QB Bruce Gradkowski gets set to throw a pass during Tuesday's practice at the team's Alameda, Calif., facility.* Photo by Tony Gonzales*.
Bruce Gradkowski: I don't know how much time I will get. I just come out here and prepare, I didn't know how much time I was going to get last time. It was unfortunate what happened (injury to Jason Campbell), but I got a lot of good work last game. If I can get more work this game it will do nothing but help me, I am excited. We are just practicing hard out here. It has been a short week…so just getting ready to play. Seattle is a good football team so it will be a good test for us going into our last pre-season game.
Q: You have been around for awhile, so you know what it is like at the end of camp. So if someone asked, you could pretty much pick the guys who are going to make the team. Is there a sense that on the Raiders it is going to be more difficult to make cuts this year than it has in previous years?
Gradkowski:I just try not to think about it. It is such a tough business. I was told in one of my stints along with another team, it is the longest job interview process there is. If you think about it we start at OTAs and it goes all the way through until now. It is really tough because we have a lot of good players.
Q: Heard a lot about how positive things have been this camp, do you still feel that that, things are really going well here?
Gradkowski:Yeah, it is a positive atmosphere around here. It all starts with Coach Cable, he gets everyone going and it's a positive group, and we have some good team leaders on this football team. I think that coach is really trying to bring us together as a good football team and close together. So it is working out well, and all we can do is keep preparing. You know how hard it is to win in the National Football League, so you have to come out each and every week prepared and try to be consistent. That is what we are going to try and do and we are excited. We are really looking forward to it.
Q: If you do have to play will you be ready to be a starter?
Gradkowski:Yeah, that is just how this business is. You just have to prepare each and every day like you are going to start, because you never know what is going to happen. Just what happened last weekend with Jason, that's why you really have to prepare like you are the starter. There is no other way to prepare yourself better, and I think that the coaches here do a great job with that. Hue Jackson has said from the beginning that he is going to treat each and everyone of us like we are the starter. Because even if we are not the starter here, we will be in the National Football League somewhere. It is great by the coaches how they treat you like that, like real professionals. We have to take it upon ourselves to be a professional to learn and know what to do if you get called upon.
Q: How would you evaluate the chemistry out there and how the offensive line has jelled this training camp?
Gradkowski:I think that the chemistry is coming along great. I think that more practices and the more games together help. Going into the fourth preseason game, guys are working on the little things now, that is what's awesome about it. It is just really tuning up the little things and getting better here and there, and that is the name of the game. That is the difference between winning and losing. It's those little things. I think that the coaches are doing a great job with that and as a group we are really coming together as a team and we are really excited.
Q: Do you feel that you are in sync with the offensive line, how would you assess that from Saturday?
Gradkowski:I felt in sync with the offensive line and everyone that was out there. It is a great job on there part and we just have to communicate. I think communication is the biggest key and as long as we are all on the same page we will make things happen.
