Bruce Gradkowski On KNRB and the Oakland Raiders’ QB Competition

Bruce Gradkowski is “punctual.” That’s the word used by KNRB 680/1050 AM’s The Razor and Mr. T Show.

“We are a good football team and the only thing we have to work on is being consistent and that’s going to be the number one goal this year,” said Bruce Gradkowski, the fan favorite choice to be the starting QB for the Oakland Raiders this year.

“I know no different than to be a blue collar guy, to work hard…but if you just keep working hard, good things will come, and you’ll get what you deserve,” said Gradkowski.

“In my heart, I wanna be in Oakland and I believe I’ll be in Oakland and I wanna be here for years to come. I just feel a good presence here, especially with the fan base we have. It’s the best in football, and they care about their team and I wanna give them something to look forward to.”

Well, hell at least somebody in the huddle is looking for more than just a paycheck. Gradkowski is a sixth round draft choice who was brought into Tampa Bay under head coach Jon Gruden in the 2006 NFL Draft.

While many fans of the team are disgruntled, thinking that when head coach Tom Cable said they would have an open competition for the QB position meant that Al Davis would decide the choice based on paychecks, Bruce welcomes the challenge, saying, “Competition just makes you better, and the best person should be out there for the job…I’d love to get it from the start and see what we can do with it.”

It makes you wonder why Gradkowski couldn’t have been a part of this team in 2006, the year before JaMarcus Russell was taken number one overall in the draft.

Of course, back then, Gradkowski was not even close to the household name he has developed in Oakland as of late.

He was a little known QB out of Toledo by way of Pennsylvania. He was fairly well known...

About the Author