DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum We need an emergency QB

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Cleveland Browns sign quarterback
by Tony Grossi Tuesday December 02, 2008, 3:02 PM

AP photo
Bruce GradkowskiIn a day of quarterback news for the Browns, the team today:
* Announced that Brady Quinn will have surgery tomorrow to repair a chip fracture and ligament damage to his right index finger. Quinn will have the surgery done in Birmingham, Ala., by hand specialist Dr. Thomas Hunt. The club said that Quinn should make a full recovery in six to 10 weeks.

* Signed Bruce Gradkowski, who played two years with Tampa Bay and was out of football this season. Gradkowski, who played at Toledo, had nine touchdowns and 10 interceptions in two seasons with the Bucs and a passer rating of 65.0.

* Formally placed Derek Anderson on injured reserve. Anderson is out for the year with a torn medial collateral ligament in his left knee.

The Browns also re-signed receiver Steve Sanders to the practice squad

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WE'RE SAVED!!!

I'm glad we brought in someone who's played the QB position the past couple years, even if he didn't play it very well. I'd love to see Cribbs get some snaps, just because I think he's a really exciting player, but I'd rather he concentrate on his ST and WR duties.

I don't think anyone is saying that Gradkowski will be our savior. But, he has *some* talent and can at least fill in if Dorsey goes down.

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WE'RE SAVED!!!

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Gosh, I feel so much better now,, don't you?

Out of the list I gave a few day's ago I was hoping for Gradkowski to be signed. I don't tink he is a great QB but in the limited amount of time he got with the Bucs I came off pretty impressed with his play his rookie year.

Once he get's in here and learns the system I would like to throw him in for the final one or two games just to see what he's got. Hell this seasons over anyways.

My guess is he's gonna turn out to be a pretty solid backup.

if he does we don't have to draft one. local boy too. at least we won't hear his name chanted as its too difficult to pronounce.

I saw him play a tiny bit when he was with the Bucs. What are his pros and cons?

Well I would still draft one.

If I ran the show I would draft a RB and a QB every other year in the 6-7th rounds. Never know when your gonna find a gem.

I think you mean Dave Ragone from St. Ignatius. He was drafted by Houston and is now out of the NFL.

Bruce Gradkowski 7
Position: QB
Height: 6-1 7/8
Weight: 222
Birthdate: 1/27/1983
Experience: R
College: Toledo
Hometown: Pittsburgh, PA
Acquired: D6a-'06

Bruce is a very mobile quarterback who keeps defenses honest with his ability to throw on the move, step up in the pocket and throw with touch or roll out, tuck the ball and race down the sidelines in order to move the chains. He is the unquestioned leader of the team and well-respected throughout the industry for his character, leadership and poise.

The Seton-LaSalle High School product was the latest standout quarterback to play in that prep conference, which also featured the likes of such greats as Johnny Lujack, George Blanda, Joe Namath, Terry Hanratty, Joe Montana and Dan Marino. All of those quarter-backs' passing statistics were surpassed by Bruce, earning All-State and "Fab 22 Team" honors from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in his junior and senior seasons.

Gradkowski hit on 188 of 327 passes (57.5%) for 2,978 yards and 30 touchdowns as a senior. That passing yardage total was the most in the conference's 87-year history. He threw for 1,630 yards and 10 touchdowns as a junior and was named first-team all-conference. Bruce also excelled in basketball, starting at point guard and was the team's leading scorer.

After redshirting as a freshman at Toledo in 2001, Bruce saw minimal action in 2002, completing two of three passes for 28 yards. He moved into the starting lineup as a sophomore, setting a Mid-American Conference season-record as he ranked second in the nation, completing 71.2% of his passes. He was sixth in the NCAA Division 1-A ranks with a 161.5 passing efficiency rating. He completed 277 of 389 passes for 3,210 yards, with a school season-record 29 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He also proved to be a capable scrambler, totaling 504 yards and a score on 91 carries (5.5 avg).

The All-American honorable mention ranked second in the nation with a 71.2% pass completion in 2004. He ranked fifth in the country with 3,518 yards, hitting on 280 of 399 attempts. He had 27 touchdowns and eight interceptions, adding nine more scores and 191 yards on 91 carries (2.1 avg). He proved his toughness by playing in the MAC Championship Game and the Motor City Bowl with a dislocated left shoulder and a broken bone in his right hand.

Gradkowski's 70.7% career pass completion percentage is the best among NCAA returning quarterbacks in 2005. Through 38 games for the Rockets, he has completed 559 of 791 passes for 6,756 yards, a school career-record 56 touchdowns and only 15 interceptions. His 6,756 yards rank third on the school's all-time record list. Bruce also rushed for 727 yards and ten touchdowns on 187 carries (3.9 avg). He amassed 7,483 yards in total offense and has been responsible for 66 touchdowns while starting 25 times during his collegiate career.

SCOUTING ANALYSIS

Bruce has a good body frame that can add more bulk with no loss in speed. He is a dangerous roll-out passer with the speed to tuck the ball and gain big yardage on the ground. He is a smart, instinctive athlete who is a solid decision maker. He is a fearless leader who plays with injuries that would sideline most other players. He is hard to defend as he makes the defense play the entire field.

He has adequate arm strength and might be better suited for a West Coast or option offense. He shows great ability to throw on the run and shows the awareness to set up and throw the short ball with good touch. He shows good zip on intermediate throws, but tends to hold the ball a little too long at times waiting for his primary target to get open. However, he will throw the ball away or tuck the ball and run rather than make poor decisions by throwing into a crowd.

He is calm under pressure and throws a catchable ball, displaying a smooth over-the-top motion and a decent release. He has adequate speed getting to his pass set point, as the team utilizes him mostly in the shotgun, making it hard to judge his quickness getting back from center. He has a good feel for pressure and good command of the huddle.

Bruce is best when operating in the short area. He does a good job of anticipating when his receivers will get open and is effective on crossing routes. He distributes the ball effectively, utilizing all of his targets on the field. His feet buy him time in the pocket waiting for the plays to develop, but he still needs to get the ball off a little quicker.

He is a mobile runner who is very good on the bootlegs and draw plays. He has the ability to throw on the run, especially from the far hash. Gradkowski's problems develop when he fails to locate his secondary targets, relying too much on his mobility to buy time while eyeing his primary target. He is a competitive type that will improvise to make the plays. Bruce has solid throwing mechanics and will drill the ball to his receiver on underneath routes. He has very good balance and change of direction agility to step up in the pocket and hangs tough under the rush.

While he might not be suited for a vertical passing game, he has a lot of ability in handling the option attack. He lacks ideal size that you look for in a quarterback and needs more muscle tone, but has the mental alertness and competitive fire to make things happen on the field. Playing through those injuries late in 2004 proved his toughness.

A bit of a concern is his smaller-than-ideal hands (8 7/8-inches), as he is prone to fumbling the ball (see 2004 Kansas and Western Michigan games) because of his inability to secure the ball at times, but he does square his shoulders well on the move. He looks like a nice mid-round talent who can be an effective back-up earlier in his career, but needs to improve his arm strength before he can be counted on to lead a pro team.

SCOUTING REPORT

Positives…Has outstanding leadership ability and is in total command in the huddle… Shows good poise stepping up in the pocket and is never rattled by pressure…Very accurate on screens, fades and underneath tosses, showing much better touch in the short area than on long throws…Throws a soft ball with a tight spiral and is very effective throwing on the move…Has great escape agility and is quick enough to generate a burst working into the second level…Effective scrambler who keeps his feet under him when throwing on the move…Student of the game with good field vision, easily spotting the soft spot in the defense's zone…Puts good zip behind his slant passes and has enough arm strength to connect on the corner from the far hash…Distributes the ball, taking advantage to use all of his targets.

Negatives…Has a snappy over-the-top release, but shows a slight hitch/flick…Has adequate arm strength, but not enough to fire tight ropes throwing deep…Works too much from the shotgun, making it difficult to evaluate his speed dropping back from center to set and throw…Spends more time than needed eyeing his primary targets and seems to hesitate looking off to find his secondary receivers…Makes good decisions mostly on the field, but is not known for making them instantly…Has smaller than ideal hands and this could possibly be the reason for some fumble issues…Has a good built, but not muscular and could use more bulk and strength to compete at the next level.

4.50 in the 40-yard dash…350-pound bench press…Bench presses 225 pounds 17 times… Leg presses 600 pounds 20 times…33 ¾-inch vertical jump…3.97 20-yard shuttle…6.76 three-cone drill…31 ½-inch arm length…8 7/8-inch hands…Right-handed…19/26 Wonderlic score.

I can't really remember that was two years ago since I seen him actually play.

I just remember he seemed to direct the offense pretty well and didn't seem like he was a deer in headlights (which was pretty impressive for a rookie). I also remember he moved around pretty well in the pocket and seemed to scramble pretty well when needed.

I just remember thinking at the time that I hoped he would get a shot to keep the job cause he was pretty impressive for a rookie.

but don't quote me on any of that cause I have a hard time remembering 3 games ago let alone two years.

Ha! Well I guess my memory isn't as mushy as I thought it was.

you know...if he went to ND under weiss...

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I think you mean Dave Ragone from St. Ignatius. He was drafted by Houston and is now out of the NFL.

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You sir are my hero,,, Yes, that's who I meant and yeah, I kinda figured he was out of the league.... Thank you... it was driving me nuts.. and that's a short drive on a bad day....

Interesting we signed him to a TWO year deal.

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Interesting we signed him to a TWO year deal.

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It's probably not guaranteed so I'm not sure the length of it really matters...

Then again, he might have been in thier off season plans anyway for all we know.. it seems clear that one of our two starters aren't gonna be here next year so this kid could be something to test out in Preseason to see if he can be a solid back up... who knows..

not really that interesting.... Anderson won't be here next year, at least not for what he is currently inked at. That much is now a given. So it looks like, at least going into camp, that the battle for #2 starts with Gradkowski as I'm going to assume that Dorsey will still be the #3 due to (lack of) arm strength.

Nevermind. The QB Hamilton, I was talking about from Troy is a Sophmore. He should be highly recruited in a couple years. The other game I watched of Troy was against LSU and LSU had to come back to win 40-31. The game against OSU was close until Ohio State scored 2 TDs in the 4th.

IMO, we need to stockpile as many draft picks as it takes to take LeSean McCoy in 2010.

You know 79, I read that scouting report and many comments here and in other places on Gradkowski and something sort of jumped out at me.

Here we've been since the drafting of Quinn with two QB's who pretty much have had opposite skill sets to some degree.

DA is more of a pure pocket passer who lacks any real threat at rolling out and passing or running the ball. He has a strong arm, but a pure pocket passer would be a fairly accurate description of DA.

Quinn has the ability to scramble and throw on the run. Looking at Gradkowski's skill set and BQ's, they much more mirror each other.

I mean people throw the term "continuity" around a LOT here. But how could our O ever achieve continuity when the game plan must change depending on who is starting that week?

It would appear that having two QB's with similar skill sets can actually bring about some continuity on the O. That our players and coaches won't have to pick and choose from the playbook on what way to attack purely based on who our starting QB is.

That we can bring about some sense of identity on the O side of the ball that won't be changing like the direction of the wind based on who is starting. If Quinn were to go down next year, the offensive game plan would remain the same.

Under such a scenario, that two year contract might make a lot of sense.

JMHO

I remember Gradkowski from a couple of years back, but seemed to recall that there was something that bothered me ......

Then I looked up his stats and remembered that he had 11 fumbles in 11 starts with Tampa Bay in 2006.

j/c

I saw a lot of Gradkowsi in his MAC days at UT. Kid was all over the news, and local coverage was heavy. Lots of what I saw showed real promine.

In many ways, he's always seemed like a "poor man's Ben Roethlisburger" to me. Beside the somewhat similar skill set, there's another thing he has in common with BR: he's the kind of guy who will find/improvise/will a way to beat you. Sometimes, it's a think of beauty. Sometimes, it's uglier than a mud fence... but wins are wins.

Haven't seen too much of him or kept close tabs on him since he went pro tho... he didn't join the Browns. (hehehe)

No matter what happens with our current 1's and 2's, we could do worse than having this kid on the payroll.

I'm from the area and watched him play a couple games. He's a competitive, gutsy son of a gun and outplayed Omar Jacobs a few times. He also had Lance Moore to throw to. Gruden was really high on him, but I don't know what happened after that.

Clem, I haven't really seen the guy play.

But it seems sort of conflicting to what I've been hearing about him.

I've read scouting reports that indicate he's shifty, elusive and has the speed to stretch the field and scramble.

Which doesn't sound that much like Big Ben to me. And from everything I've read, his size doesn't quite equate to BR either.

Could anyone who has seen him play extensively help me out with this?