pay Chris Simms $5 million to come back next year Sat, 23 Dec 2006 20:12:37 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/7316 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/7316 We didn't expect it to be as close as it was, but other than that, not much surprised us in the Bears win over Tampa Bay yesterday. Mon, 18 Dec 2006 17:21:42 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/7012 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/7012 Another weekend of the NFL is fast approaching...the playoff picture is coming into sharper focus, fantasy seasons are in the home stretch, several teams are making 2007 draft plans already, and the NFC has a different Super Bowl favorite every 5 minutes. Fri, 01 Dec 2006 05:02:04 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/5984 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/5984 I was going to try to bang out my full set of predictions today, and buck the trend of spitting out just the Thanksgiving picks...but then life happened. Work got busy, and I've got dinner guests...so looks like I'll have to just spit out my Turkey day picks and then come back around with my full slate tomorrow. Wed, 22 Nov 2006 23:01:41 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/5560 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/5560