Oakland heating up thanks to Gradkowski's fire

ALAMEDA, Calif. -- Raiders quarterback Bruce Gradkowski was on the street not much more than a year ago, which in NFL parlance means unemployed. He had been cut by Tampa Bay, the team that drafted him, after a two-year run and 11 starts as a rookie.

He had been axed by the lowly Rams in training camp. Gradkowski finally caught on with Cleveland for the final four games, but he was waived once more after the season.

The NFL seemed to be trying to tell Gradkowski something. Only he refused to listen. "It's tough," Gradkowski said Monday, looking back. "And I've seen each end of it, the starting quarterback side and then the side when you're on the street for a while. It's just a matter of staying confident in yourself and knowing this happens sometimes.

"Look at Kurt Warner and Jake Delhomme and guys that have been on the streets, Jeff Garcia coming from Canada. Just examples like that. I think the main thing in this league is you have to persevere, and if you're strong enough to do that you'll succeed."

It's safe to say Gradkowski has persevered. He made his third straight start Sunday for the Raiders since replacing JaMarcus Russell, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2007 draft. He led the Raiders to a 27-24 victory over the defending Super Bowl champion Steelers in front of friends and family in his hometown of Pittsburgh. What's more, he became the first Raider since Kenny Stabler to throw three touchdown passes in the fourth quarter. Each of those touchdown passes overcame a Steelers lead, and Gradkowski's final scoring pass, an 11-yard strike to Louis Murphy with nine seconds left capping an 88-yard drive, sealed the win.

Gradkowski is 2-1 as the Raiders' starter, with wins over Cincinnati and Pittsburgh and a Thanksgiving Day loss at Dallas. He has a .667 winning percentage on a team that is 4-8 this year and has lost at least 11 games in each of the past six seasons.

"I believe I'm a starting quarterback in the NFL," said Gradkowski, who threw for 308 yards against Pittsburgh with a passer rating of 121.8. "I mean, you have to have that confidence. And hopefully I'm showing it. But I really don't care what other people think. I'm just worried about taking it one week at a time, winning football games, and the rest will fall into place."

The odds Gradkowski overcame to become the Raiders' starter were longer than the team's odds of making the playoffs. The Raiders claimed him off waivers when Cleveland cut him. But when he arrived at training camp, he was stuck behind Russell and Garcia on the depth chart and was in a battle with Charlie Frye for the No. 3 job.

No problem. Garcia asked to be released when the Raiders set their 53-man roster, and Gradkowski beat out Frye for the No. 2 job. Then Russell opened the door with some horrific play, posting a passer rating of 47.7 with two touchdown passes and nine interceptions during a 2-7 start.

After a 16-10 loss to Kansas City in which Russell was pulled mid-game for the second time in three weeks, Raiders coach Tom Cable made the quarterback switch. He elevated Gradkowski, who's making $535,000, over a quarterback in the third year of a six-year contract with $32 million guaranteed.

"It was an easy decision because I feel the responsibility for this football team to give them the best chance to succeed," Cable said at the time.

Cable's decision to switch quarterbacks has paid big dividends. Gradkowski has jumpstarted the Raiders' passing game while giving the entire team an emotional spark and some much-needed leadership.

On Sunday, with time running out and the Raiders trailing 24-20, Gradkowski left no doubt who was in charge. After one play he noticed a couple off offensive linemen watching a replay on the video screen at Heinz Field. The four-letter words started flying.

"The clock was stopped, but still the play clock was a factor," said Gradkowski. "I'm not going to say exactly what I said, but I said, 'Hey get in the huddle, we'll look at the scoreboard after we score.' I was kind of mad."

Unlikely Raiders quarterback Bruce Gradkowski leads with passion, force and a touch of humor. (US Presswire)

Gradkowski did more than dish out tough love during that 10-play, game-winning drive. He mixed in some standup comedy. "Bruce was fiery," Raiders offensive lineman Langston Walker said. "He was yelling at guys. But it was fun. He was keeping everybody loose. He was telling a couple jokes. We were all focused."

In many ways, the 6-foot-1, 220-pound Gradkowski reminds you of Garcia, his former Bucs teammate and good friend. They're both undersized overachievers from mid-sized college programs. Garcia went to San Jose State, was undrafted and started his pro career in the CFL. Gradkowski went to Toledo, the only Division I school that offered him a scholarship, and was drafted in the sixth round. Like Garcia, Gradkowski relies heavily on his quick feet and high football IQ and plays the game with a white-hot passion.

"When he shows that type of passion for the game, obviously guys are going to feed off it and try to give him that same effort," Raiders running back Justin Fargas said.

In his first start, Gradkowksi led the Raiders to a come-from-behind 20-17 win over Cincinnati, marching the team to a game-tying touchdown in the final minutes. Sunday's comeback victory made it official: This is Gradkowski's offense.

"Definitely," tight end Zach Miller said. "Any time you win, especially, everyone is going to rally around you. Especially the way we've won two of the last three, the way he handles himself off the field, always talking to guys about certain routes."

At about 9 p.m. the night before the Cincinnati game, Miller got a call at his team hotel room. It was Gradkowski. He was watching game film and "wanted to make sure we were on the same page" on a specific pass route, Miller said. So Miller took a look at the play. Sure enough, a similar play developed during the game-tying drive, and Miller made the proper adjustment.

During his brief stint as the Raiders' starter, Gradkowski has thrived in the two-minute drill, with the pressure on and time running out.

"I just love the two-minute drill," Gradkowski said. "I think it's just the excitement of the game, and it kind of feels like you're in the backyard playing."

About a year ago, Gradkowski was out of the NFL and could only dream about running a two-minute drill. Now he's preparing to make his fourth straight start, Sunday against Washington at the Oakland-Alameda Coliseum.

"That goes to show it's a thin line between not being in the NFL and being in the NFL and being a starting quarterback in the NFL," Raiders defensive end Greg Ellis said.

"Nothing surprises me when you're talking about quarterbacks because I was there in Dallas to see Tony Romo. People don't realize, Tony was our scout team quarterback. He was that guy. The secondary always said he was a good quarterback, but he was our scout team quarterback, and now he's Tony Romo. The opportunity presented itself for Bruce. He stepped up and answered the challenge and accepted the challenge."