Well, Jason Campbell apparently no longer knows how to play football, so it looks like I'm stuck with the plucky Polish underdog Bruce Gradkowski once again. Before I once again get buried by my fellow Raider fans who walk around in their TEAM BRUCE t-shirts allow me to say this: I DON'T HATE BRUCE GRADKOWSKI! I really don't. I just don't happen to think he's the noodle armed messiah many people have made him out to be. He's well respected by his teammates, which is pretty much the number one intangible any quarterback needs if they want to win in the NFL. There is no denying that the offense ran about a billion times more effectively when he took over for Campbell last week against the Rams. The team played harder and the entire stadium came alive. And if being beloved by fans and teammates was all it took to be a good NFL QB, Bruce would be a Pro Bowler. Unfortunately, in order to succeed in the NFL you need physical talent, and ol' Brucie boy comes up on the short end of the stick in that regard. He's short, frail and has a weak arm. He can make all the short passes all day long, but Corky from "Life Goes On" throws a better deep ball. He has a propensity for moving around in the pocket, which is a good thing because with the Raiders Swiss cheese o-line, mobility is an absolute must. In fact, that is probably what Campbell's biggest problem was. After getting curb stomped in DC last year, he has no pocket presence and looks to throw the ball away at the first sign of trouble. This is where Bruce is head and shoulders above Jason. Of course, he also ends up taking a bunch of horrific shots because of his more balls than brains approach he takes while scrambling. Throw in the fact that his bones are hollow and you can see why I'm skeptical. Robert Gallery is probably going to miss Sunday's game against Arizona, and that has me worried for Bruce's wellbeing. Darnell Dockett is probably going to have a field day bull rushing right over Samson Satele and Cooper Carlisle. There is no denying that Bruce gives the Raiders a better chance at winning, but with possibly the worst o-line in the NFL I'm not really sure how great those chances are to begin with. The Arizona game is winnable, so Bruce won't have to be perfect. Which is a good thing, because as much of grinder as he is, Bruce ain't perfect.
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Two Weeks in and a QB Controversy
Well, Jason Campbell apparently no longer knows how to play football, so it looks like I'm stuck with the plucky Polish underdog Bruce Gradkowski once again. Before I once again get buried by my fellow Raider fans who walk around in their TEAM BRUCE t-shirts allow me to say this: I DON'T HATE BRUCE GRADKOWSKI! I really don't. I just don't happen to think he's the noodle armed messiah many people have made him out to be. He's well respected by his teammates, which is pretty much the number one intangible any quarterback needs if they want to win in the NFL. There is no denying that the offense ran about a billion times more effectively when he took over for Campbell last week against the Rams. The team played harder and the entire stadium came alive. And if being beloved by fans and teammates was all it took to be a good NFL QB, Bruce would be a Pro Bowler. Unfortunately, in order to succeed in the NFL you need physical talent, and ol' Brucie boy comes up on the short end of the stick in that regard. He's short, frail and has a weak arm. He can make all the short passes all day long, but Corky from "Life Goes On" throws a better deep ball. He has a propensity for moving around in the pocket, which is a good thing because with the Raiders Swiss cheese o-line, mobility is an absolute must. In fact, that is probably what Campbell's biggest problem was. After getting curb stomped in DC last year, he has no pocket presence and looks to throw the ball away at the first sign of trouble. This is where Bruce is head and shoulders above Jason. Of course, he also ends up taking a bunch of horrific shots because of his more balls than brains approach he takes while scrambling. Throw in the fact that his bones are hollow and you can see why I'm skeptical. Robert Gallery is probably going to miss Sunday's game against Arizona, and that has me worried for Bruce's wellbeing. Darnell Dockett is probably going to have a field day bull rushing right over Samson Satele and Cooper Carlisle. There is no denying that Bruce gives the Raiders a better chance at winning, but with possibly the worst o-line in the NFL I'm not really sure how great those chances are to begin with. The Arizona game is winnable, so Bruce won't have to be perfect. Which is a good thing, because as much of grinder as he is, Bruce ain't perfect.
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