For Gradkowski, it's all about opportunity
With one man's pain comes another's opportunity.
Those of us in Northwest Ohio have been wondering if Buccaneers quarterback and University of Toledo product Bruce Gradkowski would ever get a shot at starting.
The way Chris Simms played the first two weeks, it appeared just a matter of time before Gradkowski got a shot, and especially since the Bucs' only other option was Tim Rattay.Well, it happened, but not the way we wanted — or expected.
Simms has dealt with criticism since his days at Texas, when he was pitted in a quarterback controversy with Major Applewhite.
Some thought his career in college had more to do with his name (his father, former NFL quarterback Phil Simms), than with his abilities.
Those doubts continued into his NFL career. Hall of fame quarterback Steve Young, now a commentator for ESPN, questioned Simms' toughness last season.
Well, I think we can put those concerns away forever.
Any man who plays a football game, leaves because of injury, then returns to lead a comeback in the fourth quarter, is tough.
But to have your spleen removed and need a blood transfusion afterwards? That's John Wayne crazy.
I can write about it lightly now, but hearing about it Sunday night, it was scary. Simms is only 26, and is just in the beginning of not only his career, but his life. While some have downplayed the seriousness of his injuries, it's hard to make a blood transfusion not sound important.
Sometimes I wonder about football analysts questioning a player's toughness, mental or physical. It seems to me just to make it to the NFL requires dedication and a high tolerance for pain. Simms finally proved people wrong, but at what cost?
And it's into this situation Gradkowski walks. He threw for over 2,400 yards for the Rockets last season, but I doubt the national media was even aware of him. It's what happens when you're taken in the sixth round. Like Simms, he will no doubt have his critics. Listed at 6-2, he doesn't have the size of many of his peers. He won't be able to be as daring as he was with Toledo, or even in the preseason, when he had to fight for a roster spot.
If a Mid-American Conference fan wanted to oversimplify things, they could do so by asking if Gradkowski is the next Chad Pennington or Josh Harris.
Harris is out of the league. He had a few opportunities after starring at Bowling Green, but was never given a chance to start. Pennington, the former Marshall quarterback, has proven himself as a very good quarterback.
Gradkowski already has an opportunity Harris was never allowed. That's all those of us in this region can ask for.
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