Rattay to start against Cleveland
The 29-year-old quarterback is rewarded after a strong performance in a loss to the Bears.
By STEPHEN F. HOLDER
Published December 19, 2006
TAMPA - Jon Gruden has defended Bruce Gradkowski when the boos drowned out the cheers. The coach stuck with the rookie even when he threw more interceptions than touchdowns. And Gruden never stopped reiterating that Gradkowski could be a solid NFL quarterback given ample time.
But at least for now, Gradkowski's time is up.
After quarterbacking the past 11 games going 3-8 as a starter, Gradkowski will watch from the sidelines when the Bucs play Sunday at Cleveland. Veteran Tim Rattay, author of a stunning rally that fell just short against the Bears two days ago, gets the start. It will be Rattay's first start since Oct. 2, 2005, with the 49ers.
Despite his reluctance to give up on Gradkowski throughout the season, Gruden said the decision was easy.
"It's just common sense right now based on performance and who gives us a better chance to win a football game," he said. "We'd like to finish the season as strongly as we can. I think Bruce is struggling to a degree now and I thought Tim did some good things the last couple weeks when given a chance to play."
Still, the fact that the decision comes now, when Gradkowski has struggled for weeks to generate offense, is at least curious. Asked repeatedly Monday why he decided against making a change earlier, Gruden said Gradkowski's play has slid more noticeably in recent weeks. Gradkowski posted passer ratings of 29.2 and 35.8 against the Cowboys and Steelers, respectively.
"I haven't seen Bruce struggle to this degree," Gruden said. "You can second-guess it. I'm not going to get real deep and philosophical. We felt Bruce Gradkowski recognized looks. We feel he's got the ability to make plays. I like the way he moved our team at times. We just aren't able to complete drives. And I believe the best thing to do right now is go with Tim Rattay.
"Did I wait too long? That's up to you to decide."
Rattay's encouraging performance Sunday brought that very question to the forefront. Gruden constantly stressed Gradkowski's potential, but his struggles with tasks that come slowly for young quarterbacks - decision-making for one - were the very areas Rattay handled well against the Bears. He finished with 268 passing yards, completing 20-of-35 attempts, throwing three touchdowns in just more than a half.
Another area Rattay showed proficiency was on deep passes, hitting Joey Galloway and Ike Hilliard for touchdowns of 64 and 44 yards, respectively, in the Bucs' 34-31 overtime loss. Gradkowski's struggles with deep passes have been well-documented. More reason to give Rattay a shot: His three touchdown passes were the most by the Bucs this season. Gradkowski hasn't thrown a touchdown since Nov. 19.
For Rattay, 29, it has been a long road. Before entering last week's home game against Atlanta in the fourth quarter, he had never appeared in a regular season game as a member of the Bucs, serving only as a backup since being traded to Tampa Bay after Brian Griese's season-ending knee injury in October 2005.
"I'm excited," he said when told of Gruden's decision. "I'm fired up to play."
Now, Rattay hopes he can be even more effective with a full week as the starting quarterback, meaning he'll practice with the first-team offense. Rattay normally is limited to sporadic scout-team duty and occasional snaps with reserves.
"I (haven't) gotten a lot of throws with (the starters) since training camp," he said. "Those guys don't do scout team, obviously."
What the decision means for Gradkowski remains to be seen. He almost certainly will be back in a Bucs uniform in 2007, and figures to benefit greatly from his unexpected playing time that came because of starter Chris Simms' season-ending splenectomy. Through it all, Gradkowski believes better days are ahead.
"It's been a great experience for me," Gradkowski said. "It's going to be tough sitting back and watching. But I just have to sit back and try to get whatever I can out of it.
"I was fortunate enough to start this year. It's tough to come out and be a superstar right away. Some guys do and some guys don't. I'm still going to be ready. Don't count me out. I'm going to be ready to go if called upon. There's a long road ahead of me."
Stephen F. Holder can be reached at sholder@sptimes.com or (813) 226-3377.