Bruce Gradkowski
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| St. Louis Rams — No. 8 | |
| Quarterback | |
| Date of birth: January 27, 1983 | |
| Place of birth: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | |
| Height: 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | Weight: 220 lb (100 kg) |
| National Football League debut | |
|---|---|
| 2006 for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers | |
| Career history | |
| College: Toledo | |
| NFL Draft: 2006 / Round: 6 / Pick: 194 | |
Teams:
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| Current status: Active | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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| Selected NFL statistics (through Week 17 of the 2007 NFL season) |
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| TD-INT | 9-10 |
| Passing yards | 1,791 |
| QB Rating | 65.0 |
| Stats at NFL.com | |
Bruce Raymond Gradkowski (born January 27, 1983 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) is an American football quarterback for the St. Louis Rams of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the sixth round of the 2006 NFL Draft. He played college football at Toledo.
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[edit] Early years
Gradkowski is a 2001 graduate from Seton-La Salle Catholic High School in Pittsburgh, PA and played as a member of the Seton-La Salle Rebels from 1997 to 2000 in the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL). This is the same league that produced football legends such as Dan Marino (Central Catholic High School), Joe Montana (Ringgold High School), Joe Namath (Beaver Falls High School), and Johnny Unitas (St. Justin High School). In high school, he ultimately performed at a higher level than any of them did. As a junior, Gradkowski threw for 1,630 yards and 10 touchdowns. This performance was then significantly improved as a senior, when he completed 188 out of 327 passes (a completion percentage of 57.5%) and threw for a then-WPIAL and PIAA (state) record of 2,978 yards and 30 touchdowns (surpassing the previous mark set by Marino). In high school, Gradkowski also performed well in basketball, serving as Seton-La Salle's starting point guard and leading his team in scoring.
[edit] College career
After redshirting as a freshman at Toledo in 2001, Gradkowski saw action only as the holder on the special teams unit. In 2003, he was thrust into the starting position as a sophomore. He set a Mid-American Conference season record by completing 71.2% of his passes. He also threw for 3,210 yards, with a school season record of 29 touchdowns and 7 interceptions and a final passer rating of 161.53. He also proved he could scramble by rushing for 504 yards and a score on 91 carries (5.5 avg). In 2004, Gradkowski honed his skills and passed for 3518 yards with 27 touchdowns and 8 interceptions. Statistically, his senior year was his weakest, but he pulled off a victory in the GMAC Bowl and won MVP. Other MVPs of the GMAC Bowl have included Byron Leftwich, Ben Roethlisberger, LaDainian Tomlinson, and Omar Jacobs. After he finished his senior year he declared himself eligible for the 2006 NFL Draft.
[edit] Statistics
| YEAR | CMP | ATT | YDS | CMP% | YPA | LNG | TD | INT | SACK | RAT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 277 | 389 | 3210 | 71.2 | 8.25 | 66 | 29 | 7 | 9 | 161.53 |
| 2004 | 280 | 399 | 3518 | 70.2 | 8.82 | 96 | 27 | 8 | 14 | 162.56 |
| 2005 | 207 | 332 | 2469 | 62.3 | 7.44 | 70 | 29 | 12 | 9 | 146.42 |
[edit] Professional career
[edit] Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers drafted Bruce Gradkowski with the 125th pick in the 6th round of the 2006 NFL Draft. After a preseason in which he recorded the highest passer rating of any Tampa Bay quarterback, he was slotted in second string behind Simms.
Bruce was named the starter for week 5 against New Orleans. He became the starting quarterback due to the ruptured spleen suffered by previous starter Chris Simms. He had the best starting debut of all 2006 rookie quarterbacks by completing 20 out of 31 attempts for 225 yards with 2 touchdowns and no interceptions. His performance was good enough to post a 107.6 passer rating and a near upset of the New Orleans Saints. After his first loss, he won two straight starts versus Cincinnati and Philadelphia before losing to the New York Giants, New Orleans Saints, and the Carolina Panthers. After losing three in a row, he won on November 19, 2006, against the Washington Redskins posting a 104.9 passer rating - that game was also the first start for Redskin's Quarterback Jason Campbell. Then on Thanksgiving day, he lost to the Dallas Cowboys, throwing 2 interceptions. He lost his second in a row to his hometown Pittsburgh Steelers, throwing three interceptions. He lost another two starts to the Falcons and Bears, being pulled in the second quarter in Chicago in favor of Tim Rattay. He would not start December 24 vs. Cleveland as Rattay did.
Against the Washington Redskins, Gradkowski got the nod as the starter because of a Jeff Garcia injury. However, he struggled, while the Redskins' offense came to life. The next week, Luke McCown would start, because of Gradkowski's poor performance.
He has a record of 3-8 as a starter. Bruce also set the record for throwing more passes in NFL history before suffering a second career interception(200).[1]
On May 30, 2008, Gradkowski was waived by the Buccaneers.
[edit] St. Louis Rams
In June 2008, Gradkowski was claimed off waivers by the Rams.
[edit] Career statistics
Passing
| YEAR | G | GS | ATT | CMP | CMP% | YDS | YPA | LNG | TD | INT | RAT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 13 | 11 | 328 | 177 | 54.0% | 1661 | 5.1 | 53 | 9 | 9 | 65.9 |
Rushing
| YEAR | G | GS | ATT | YDS | AVG | LNG | TD | 1ST | FUM | LOST | REC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 13 | 11 | 41 | 161 | 3.9 | 14 | 0 | 12 | 11 | 6 | 3 |
[edit] External links
| Preceded by Chris Simms |
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Starting Quarterbacks 2006 |
Succeeded by Tim Rattay |
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