Tampa Bay QB gets chilly reception
PITTSBURGH — A good bit of the talk heading into Sunday's Tampa Bay game with the Steelers at Heinz Field centered on the return of former Seton-LaSalle High School quarterback Bruce Gradkowski.
It probably seemed to the Buccaneers rookie that his high school glory days were decades ago after the Steelers' defense got through with him and the Tampa Bay offense in Pittsburgh's 20-3 victory.
He turned in so-so numbers of 20-of-34 passes for 175 yards, but he was sacked five times and picked off three times.
Gradkowski, who left Seton-LaSalle to star for the University of Toledo, didn't get much help from running back Cadillac Williams, as the quarterback had nearly as many rushing yards (26) for Tampa Bay as Williams did (27).
Steelers linebacker Joey Porter recorded the first two sacks of Gradkowski. The first came on the third play of the game, when, on a third-and-9 at the Tampa Bay 24, Porter pulled the quarterback down for an 8-yard loss.
"With a young quarterback, our formula today was to get up early and then have a chance to rattle the quarterback," Porter said. "Whenever you have a young quarterback going against our defense, I think we have a good chance of messing with him, and I think we did that today."
That sack put him No. 4 on the Steelers' all-time list with 60, passing Keith Willis. Jason Gildon is the team's all-time leader with 77.
"That's always a credit to the team," Porter said about his achievement. "Individual success is an indicator of how good the team is playing. It's not like I'm out there by myself."
In the second quarter, Porter notched No. 61 when he ran down a scrambling Gradkowski for an 8-yard loss on a third-and-7 at the Bucs' 42.
Defensive ends Brett Keisel and Aaron Smith, and cornerback Deshea Townsend recorded the other sacks.
Linebacker Larry Foote intercepted a Gradkowski pass intended for receiver Joey Galloway at the Tampa Bay 38 and returned it 11 yards to set up the Steelers' first touchdown.
Foote said the resemblance between what the Buccaneers had done in previous games and what they did Sunday was uncanny.
"This is the first time that we actually studied the team all week and we knew what they were doing," Foote said. "A lot of times the teams change up what we had been studying on film. We were ready."
That film study came in handy on his interception, he said.
"When I saw the running back, I knew the curl (to Galloway) was coming, and the quarterback didn't see me," Foote said.
Backup linebacker Clint Kriewaldt intercepted the Dormont native late in the fourth quarter, but cornerback Bryant McFadden picked off the killer late in the third quarter with the Steelers holding a 10-0 lead.
On second-and-goal at the Pittsburgh 4, one of only 23 trips to the red zone that the Buccaneers have mounted all season, 6-foot-5 wide receiver Maurice Stovall ran a fade route to the left corner of the end zone, but McFadden was waiting and came down with the pick that stopped Tampa Bay in its tracks.
McFadden, the second-year pro from Florida State who started in place of Ike Taylor, said he was confused about which coverage was called, but when he saw Stovall, he knew what to do.
"I kind of anticipated from the start because he wasn't in (the game) too much," McFadden said. "Anytime there's a tall guy out there, I kind of focus on him. I thought, 'He hasn't been out here too much, so they're probably going with the fade route.'"
When asked if he was worried about his quarterback's confidence level after his struggles Sunday, Tampa Bay coach Jon Gruden said, "I'm worried about every part of Bruce Gradkowski's whole life.
"If you would have told me that he was going to be in 'Monday Night Football' at Carolina, Thanksgiving Day at Dallas and at the defending world champions in his hometown in a three-week span, that's about as tough an order as you can ask any man," he added.
