Gradkowski experiment ends ... for now at least

By RICK STROUD
Published December 24, 2006

Any minute now, maybe Bruce Gradkowski's head will stop spinning.

The rookie from Toledo peaked in his debut at New Orleans on Oct. 8 then regressed each week.

The Bucs had hoped for another Tom Brady, a sixth-round pick who won a Super Bowl a season after throwing only three passes as a rookie. What they got was a 3-11 record and a shot at the No. 1 overall pick. Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn?

Gradkowski hit rock bottom last week against the Bears, when his first pass went end-over-end and landed 5 yards away from Joey Galloway.

Only three recent rookie quarterbacks have played key roles in their team's success: Dan Marino, Ben Roethlisberger and Vince Young.

On a team that had 21 of 22 returning starters, why did the Bucs turn to a sixth-round rookie when starter Chris Simms became injured in Week 3?

Were they fooled by Gradkowski's success in the preseason? Or were they discouraged by Tim Rattay's lack of it?

"I don't think we even thought about it that way," quarterbacks coach Paul Hackett said. "We had so much excitement about Bruce. We had tape of Tim Rattay and saw what he was able to do. And he was just a little off. And here came this guy (Gradkowski), and it was like, 'Wow!' I think it was more of that than it was Rattay. We said Tim will be one of the backups and Bruce will be the other.

"What we didn't anticipate was Chris Simms losing his spleen. Now you're in Week 4, and it's 'Okay, let's go.' You don't have time to really think that through. You react, which is what we did."

You have to credit Gradkowski for hanging in there. He managed to win three games and made some big-time plays. Just to function in Jon Gruden's offense as a rookie is an accomplishment.

But it proved to be too much pressure to put on the kid in the first place.

Even after Rattay's performance against the Bears, Gruden wouldn't second-guess his decision. But there are 52 players in the locker room who have.

At 0-3, many veterans believed it was too early to throw in the towel on the season.

Gradkowski will benefit from the experience. He played better than a lot of quarterbacks drafted ahead of him.

"For him to come in and do what he's done, particularly when we struggled in the running game, is absolutely remarkable," Hackett said. "It'll be a huge benefit in the future. Monday night and Thanksgiving (games), you cannot measure what they will do for him when he has a chance to take a deep breath.

"Obviously, we needed to win more. He needed to make more throws. I think if you look at the history of that position, the demand at that position and the expectation level within this offense, it's a tall order for any young person. I'm not talking about a first-year guy. I'm talking about a second- or third-year guy."

BARRY BOLTING?: The biggest offseason loss might be linebackers coach Joe Barry. Frustrated the Bucs didn't allow him to follow father-in-law Rod Marinelli to Detroit, Barry did not sign a contract extension and is free to look around in two weeks.

"The good thing is I'm going to be able to pursue something," Barry said. "I don't want to go anywhere else to coach linebackers. I'm in such a good situation here. My family loves it here. I love working with (defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin), and I love coaching the guys that I coach.

"The reason I (didn't sign an extension) was so if an opportunity presents itself, I can pursue it. And it's a coordinator's job I want. Come Jan. 1, we'll see what happens."

Rick Stroud can be reached at stroud @sptimes.com.

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[Last modified December 24, 2006, 05:32:30]