Bruce Gradkowski Bruce Raymond Gradkowski ( born January 27 , 1983 ) is an American Football quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League . He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the sixth round of the 2006 NFL Draft after playing college football at Toledo . Gradkowski has previously been a member of the St . Louis Rams , Cleveland Browns , Oakland Raiders and Cincinnati Bengals . His younger brother , Gino , plays for the Baltimore Ravens . Early years . Gradkowski is a 2001 graduate from Seton - La Salle Catholic High School in Pittsburgh and played as a member of the Seton - La Salle Rebels from 1997 to 2000 in the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League ( WPIAL ) . This is the same league that produced football legends such as Tony Dorsett ( Hopewell High School ) , Dan Marino ( Central Catholic High School ) , Bill Fralic ( Penn Hills High School ) , Joe Montana ( Ringgold High School ) , Joe Namath ( Beaver Falls High School ) , and Johnny Unitas ( St . Justin High School ) . As a junior , Gradkowski threw for 1 , 630 yards and 10 touchdowns . This performance was then improved as a senior , when he completed 188 out of 327 passes ( a completion percentage of 57 . 5 % ) and threw for a then - WPIAL and PIAA ( state ) record of 2 , 978 yards and 30 touchdowns ( surpassing the previous mark set by Marino ) . In high school , Gradkowski also played basketball , serving as Seton - La Salle ' s starting point guard and leading his team in scoring . College career . After redshirting as a freshman at Toledo in 2001 , Gradkowski saw action only as the holder on the special teams unit . In 2003 , he became the starting quarterback as a sophomore . He set a Mid - American Conference season record by completing 71 . 2 % of his passes . He threw for 3 , 210 yards , with a school season record of 29 touchdowns and 7 interceptions and a final passer rating of 161 . 53 . He proved he could scramble by rushing for 504 yards and a score on 91 carries ( 5 . 5 avg ) . In 2004 , Gradkowski passed for 3518 yards with 27 touchdowns and 8 interceptions . He played in the GMAC Bowl and won MVP . Professional career . Tampa Bay Buccaneers . The Tampa Bay Buccaneers coached by Jon Gruden drafted Gradkowski with the 25th ( 194 overall ) pick in the 6th round of the 2006 NFL Draft . After a great pre - season , and being nicknamed The Great Gradkowski , Bruce was named the starter in Week 5 against New Orleans . He had the best starting debut of all 2006 rookie quarterbacks by completing 20 out of 31 attempts for 225 yards with 2 touchdowns and no interceptions . He had a 107 . 6 passer rating and a near upset of the New Orleans Saints . He became the starting quarterback due to the ruptured spleen suffered by Chris Simms . After his first loss , he won two straight starts despite declining numbers versus Cincinnati and Philadelphia before losing to the New York Giants , New Orleans Saints , and the Carolina Panthers . After losing three in a row , he won on November 19 , 2006 , against the Washington Redskins posting a 104 . 9 passer rating - that game was the first start for Redskins ' Quarterback Jason Campbell . Then on Thanksgiving day , he lost to the Dallas Cowboys , throwing 2 interceptions . He lost his second in a row to his hometown Pittsburgh Steelers , throwing three interceptions . He lost another two starts to the Falcons and Bears , being pulled in both . In the second quarter in Chicago , he was pulled for good in favor of Tim Rattay . He would not start again in 2006 as Rattay led a comeback scoring 4 Touchdowns in the second half , whereas under Gradkowski the team had a streak of 10 scoreless quarters . In 2007 against the Washington Redskins , Gradkowski came in after the first play because of a Jeff Garcia injury . However , he did not have a good game . The next week , Gradkowski was benched in favor of Luke McCown . He had a record of 3 - 8 as a starter . Gradkowski set the record for throwing more passes in NFL history before suffering a second career interception , with 200 passes . On May 30 , 2008 , Gradkowski was waived by the Buccaneers . St . Louis Rams . Gradkowski was claimed off waivers by the St . Louis Rams in June 2008 , but was waived during final cuts on August 30 , 2008 . Cleveland Browns . Gradkowski was signed by the Cleveland Browns as their fourth - string quarterback on December 2 , 2008 after quarterback Derek Anderson was placed on injured reserve . He was the starter for the Browns ' 2008 season finale against the Pittsburgh Steelers on December 28 , 2008 , after injuries to Anderson , Brady Quinn , and Ken Dorsey . Gradkowski was waived on February 9 , 2009 . Oakland Raiders . A day after being waived by the Browns , Gradkowski was claimed off waivers by the Oakland Raiders . On November 22 , 2009 , in his first start for the Raiders , Gradkowski threw 2 touchdowns , matching former Raiders quarterbacks JaMarcus Russell ' s total for the season to that point , and led the team to come from behind 20 - 17 victory over the heavily favored Cincinnati Bengals . In week 13 , on the road the Raiders won 27 - 24 on a huge upset against the Pittsburgh Steelers . Gradkowski completed 20 of 33 passes for 308 yards and 3 touchdowns , including an 11 - yard game winning touchdown to Louis Murphy . For his performance in this game he was awarded the AFC Offensive Player of the Week award for week 13 of the regular season . It was also a new record in the NFL , for the most come from behind touchdowns thrown in the 4th Quarter since 1991 , when statistical records started to keep track of this . On December 13 , 2009 , he was injured in a game against the Washington Redskins during the 2nd quarter and was replaced by the out of shape Russell . The Raiders lost the game 34 - 13 without Gradowski . Gradkowski missed the remainder of the 2009 season with a partially torn MCL in both knees . On March 15 , 2010 , he was re - signed by the Oakland Raiders for one year . He tore a pectoral muscle while lifting weights in April 2010 . In Week 2 of the 2010 NFL season he took over for benched starter Jason Campbell and lead the Raiders to a victory over the St . Louis Rams . On September 22 , 2010 , Gradkowski became the Oakland Raiders starting QB for week 3 . On November 28 , 2010 , Gradkowski suffered a third - degree separation of his throwing shoulder . On December 2 , the Raiders placed Gradkowski on injured reserve , ending his 2010 season . Cincinnati Bengals . Following the 2011 NFL Lockout , Gradkowski signed a two year contract with the Cincinnati Bengals . He was the team ' s second - string quarterback behind Andy Dalton . After Dalton suffered a minor injury that removed him from the game , Gradkowski threw a touchdown while quick - snapping the ball while the Browns were still in the huddle . He then appeared during a week 13 match up against the Pittsburgh Steelers , completing 3 of 6 passes for 17 yards with one interception . Pittsburgh Steelers . On March 13 , 2013 , Gradkowski signed a three year deal with his hometown team , the Pittsburgh Steelers . He will be Ben Roethlisberger ' s backup . Career statistics . Passing Rushing