Bruce Gradkowski
by Remix. on Feb 21, 2010 7:10 PM PST
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Bruce Gradkowski, What else needs to be said? The name itself screams leadership, excellence and most importantly, a new start. He's a 27 Year old, 6'0, 220 NFL QB playing for the Oakland Raiders. He's played for numerous teams and besides 2006, he never started more than 2 games. Until 2009, When he started over failure QB, JaMarcus Russell in Week 10. He led the Oakland Raiders to their biggest wins of the season. including a win over Super Bowl champs, the Pittsburgh Steelers. After that, he was injured rather severly in Week 14. He missed the rest of the season and the Oakland Raiders lost 2 out of the next 3 games.
Now, With the terrific story told. Lets have some fun praising our hopeful QB of the future. Some of you may call this over confidence, arrogant or even premature. But, Im bored and this idea sparked in my head. Some of you are doubting our Savior dressed in Silver & Black, Bruce Gradkowski. And I'm not OK with that. This guy single handely lifted the spirit of Raider Nation and gave us fans hope. So here are a few names I will be chanting as Bruce runs over teams during the season:
Bruce Almighty
The Bald Jesus
The Savior
Try and think of some names that you would call our QB, Bruce Gradkowski!
Now thats a face of determination.
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If he wins the starting job great, but i would much rather have Jamurcus prove everyone wrong and come out playing like he did in college.
But it wont matter who the QB is unless we upgrade our O-line.
This is my city Oakland, California just to be exact il tell you where its at. Pick up a globe pick up a map see San Francisco cross the water right there exact....
- Mista F.A.B.
He'd have to have at least one additional possession receiver
to look anything like he did in college.
You gotta have a guy who can catch a very hard, very fast pass.
Walker was supposed to be that guy, but he’s been riding the million dollar bench -Marcus Allen style.
not every QB has that type of guy.
Take Philip Rivers(Jackson and Nanne are the only great WRs they have), and all other starting QBs that are better than russel. Not every one of them has that possession guy.
You gotta have a QB
that has finesse and can fine tune his pass power to get it TO the player and not THROUGH the player. After 2 years of playing don’t you think that should have been learned by now?
Win, Lose, or Tie, Raiders til I die!
Why do you keep passing the blame
from Russell onto everyone else? Are you getting your rocks off arguing and eliciting reactions or are you really just not able to see how bad this guy is?
Win, Lose, or Tie, Raiders til I die!
imo, an unfounded and uneducated opinion
Look at the facts! And you can’t blame the ones he sailed over guy’s heads (as many as were dropped, probably more) on inability by wideouts, now can you?
"If your only ambition in life, is to be a better person; well, that's just the best ambition you can have..." Wayne "Rabbit" Bartholomew
Oh, I'm not so sure.
The last game they used as a pretext to bench RussellI listened to Flores and Papa for the entire game.
They seem like pretty educated fellows, and they counted 8 drops.
How dare you!
Such a child. There is no way you can compare Javon to Marcus! MArcus gave a lot to this team including a Super Bowl performance that is secod to none and an MVP season.
You cant mention those 2 as the same in any way.
Win at all costs! Winning ugly is still winning! Remember the past and what got us to the top before. Jim Plunkett and winning ugly......enough said!
by TheLyleAlzadoPunch on Feb 25, 2010 11:47 AM PST up reply actions
I read it again but don't understand what you mean by "Marcus Allen style". Do you think Walker is being punished?
Walker…riding the million dollar bench -Marcus Allen style.
Or what?
by Sons-of-Blanda on Feb 25, 2010 8:51 PM PST up reply actions
I've learned
That anything xville says is uneducated and simply annoying..As mikesd1981 once old me “Dont feed the troll.” xville is set in his strange and confusing ways and he is getting harder and harder it withstand. I just try to ignore anything he says now a days
If winning isn't everything, why do they keep score?
- Vince Lombardi
Schillens and Murphy are better WRs than Walker - that's why he's not playing
Allen was at least as good as Roger Craig then and most of us consider him better.
by Sons-of-Blanda on Feb 27, 2010 6:50 PM PST up reply actions
I'm not seeing it.
You’re saying that a rookie and a guy who had 226 yards the previous year are better receivers than a pro-bowl receiver?
With our present starters and a developing DHB, there's no pressing need for a WR through FA
Chaz Schilens and Louis Murphy are becoming very good. – and after week 9 they just excelledr. As for Javon Walker, he did not play, except 1punt return for 0 yards. Al is staying with Bey who he believes will be another Branch. So keep obsessing on Javon even while he’s become irrelevant.
by Sons-of-Blanda on Feb 28, 2010 7:38 AM PST up reply actions
I don't like where Bey was picked in the draft
but I haven’t given up on him either. I think with Gradkowski, who can hit a target, Bey could develop.
Win, Lose, or Tie, Raiders til I die!
But is Grad more vulnerable to reinjury
because he went down with two injuries?
Would it even be smart to keep him?
That is the one positive on Jamarcus. He can sustain the beating our qbs take due to lack of real blocking
because he outweighs most of the guys tackling him! Get Bruce protection, and his knees will be fine. It’s the only smart thing to do, in fact, besides getting rid of Jamasticates right now, concerning our qb situation.
"If your only ambition in life, is to be a better person; well, that's just the best ambition you can have..." Wayne "Rabbit" Bartholomew
Last I checked, I'm not a doctor.
But MCL’s heal themselves without surgery, so I’m not afraid of his injuries. Many other athletes have gotten them and had no problems after. Why wouldn’t it be smart to keep him? Is that the only reason you can think of to not keep him? He’s in good shape and he’s young, he’ll heal. You’re main man Russell on the other hand isn’t in the best of shape and probably wouldn’t work hard to rehabilitate after an injury. Is it smart to keep him?
Win, Lose, or Tie, Raiders til I die!
brady
tore both him acl and mcl. he didn’t get immediate production, but he gave us an above average production(and it was his second best year).
With Grad, one acl is Partially torn, while only the right one had a torn acl. He can heal from those in maybe 6-8 months. He can still be productive. And since he is dedicated(not a stab at russel), he can be even better in terms of production.
I don't know what you've read and where
but Mike is right – he had 2 MCL injuries (MCL sytands for medial collateral ligament):
http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/wireStory?id=9327534
Gradkowski was diagnosed with a torn medial collateral ligament in his left knee and a partially torn MCL in his right knee.
by Spirals galore on Feb 28, 2010 3:41 PM PST up reply actions
Well then you
misquoted in your initial statement calling it a partial ACL
Win, Lose, or Tie, Raiders til I die!
Grad didn't tear the ACLs, he tore the MCLs
anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of the two major ligaments in the knee. It connects the thigh bone to the shin bone. ACL injuries are a common cause of disability in the knee. The PCL is the other major ligament in the knee.
The medial collateral ligament is usually injured when the outside of the knee joint is struck. This action causes the outside of the knee to buckle, and the inside to widen. When the medial collateral ligament is stretched too far, it is susceptible to tearing and injury. This is the injury seen by the action of “clipping” in a football game. It is not as serious as tears to the ACL
by Sons-of-Blanda on Feb 28, 2010 3:45 PM PST up reply actions
Javon Walker
Has never been the same since the night of the shooting and death of his friend and former teamate over in Denver. He was considering retiring because he realized what was important in life and Al offered him an obscene amount of money to come out of retirement
If winning isn't everything, why do they keep score?
- Vince Lombardi
See again
it’s management. That money just went to a guy sitting on the bench that could have gone to a better FA WR or some help on the line.
Win, Lose, or Tie, Raiders til I die!
according to cable today,
his future with the raiders is uncertain.
ihttp://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2010/02/28/cable-well-see-about-javon-walker/
by Spirals galore on Feb 28, 2010 5:19 PM PST up reply actions
Ok I read it
I made the mistake that I thought you were comparing MA to Javon on play but your statement still makes no sense. JW is a lamo that never tried living up to that ridiculous contract. MA always played hard.
The statement has no merit and makes no sense MA was benched cuz Al was being…..well Al.
Win at all costs! Winning ugly is still winning! Remember the past and what got us to the top before. Jim Plunkett and winning ugly......enough said!
by TheLyleAlzadoPunch on Feb 26, 2010 7:13 AM PST up reply actions
^^^ JaMarcus
This is my city Oakland, California just to be exact il tell you where its at. Pick up a globe pick up a map see San Francisco cross the water right there exact....
- Mista F.A.B.
Bruce is a back up bottom line he couldn’t start for the Browns last year what make you think he is going to do any better here. Don’t start comparing him to Rich Gannon either. If out playing Russell is the key to being a star some teams have 2 star qb’s . You have you to be able to start for more than 3 games be considered the teams leader. I could see if you were bragging about Nnamdi or even our teams kickers. cause you can compare them the NFL best. Bruce doesn’t put us in the top 25 qb’s in the NFL. We still have the worst qb in the AFC WEST.
Matt Cassel?
smh…Now I know you can do better than that. I’d rather Grad then Cassel right now. o_o
by NFLanalyzerfromhome on Feb 21, 2010 10:28 PM PST up reply actions
at this moment
they are basically the same talent. I’m serious. They have the same intangibles, and their style, and how they throw are very, very similar. If you throw in cassel instead of grad, I would not know the difference at all.
by patriotguy2 on Feb 22, 2010 11:04 AM PST up reply actions
if you look at his intangibles
they are all of what a great QB has. He has the awareness, pocket presence, accuracy, and leadership to potentially be a great QB. Just because he was a backup at the browns doesn’t prove anything. because any QB can come to a different team, and turn some heads.
You yell at us
to not compare him to Gannon, though he has Gannon characteristics. But nowhere in your comments yet have you stated any real reason he shouldn’t be a starter for the Raiders. You’re against him, we get that. But why? Is it because you support Russell? Because your comments have that whiff of Russell apologist in them. And that’s not a good enough reason to dislike the guy. We’ve all wanted, and most still want, Russell to succeed, but it doesn’t seem to be in his game plan. Gradkowski commands respect, keeps his cool, does well in clutch, doesn’t let mistakes get him down, and is a winner. To me that seems a recipe for a starter. He doesn’t have the cannon arm, so what? He still pulls wins out. I wonder how we could have done had he been put in earlier and commanded that same respect and got BOTH, not just the offense, sides of the ball going strong. I think he deserves to at the very least compete for the starting job in the preseason, which will probably be rigged in Russell’s favor any way by Davis. But we will see Gradkowski play again, earlier in the season, I’m sure. And I have no doubt the man will win more games, and very possibly be named starter for the next season (if there is one). But if that doesn’t happen, he will at least push Russell because Russell will know that Gradkowski took his job before AND succeeded. Also, if we do draft (RELAX…IT’S A HYPOTHESIS) a QB in a later round, Gradkowski can mentor and teach him.
Win, Lose, or Tie, Raiders til I die!
I would rather have accuracy than a cannon arm.
by patriotguy2 on Feb 22, 2010 11:05 AM PST up reply actions
I'm noticing a common theme amongst these Grad haters
They’re all deluded by thinking Jamarcus will ever be a successful NFL qb. It seems they all think being able to throw 90 yards on your knees is more important than the ability to win games.
I’m over arguing with these morons.
"If your only ambition in life, is to be a better person; well, that's just the best ambition you can have..." Wayne "Rabbit" Bartholomew
Okay you telling me that a guy that only started 3 games and played okay at best is ready to lead us. I want qb that can win games a top level qb, Russell isn’t that so why would I want him to be the qb. Bruce played in 3 games yeah we beat the steelers but the chiefs did to. Gannon had a team around him bruce didn’t make the defense play better the defense got a chance to take a break. How do you all get he is a winner out of playing 3 games. David garrard isn’t a star qb but there is no way the jags would trade him for bruce. beside that if bruce was this great leader why isn’t any other teams knocking the door down to sign him. If you look at top free agents qbs he isn’t even on the list. I am not knocking him I hope he is going to be good but based on 3 games I am not drinking the kool-aid. I can agree russell could learn a lot from bruce but bruce hasn’t shown any of us in 3 games he is proven. You talk like I hate him I think he deserves to compete if they bring in a free agent qb. but to give him the job would be crazy.
Bruce is a RFA right now, and we don’t know how his negotiations go. I think those 3 games were enough to give Gradkowski a chance to start more games. I saw how the team played better on the field both sides of the ball, and that showed me he was worth giving a chance to be a starter. Bruce has shown in a lot in those 3 games. He proved the Raiders could win, he proved he could win, he proved that the team hasn’t yet completely fallen apart. So beefing up the o-line and keeping Hackett around and now having Jackson, I think Bruce could very well be the man.
Win, Lose, or Tie, Raiders til I die!
So..I'm trying to look at who exactly is a Unrestricted Free Agent.
I believe that because of the uncapped year, many QBs we would like, we would not be able to get. So we let go of Charlie Frye (or do we?), J.P. Losman, (Is he signed for next year??), which leaves us with Grad. Now, who do we have to choose from?
Until you can give me a QB that has an actual chance of being signed (not from RFA, because I believe that most people will keep their Restricted QBs, and NOT Jason Campbell (you really THINK he’ll do better with out O-Line the way it is??)), then I’m not even LISTENING to this anymore.
by NFLanalyzerfromhome on Feb 22, 2010 7:33 PM PST up reply actions
There's only one QB that excites me - that's Dan LeFevour, coming in to train under Bruce and Hackett
He throws on the run both directions and can buy time or turn up field – he’s smart, tough and a winner.
by Sons-of-Blanda on Feb 22, 2010 7:37 PM PST up reply actions
And Available
In the Later Rounds. I think it would be magnificent to pick him up. Give him a few years to learn and do the Tom Brady thing
If winning isn't everything, why do they keep score?
- Vince Lombardi
can u please re-read ur stuff…. the way u right u might as well put everything down in green marker
by frank7da2tank on Feb 22, 2010 11:43 PM PST up reply actions
I don't care WHO STARTS.
As long as we win with them
by NFLanalyzerfromhome on Feb 21, 2010 10:29 PM PST reply actions
Bruce was the Silver lining around last years bleak gray cloud, with the heart of a lion and voice of command
Gradkowski brought a man’s presence to a group of disorganized children who, until he took charge, were led by a cub scout mother HC, he took charge and reminded us how Raiders of old handled tough situations – with pride and poise – snatching victory from the jaws of defeat. No other player has brought tears of joy to my eyes for years and Bruce caused that emotion in me twice in those glorious 4th quarter wins against Cincinnati and Pittsburgh. Clutch counts big and Grad proved he’s the man to lead this team out of the hole.
by Sons-of-Blanda on Feb 21, 2010 10:40 PM PST reply actions
I think I have screamed this from the rooftops multiple times but I love Gradkowski
his attitude, the way he plays pretty much everything impressed me about him last season.
I would love to see him start and have success
"Mel Kiper has his opinion and I respect it. But what does it mean? My 9-year-old nephew can watch film and make an opinion. I think I value the opinion of scouts who get paid to make their opinions. It will carry me through my career. It will serve as motivation for me." - Mike Mitchell
"I'll be the guy on top of the Quarterback" - Richard Seymour
Here they come baby, Just win baby, Feel the storm of the cold autum wind baby
Its the Oakland Raiders, Get your mouthpiece
You in the black hole, With the black beast! - Ice Cube 'Raider Nation'
Bruce has done very well for us last year.
I don’t know if I can call him my saviour yet though. I’d like to see him start most of the season. He does have the potential to be great though(and he can be compared to gannon).
Between the nicknames and the fact we get overjoyed by him because of Russell
some people are calling him a savior. It’s understandable. But let’s have a reality check here. The guy did great when he played and commanded respect and kept his cool and never let a mistake take him down. Is he the QB of the future?
Right now, he’s the QB of now. Can he be the QB of the future? Yes. However, we need a better o-line and Hackett needs to stick around. Maybe he doesn’t have the cannon arm, but he can get the ball off while under pressure and scramble for yards. He understands the offense and the game. And timid is not one of his negatives. While we did only see him play for a limited amount of games, I would be all for playing him a whole season now that we have an OC. Just because he didn’t do well at other teams doesn’t make him a bad QB. Considering the disarray the Raiders were in this past season, he did an awesome job. He is what our rookie and 2nd or even 3rd year WR’s need. Someone with accuracy, poise, and ability to get the ball to them. As a leader he can get ot offense working together on all cylinder as we have seen. Now we’ve all seen him play this past season with the current o-line and weapons around him. Let’s look at that and anyone that’s against him can you give any real non vague reasons why the guy shouldn’t be considered a valid starter for the Raiders?
Win, Lose, or Tie, Raiders til I die!
I want him to be a starter for the raiders
and i believe he is our best option. I think he’ll do very well, but I’d rather wait till I see him play with an improved OL and hopefully Receivers that don’t run into each other.
Considering what he accomplished as a QB in those games? He did very well. But I need to see him play more. I’m very careful before I call him our saviour, or our great QB(I think he is good. And he played effectively). I hope he starts next year, unless russel proves to me otherwise that he has gotten better, and after maybe 3-4 games, I’ll make a better assessment of him.
by patriotguy2 on Feb 22, 2010 11:13 AM PST up reply actions
Because Al didn't invest the kind of money in him, that he did in Russell.
And if Russell’s 2008 QB rating was essentially the same as Gradkowski’s for his limited time as QB, then it makes sense to see what the new OC, a few new O-Line players, and maybe even a new receiver can do for Mr. Davis’s long term investment.
Russell seems to take hits much better than either of the backups, and is a much deeper threat with the long ball.
i don't care about deeper
I care about accuracy. He needs accuracy. But before we get into that discussion again, let me point out that Grad is very capable at taking hits. QBs can get injured all the time, even cassel did for a short period of time. But Grad can take the hits.
by patriotguy2 on Feb 22, 2010 11:16 AM PST up reply actions
Go back under the rock
Dude for real you have to be someone close to him. There can be no other reason for your constant fluffing of him.
Anyone posting here can do just a good a job as he did this past year except for you I suspect.
Win at all costs! Winning ugly is still winning! Remember the past and what got us to the top before. Jim Plunkett and winning ugly......enough said!
by TheLyleAlzadoPunch on Feb 25, 2010 11:49 AM PST up reply actions
Maybe Russell could help himself by
shooting roids like Alzado.
Indeed, you should consider changing your handle to TheLyleAlzadoJuice.
Low blow. He merely pointed out that the guy you're sticking up for
had a ten yards passing game! Ten yards! I know for a fact I could throw for more than that, even behind our line, with our wide droppers. I might not survive the game, but I’d get more than ten yards!
Zado came clean about his juicing, at a time when no one else would. And he was an animal long before he was ever introduced to the needle enhancement. He believed he could take on any man in the world in high school, and I’m not sure he wasn’t right.
"If your only ambition in life, is to be a better person; well, that's just the best ambition you can have..." Wayne "Rabbit" Bartholomew
OMG
Dude are you really that naive to think that Alzado is the only NFL player to take steroids. Indeed maybe you should stop fluffing JaGetPickedALot and give your head a shake. Maybe you should also change your name to JaXville or JaBlowville
Win at all costs! Winning ugly is still winning! Remember the past and what got us to the top before. Jim Plunkett and winning ugly......enough said!
by TheLyleAlzadoPunch on Feb 26, 2010 7:16 AM PST up reply actions
Bald (Hay Zeus) maybe?
For now, I’ll call him the man. He’s definitely our guy, and will again earn the right to be our starter and leader.
"If your only ambition in life, is to be a better person; well, that's just the best ambition you can have..." Wayne "Rabbit" Bartholomew
Oh, and great post, RE!
Rec’d!
"If your only ambition in life, is to be a better person; well, that's just the best ambition you can have..." Wayne "Rabbit" Bartholomew
Bring Gradkowski back
he should easily maintain the starting job over Russell as long as he’s given a fair shot at it. I don’t think I’ve seen enough of him to label him the Raiders’ long term solution at qb, but I think he’s given us a decent option going forward and can allow us to look at other positions this offseason.
Strengthen the trenches this offseason with an all-beef draft.
No more raining on Bruins Nation's rainy parade, they took their ball and went home.
well said, s jay
I don’t get where all these guys are acting like we think he’s gonna be the next Gannon; we’re just saying ride him for now, and we know he’ll win some games. At the very least, he won’t cost us games, and we won’t be trying to win despite him starting, like we do with Jamarcus. He’ll do fine for 2010, and we’ll see what happens next year with FA qbs and the 2011 draft.
"If your only ambition in life, is to be a better person; well, that's just the best ambition you can have..." Wayne "Rabbit" Bartholomew
Choices
A. Bruce Gradkowksi, A Proven leader who lead Oakland to two huge wins
B. JaMarcus Russell, Maybe the worst QB to ever exist
You Choose
If winning isn't everything, why do they keep score?
- Vince Lombardi
Well one thing is for sure Remix
you’re a Gradkowski fan and that’s fine but I guess I just didn’t see as much as you did in the 4 games he started.
I just don’t think a team can win big with someone like Bruce Gradkowski as their starter but we’ll see I guess.
You
like ever other Gradkowski detractor never ever explain there reasoning behind why they don’t like Gradkowski. Every person that doesn’t like Russell has given reasons that make sense. There has to be a reason you don’t like Gradkowski, and yet you never mention the reason. We’ve all mentioned why we like Gradkowski.
Also given our choices right now, the reason we’re backing him so strong is because he’s the best we have right now. So why don’t you like Gradkowski? What did you see that makes him not worthy of starting for the Raiders?
Win, Lose, or Tie, Raiders til I die!
Why
hmm let’s see…..cut by 3 teams already…..65.9 QB rating oh by the way JaMarcus Russell’s is 65.2….Career completion rate is 53.3 oh by the way JaMarcus Russell’s is 52.1….Everyone here seems to like Jon Gruden well guess what Gruden cut him….he’s so tough he couldn’t even make it through 4 starts….even if you just take his stats from last year….54.7% 80.6 QB rating are bellow average.
I think the Raiders can do better as Bruce Gradkowski isn’t even one of the 30 best QB’s in the NFL and at the end of the day do you really think a team can win big with Bruce Gradkowski?
I'm sure we can win "big" with Bruce
Also, the way to advance is through upgrades starting with the weakest links and Grad isn’t anywhere close to the weakest link. Half the starters did not do as well as Grad in their respective positions: Carlisle, Green, Lawton, Satele, Henderson, McFadden, Kelly, Seymour, Johnson, Warren, Morrison. So upgrades for the next 3 years might not even touch Bruce.
by Sons-of-Blanda on Feb 23, 2010 11:16 AM PST up reply actions
Well if Gradkowski ends up being the starter
then I hope you’re right about him Blanda.
I don’t think I ever said he was the weakest link on the team but I haven’t seen enough out of him to think he’s going to be a long term starter in the NFL.
y cant a team win w/ him??
everyone is comparing him to gannon and i see why, but what about kenny stabler?! the elusivness in the pocket and the canning ability to find a way to win, saying we shouldnt let him have his chance is pretty crazy imo
Well it is
but you’ll notice in the comment anti-Bruce comments no one has ever given a real reason not start him.
Win, Lose, or Tie, Raiders til I die!
This is depressing..
Rooting for Gradkowski? Is that what were relegated to? Does it get any worse than that? Would Gradkowski even make any other team’s roster?
Why wouldn't he?
All the nay sayers are still basing him on his record with his previous teams and overlooking how well he did this year. So what do you have against the guy or you just going to be one of those “I don’t like the guy, but I’m not telling you why” people? I bet he goes on by week 5 latest and he wins games and gets the offense pumped.
In fact I’ll even go as far as saying he had a big part in Cable keeping his job….of course that could be a negative so it’s a push.
Win, Lose, or Tie, Raiders til I die!
Bruce's good deeds have not gone unpunished. And though he did likely save Cable's job, I don't hold it against him
but Cable is a boil on the Raider rump. There’s still time for Al to lance that lesion and send the puss streaming away from our team.
by Sons-of-Blanda on Feb 23, 2010 6:36 AM PST up reply actions
yeah yeah
he won’t be fired before the opening season game, and probably not even until about half way through depending on our record.
Win, Lose, or Tie, Raiders til I die!
Good title with that nonsense, dude
Relegated to rooting for a guy who wins games, with a shoddy supporting staff?
Gtf outta here with that mess.
"If your only ambition in life, is to be a better person; well, that's just the best ambition you can have..." Wayne "Rabbit" Bartholomew
Adam Schefter's speculation
is that Gradkowski will start:
http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/35520259/ns/sports-player_news/
Bruce G. is not the savior
As much as all of us Raider fans want him to save us, he will not. But it won’t be his fault. He needs some more developing and the Raider staff and coaches won’t be able to do that. He needs an offense with some good plays and good players. They don’t have that. The RB’s are good but the receivers suck and so does the OL. He’ll be sacked way too much. They need to cut Russell and draft LeFavour. And bring in a top notch coach and top notch QB coach. The Raiders will NOT win with Cable at coach or with Al at the helm. So thanks to their stupidity, we have suffer through more and more humiliation and continue to be laughed at.
So Pessimistic
What has he shown to you to make you believe he cant suceed with Oakland? He won with the current recievers and the Current O-Line.So, Now that Oakland has a new OC, and could possibly sure up the OL, Whats to say he cant suceed?
If winning isn't everything, why do they keep score?
- Vince Lombardi
THe guy shows more leadership than anyone else on the team...
Apparently, even though he is a free agent, he is at the training facility as we type, studying and learning more. Where the hell is JaMumbles? On a freaking float in a freaking parade? I’m not for crowning anyone, but this guy should be re-signed and should be the front runner for the job.
"We can't stop here... This is bat country."
Amen!
And I love the Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas quote lol
If winning isn't everything, why do they keep score?
- Vince Lombardi
Hunter S. is, and always will be, one of my heroes
"If your only ambition in life, is to be a better person; well, that's just the best ambition you can have..." Wayne "Rabbit" Bartholomew
Without a doubt!
Greatest Author to exist In my opinion.
If winning isn't everything, why do they keep score?
- Vince Lombardi
Actually
he’s a Restricted Free Agent which means that any team that offers a tenure sheet, the Raiders can match and if no one does offer a sheet, his rights revert back to Oakland.
Win, Lose, or Tie, Raiders til I die!
saying grad
cant do it because he didnt do it w/ three other teams is garbage, all the other teams other then tampa had qb’s in place and was never really given a shot. in tampa he started like 12 games as a ROOKIE and was never really given anything else after that because chucky brought in jeff garcia…. and a truck load of other qb’s. so give me somthing else that i can prove ur wrong on please.
nickname
i was listenin to a podcast once and someone had “the polish prick” down lol ive been usein it ever since
Haha
I dont think Gradkowski is Polish is it? If so, Thats a kickass name lol
If winning isn't everything, why do they keep score?
- Vince Lombardi
I'm pretty sure
Gradkowski is a polis last name, like Janikowski.
Win, Lose, or Tie, Raiders til I die!
All out
Re-sign Grad to a reasonable contract or offer sheet. Keep JaFumbleBumbleMumble simply because we take a massive hit $$$ wise no matter and give a few other invites to some other FA and give them all a shot. If the coaching staff on the offensive side all do an independant assessment of all the QBs individually and then come to a consensus.
This really isnt rocket science. Is Grad the front runner based upon last years performance? YES! Should Frye get a shot too? YES! He put his whole body on the line a couple of games last year and showed a lot of toughness and some leadership.
Win at all costs! Winning ugly is still winning! Remember the past and what got us to the top before. Jim Plunkett and winning ugly......enough said!
by TheLyleAlzadoPunch on Feb 24, 2010 11:53 AM PST reply actions
+1
The stat whorz piss me off sometimes. It’s all about w’s at the end of the day. The team responded to Bruce, and he battled to win the starting job in the same volatile environment in which Jeff Garcia found not worth fighting for.
"If your only ambition in life, is to be a better person; well, that's just the best ambition you can have..." Wayne "Rabbit" Bartholomew
NO WAY DO THEY KEEP JAFATBOY.
why waste a roster spot on a fat bitch that doesnt wanna be anything but paid. take the money hit, open the space up, and give someone else a shot….
by VaderBDCRaider on Feb 24, 2010 2:03 PM PST up reply actions
We Call Him "BRUCE"
and no, he is not the saviour in the sense that he will be a fiery #2, a backup who can come in and compete. He may jumpstart this bunch of players, but he wont be the FRANCHISE Al wants. Yes, he can scramble. Yes he can avoid the defenders and wait for the receivers to get open. Yes he works hard. Yes he knows the game. Yes He Is All That JAFATBOY Is NOT. But he is not Kenny The Snake. Not a Gunslinger, which is what Al envisions. Watch…. I’m sayin it now. AL cuts Russell, Drafts Tebow. Goes with the INTANGIBLES. HARD WORKER. BEAST SIZE. SMART AS A WHIP. CAN SCRAMBLE. CAN BE ACCURATE ON MIDFIELD THROWS. CAN THROW LONG BALL. CAN READ A DEFENSE. PUTS HEART AND SOUL INTO TEAM, NOT INTO TATTOOS AND FURCOATS AND BLING AND BUCKETS OF GREASY DEEP FRIED TWINKIES….. Watch and see. Al’s done crazier shit than that! Tebow to the Raiders to the Superbowl.
Tiebow is half the man Bruce is. Plus Tiebow nauseates many people - me for one and probably Al with his dyspeptic stomach
by Sons-of-Blanda on Feb 24, 2010 3:13 PM PST up reply actions
I like Tebow actually
I wouldnt punch a wall if Oakland drafted him, Only if it was in the 3rd though. mostly because I think he needs another year to two to reach his full potential. Hes takin steps to become a better QB and so far, Im impressed
If winning isn't everything, why do they keep score?
- Vince Lombardi
i like his work ethic.
and if Al can suck on a big ball of deep fried twinkie grease like russell, apple pie like Tebow would cure what ails ya.
by VaderBDCRaider on Feb 24, 2010 5:48 PM PST up reply actions
Haha
I think I said that all wrong
If winning isn't everything, why do they keep score?
- Vince Lombardi
Tebow'd be just another nightmare qb who can't throw from an NFL pocket
and’d get himself hurt trying to run. No Tebow.
"If your only ambition in life, is to be a better person; well, that's just the best ambition you can have..." Wayne "Rabbit" Bartholomew
The Polish Pirate
Bruce Almighty
The Polish Bruiser
I may come up with more later…
Remember, Gannon was a 3rd string QB for much of his days pre-Raiders. Also, Plunkett experienced a resurgence after he came to the Raiders. QB’s with intelligence, drive and a blue collar charisma tend to do well with this team.
I for one am sick of Russell’s picks, fumbles, sacks, and 3-and-outs. It seemed that Gradkowksi and Frye had better command of the offense and worked better with the team.
Liked "blue-collar charisma"
Bruce is pure football player – his motivation is only that .
by Sons-of-Blanda on Feb 24, 2010 7:28 PM PST up reply actions
eh I don't fully believe that
I think there was a little bit of revenge in the Steelers game, especially since it’s his home town. I also think some of his motivation is to better himself and do the best he can and then more to make all the nay sayers eat their words. I think he wants the Raiders to win and be what they once were and feels since he has a chance to be part of that then he’s going to give it his all. There’s more than just being a pure football player. A pure football player isn’t necessary a deep in character person. What Bruce isn’t is selfish. He does everything he does for the team as well as himself. Hell, he took the chance with DHB for his first TD.
Win, Lose, or Tie, Raiders til I die!
I think "pure football player"
includes these characteristics. I don’t think Blanda meant a robot.
by Spirals galore on Feb 25, 2010 6:09 AM PST up reply actions
Bruce is pure football player – his motivation is only that .
Sounds like he’s implying that his motivation is his job.
Win, Lose, or Tie, Raiders til I die!
sorry, that was vague. What I meant by "... his motivation is only that" is that he's 100% (body and soul) into the game
and isn’t playing it like a job, or for money. I suppose other intentions, like “I’ll show them” may be a factor as well. But, if true, his comfort-zone has a ways to go as compared to someone whose motivation is money and attains that objective before even taking a snap in the NFL.
by Sons-of-Blanda on Feb 25, 2010 10:08 AM PST up reply actions
Bruce comes from a long line of solid NFL football pros
Who were blue collar, hard-working sob’s, SOB!
"If your only ambition in life, is to be a better person; well, that's just the best ambition you can have..." Wayne "Rabbit" Bartholomew
Brucie got quite a warm reception from the fans in Pittsburgh, as well
Something very few visiting Raider qbs in history have enjoyed, and he had about 50 family members and friends there too, so the pressure was on to perform. The cool thing is, he played like a rock star under pressure. The demonstration of leadership in that game was phenomenal, though. Going back to receivers after drops, jawing at guys looking at the jumbotron and admonishing them to “get their heads where they need to be.” That shit had me teary eyed.
Something I haven’t seen from the qb position for, oh, about seven years now?
"If your only ambition in life, is to be a better person; well, that's just the best ambition you can have..." Wayne "Rabbit" Bartholomew
I don't doubt him anymore
Though I have a faint hope Losman will give him a competition for the starting job.
Cable on the QB situation
http://www.sbreport.net/raider_news/008/2990.html
Cable also hinted to an open competition at quarterback after the abysmal season JaMarcus Russell had and the way the team looked when other passers where inserted into the line-up.
"We’re getting ready to start offseason and get to OTAs and minicamp and let the (quarterback) job be competed for," he said. "I think that’s where we’re at in terms of our starting quarterback.
"I don’t think you would discount (using a pick on) that or any other position."
I don't believe that for a minute
the “competition” will be tilted in Russell’s favor by Al.
Win, Lose, or Tie, Raiders til I die!
if you don't believe that bit,
you should also disbelieve what Cable says about his own status with the Raiders. Cable voices his own opinions and plans.
by Spirals galore on Mar 1, 2010 6:38 AM PST up reply actions
his plans
are irrelevant. Davis is in charge. If he wants Russell to stat, Russell will start.
Win, Lose, or Tie, Raiders til I die!
Indeed,
including Cable’s status as HC, and you are on record quoting it to “prove” that Cable stays. You want to have it both ways – on the one hand, take Cable’s interview and argue, based on it, that Cable is still a HQ, and on the other, dismiss Cable’s interview with respect to other issues. Which way do you want to have it, Mike?
by Spirals galore on Mar 2, 2010 8:31 PM PST up reply actions
Every Raiders coach says the same thing.
I don’t believe it because it’s PR fluff. And what did I quote? Not that article. I quoted an article where, in not so many words, Tom Cable has said he’s still the coach and there was never any time he thought he wasn’t. You’ll also notice the article in you link mentions nothing of that topic. We’re at the combine now. If Cable gets fired now, it will us father behind. I’m not dismissing his interview. I’m saying what Cable plans is irrelevant because ultimately if Davis wants Russell to start, he will. Just because I think Cable is blowing the usual PR fluff, doesn’t mean I don’t think he’s going to be our HC into the regular seasons for at last part of it. Every employee has plans, but there’s always a higher up. And we’ve all been around enough to know that if Davis wants something, it will happen,
Win, Lose, or Tie, Raiders til I die!
Agreed on Al having the last word
To the question whether he’s been told that he’d be coming back, Cable responded that he was never told he wasn’t. That answer, I think, is indicative…
Just to clarify – you are right that the link above does not discuss Cable’s statement re his job status. The link below though, which I posted right after the first, contains the highlights of Cable’s interview, where you can find his statement.
by Spirals galore on Mar 3, 2010 5:49 AM PST up reply actions
Cable on reports that JR is working out
http://www.sbreport.net/raider_news/008/2990.html
"(JaMarcus and I) have talked a couple of times," Cable stated this weekend. "I know he’s working. I’m anxious for the off-season program to get started where you get a chance to see him all the time."
Yeah, otherwise you can’t know what exactly he’s doing.
anecdotal evidence on JR working out at Athletes' Performance
http://forums.contracostatimes.com/topic/jamarcus-looking-good
I have a friend named Eliapo Kenape who went to school at Utah. He went to high school in SF and is a friend of the family. He is currently working out at Athletes Performance institute in Tempe AZ. He said that he saw JaMarcus working out down there. Before I could finish the joke in my head, he was telling me about what he thought of him by seeing him on TV and what he has read. He said, he thought he was horrible. That he looked fat and couldn’t move well, funny because Eli is a pretty big dude. Then he shocked me by saying that he thought JaMarcus looked “awesome”. He said that he was working out with a couple of private trainers on another field and that he was moving quick, looked lean, and didn’t look anything like what he saw on TV. I could not believe what I had heard. I thought he was messing with me, but he reasured me that it was indeed JaMarcus Russell and that he did look very good.
by Spirals galore on Mar 3, 2010 6:03 AM PST up reply actions
sounds sketchy
a bunch of “he said, she said” stuff goin on. however, i really do hope this guy is working hard.
almighty bruce
i hope he is healed and the same for charlie but dont come back and stay in az jarmucus ryan leaf russell
by sports with steve on Mar 15, 2010 8:38 PM PDT reply actions
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