Bruce Gradkowski is a quarterback, and he wants to play in the NFL. The Dormont resident and Seton-Lasalle High School graduate played college ball at the University of Toledo, where he set 19 passing records, including career yards (9,225), touchdowns (85) and highest completion percentage (68.4). Most scouts project the 6-foot-2, 222-pound Gradkowski as a middle-round pick in the April 29-30 NFL draft. Gradkowski will provide a weekly update, as told to the Post-Gazette's Ray Fittipaldo, as he works toward his goal.

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Tuesday, May 2, 2006

This is the final installment of Bruce Gradkowski's draft diary. The Dormont resident and Seton-LaSalle High School graduate was taken by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the sixth round Sunday afternoon. Gradkowski takes us through his hectic, sometimes frustrating but ultimately happy NFL draft weekend.

I slept in on Saturday. I took my time getting up. By that time the first few picks went by. Me and my cousin Ralph went to hit some golf balls. Then we ate and went to church. We got back around 5:30, so we passed the time pretty good. It was in the second round by that time. We were waiting. I was expecting to get drafted in the third round. With the quarterbacks who were off the board, I felt pretty good about my chances. But it didn't happen. After the third round ended, I was pretty frustrated. I went over to my agent Ralph Cindrich's house and hung out. Me and my cousin Ralph were talking and we were saying how we just wanted it to be over quickly on Sunday. Let's just get it done.

On Sunday I saw that the Eagles traded up in the fourth round and I was sure that was for me. I kept seeing the Bengals and Buccaneers go by. By the time the fifth round came around, I was like, 'Man, what's going on?' I was up in a bedroom watching the draft with my cousins and sisters. The rest of the family was downstairs in the living room. Joey [DelSardo] was there with me. I was just lying on the bed and my mom comes up with the phone, and she said: 'It's Tampa Bay.' She's shaking. It was coach Gruden's secretary. He gets on the phone. I said, 'Coach, I've been waiting for you to call.' He said, 'Bruce we're excited about picking you.' I said, 'Coach, I'm so jacked up right now. Just get me to Tampa.' After that, I talked to their quarterbacks coach a little bit, Paul Hackett. It was a long day. I told my brother Gino that I'd never watch another draft again. I told him if he ever gets drafted he'd better go in the first round.

My whole family was there for the draft. My mom called them when the sixth round started and they all came down. She said we've waited long enough. It was crazy. Friends started coming over. We had a good time. [Channel 11 sportscaster] Alby [Oxenreiter] said he was going to come over Saturday or Sunday when I got drafted. He came right over. He filmed everyone and he wanted me to come on the late sports show. So I did that.

I leave for Tampa on Thursday for minicamp. We're there Thursday through Sunday. Then I'm home for a week then I'm back for coaching sessions after that. I'm excited. It's always been a dream of mine to live in Florida. I've always loved the warm climate. My sister Deanna was saying, 'The wait was worth it. We're going to Florida.' She was screaming that. That's true. It was worth the wait. I couldn't ask for a better situation. I'm going to be learning from coach Gruden. He's an offensive genius. I'll take everything in. I'll bring a different attitude to the team. I'm going to show everybody how hard I'm willing to work and learn.

	SCENES FROM NFL DRAFT DAY TWO Robin Rombach, Post-Gazette photos
	Family members and supporters of Dormont's Bruce Gradkowski celebrate as they watch the TV announcement yesterday that he was selected in the NFL draft by Tampa Bay. Gradkowski, who played for Seton LaSalle High School and was quarterback for the University of Toledo, was selected by the Buccaneers as the 25th selection in the sixth round of the draft, 194th overall.
	Bruce Gradkowski celebrates with family members at his parents' home in Dormont after being selected by Tampa Bay. On the left is Bruce's grandmother Joanne Gradkowski.
	Gradkowski, center, celebrates with family members at his parents' home in Dormont after being selected by Tampa Bay.

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Friday, April 28, 2006

Last Thursday morning I worked out with Erik Gill down at Pitt and then my girlfriend Miranda came up [from Toledo]. She got in around 7. My Aunt Niecy and her family (Shane, Lizzy, Catherine and Maria), my Nunny Joe, my aunt Judy and her family (Ashley, Timmy and Alyssa) and my aunt Sharon and her family (Gianna, Gabrielle and little Vinny) came over for dinner. After that my whole family came over, my Aunt Donna Connelly and my aunt Zia DelSardo and Ralph and Joey. They really haven't had a chance to get to know Miranda all that well yet, so this was the chance to get to know her.

Friday morning me, Miranda and my sister Brittany met my mom for lunch. After that we went to the mall. I bought my sister a new phone because her old one was messed up. After that, me, Miranda and my cousin Joe watched Wedding Crashers. I love that movie. My mom cooked dinner that night. After that we just hung out.

On Saturday Brittany and Gino went to Kent State to stay with my sister Deanna for the night. I took Miranda to the South Side. We ate at the Cheesecake Factory and shopped at the South Side Works. Then my cousin Cara and Ryan came down and we saw a movie "Silent Hill." It was probably the worst movie ever. After that my mom and dad came down and we had a double date. We ate at Carbonara Ristorante [in Mt. Lebanon]. After that I took Miranda through the Fort Pitt Tunnels so she could see what Pittsburgh looked like lit up at night. Then we went on the Incline, so she could see it from Mount Washington, the romantic guy that I am. She enjoyed it. Then we went home and watched a movie on TV.

On Sunday me and Miranda woke up and we went to church at St. Margaret's. I saw Mrs. Garritty there. She was my second grade teacher, one of my favorite teachers. She wished me the best. It was cool getting to see her. My Nunny cooks meatballs on Sunday, so after that the whole family was over. Miranda left around 4. Then everyone came over for pasta dinner. Greg Diulus, my agent, brought his wife and kids over after that. I was playing with his kids for a while. Then I went up to My Aunt Donna's and watched the Soprano's. I actually fell asleep during the show I was so tired. I came back to the house after that and we ordered Fiori's [Pizza]. I was eating so much last week.

On Monday I went to traffic court. I got a ticket down on the South Side when I was going back and forth during the all-star games and combines. When we got there we told the judge that I had been going back and forth. He dropped the charges. Then he asked me if I played quarterback. I said yeah. Then he asked 'somewhere in Ohio?' I told him Toledo. Me and Greg went to Subway to get something to eat after that. We were talking about the draft. Greg was getting a highlight tape ready that my dad had put together. My dad put together a tape of all my ESPN games and the good plays I had. Greg sent it out to 12 teams. Then I went and lifted.

The Eagles and Jets called that day. They asked me for my draft day phone number, they asked me which teams I had worked out for. I've probably had about 15 teams call me. Sometimes it's important guys in the organization calling. That's been good. The Bears called me later that night. This guy from the Bears is one of the best scouts out there. He's been to my Toledo games. He said he really enjoyed watching me throughout my career. He said he would like for me to be in Chicago, but he didn't know because of their quarterback situation. I think they're more likely to sign a free agent. On Monday night, me, my mom and Gino went to my Aunt Judy's because she cuts Gino's hair. They just moved into a new house. I was hanging out and playing with their kids. After that I had to go home and pack and get ready to go to Wisconsin.

Tuesday morning my mom took me to the airport. When I got to Madison [former Wisconsin receiver] Jonathan Orr was waiting for me. It was good to see him. I hadn't seen him in a while. He's a positive person to be around. He's very Christian. Jonathan has the same agent as me. He came to Pittsburgh and worked out at UPMC. That's where we got close. He's been taking care of me this week. I ran into one of my [old] coaches from Toledo at Wisconsin, coach [Randall] McCray. They have beautiful facilities here. It's crazy. I threw with Jonathan, their quarterback John Stocco and their two tight ends. Then we went to Bible study with a couple of other players. That was cool. Then we met up with his girlfriend.

On Wednesday I went down to their facility and saw coach McCray. We had one of my brother Gino's game tapes. I gave it to Wisconsin's offensive line coach. I got to meet their head coach [Bret Bielema]. I told Jonathan I want to meet Barry Alvarez today [Thursday]. We threw on the field later. One of their receivers, Brandon White, Jonathan and both of their tight ends were there. We got some good work in. I'm making Orr better every day. After that he took me to their student union. It's by a big lake. It's beautiful. Then we went to this Famous Dave's barbeque place. Then we watched the movie "Fun with Dick and Jane."

I had been talking with (agents) Greg and Ralph [Cindrich] a bunch throughout the day. They were saying that the Seahawks really like me. They were talking to them about me and Jonathan. The Seahawks told them that a lot of teams like me and that I'd probably go in the third or fourth round. I heard some very positive stuff yesterday. Ralph doesn't want me getting my hopes up too high. I know they're trying to keep some stuff from me. They don't want it to be a disappointment for me if I go on the second day. He also told me that SAGE trading cards wanted me to sign another 2,000 cards. This time there wasn't any money, but they wanted to give me a 50-inch LCL plasma TV. I'm going to do it.

The Tampa Bay Bucs called me again and I talked to them a little bit. Their guy told me [John] Gruden was going to sit down and watch that tape that Greg sent out. That was cool thinking that Gruden was going to be watching my tape. I'll be heading back to Pittsburgh later on today. I'm starting to get real excited. It's all in God's hands. I'm just going to enjoy the moment. I told my mom that I didn't want to make a big deal out of [draft day], and she kind of got mad at me. She told me my family had a lot to do with me getting to this point. I know they do, but if I get drafted on the second day, it will kind of be a disappointment for everyone. I told her after my name is said she can call whoever she wants. I'm still thinking about what I want to do because it would be cool to have my family there when my name is called. I'm going to try and keep busy. Me, my cousin Ralph and my cousin Shane are planning a trip to Boston. We want to go see a Red Sox game. I'll probably just try and keep busy on Saturday and Sunday.

Friday, April 21, 2006

On Holy Thursday I threw with Erik Gill and my cousin Ralph DelSardo down at Pitt. After that, I got a good workout in. I ran and lifted. I went home and ate something and just hung out. My mom and her sisters and my Nunny went to seven churches that day. It's a tradition they have. They go to different churches that they haven't seen or love. I had been trying to buy a car for my dad. Frank McGrath worked with my dad for years down at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. He keeps his cars in great shape. He had this 2001 Grand Marquis. My dad told him if he ever got rid of it to give him first dibs. The car looks brand new on the inside and outside. My dad deserves something like that. I wanted to do it for Easter.

On Friday I got up and met with Frank McGrath in Carnegie to get the papers transferred for the car. It was me, my mom, Frank and my agent. We had to put it in my parent's name. It was Good Friday, so after that me, my mom, my sister Brittany and my brother Gino went to the Stations of the Cross at St. Margaret's in Green Tree. After that we went to my aunt's house and ordered pizza. Me and Ralph went to Extreme Fitness after that to get a workout in. I came back to my house. I was thinking about giving the car to my dad Friday, but it was kind of rainy and Frank McGrath said he wanted to wax it up real nice before I gave it to my dad, so I waited until Saturday.

On Holy Saturday, Gino, my mom and my dad went to West Virginia's spring game to watch my cousin Carmen Connolly play with my aunt and uncle. Me, Deanna and Brittany went to Pitt's spring game to watch my cousin Joe DelSardo play. After that I had to get the car ready because I wanted to give it to my dad after West Virginia's spring game. My sisters were getting signs and a bow ready. So me and Ralph went to Frank McGrath's house in Green Tree and hung out there. Frank has been to my games at Toledo, so we know him really well. Frank thought it was great that I was doing that for my dad.

Gino kept texting me, telling me where they were. The last time he texted me they were coming up on Bridgeville. I had to pick up the license and papers and everything. We had to stop by Ralph's house because my video recorder was charging there. We got there, got the camera and got the signs and put the bow on the car. He just lives up the street. Ralph was filming. They all said my dad was miserable and in a bad mood after the spring game. Everyone was at my house. They were all on the front porch. They were all saying to come out and tell him about the spring game. My dad opened the window and said he'd just talk from there. He just wanted to lay down. Finally, my sisters went in the house and got him. He'll listen to my sisters.

So he went outside and sat on the swing with my sisters. I drove up and started beeping. At first, he just thought Frank McGrath was coming to visit. I got out of the car and tossed him the keys. I told him that it was his, and he hugged me and got teary-eyed. He got in it with my mom and my sisters and drove it around the block. That was cool to do for my dad, who has done so much for me. After that, Brandon Fuss-Cheatham, who played basketball at Ohio State, came over. We still keep in touch. I grew up with him. Our families are still close. Me and Brandon played football growing up in KOA -- Keystone Oaks Area. We played for the Brookline Knights when we were 13. When he went to Blackhawk, we played against each other. In high school, I would always go down and work out with him and his dad down at Pitt. We just hung out for a while.

After that, my family went to Easter Vigil at St. Margaret's. That was like for two hours. Then we went to my dad's mom's house and had some food. There's always food over there. Then we went home and waited for the Easter Bunny to come.

On Sunday, my mom's side of the family, we all went to Jamie's on West Liberty Avenue for brunch. We went back, and my sisters hid Easter eggs for the kids. We also had a pinata for the kids. The older kids were spinning each other around and getting dizzy. We were just having a good time. In the afternoon we went to the funeral home. Rege O'Neil's dad died. He's a coach. I've known him through Metro Index camps. He's been real good to me ever since I came out of high school, so that was the least I could do for him. On Sunday night, we went to my dad's mom's house for dinner. After that, I came back and watched the Soprano's.

On Monday I woke up and worked out at Extreme Fitness. I kind of just sat outside that day. It was a nice day. I didn't do too much that day.

On Tuesday, I went to Pitt and worked out with Erik Gill and lifted there. When I was conditioning at the indoor facility I ran into LenDale White. I went over and said what's up. I got to know him at the [scouting] combine. We talked for about five minutes. I had tickets to the Pirates game that night, but he couldn't go because he had to leave that night. But he said he would have loved to go. Me and my dad went to the Pirates game that night. They smashed the Cardinals. I love going to baseball games. PNC Park is beautiful. They were mashing the ball. I hope they can turn it around and have a good season.

On Wednesday me and my sister Brittany went to work out at Extreme Fitness. Then we went to the Pirates game again. It was me, Brittany, my buddy Fig (Mark Fiorilli), Joey DelSardo and Brittany's boyfriend, Dan. It was another beautiful day. Too bad the Pirates lost. We got a lot of sun. When we got home I was telling Dan that he looked like a tomato. After that me and Fig went to my agent Ralph Cindrich's office. Fig goes to Thomas M. Cooley Law School in Michigan. Greg Diulus was there, and Fig was just asking him questions. After that, we had dinner. My mom was cooking chicken on the grill. Me and my mom were talking. She said she likes it when I'm home and I can just come out and talk to her.

The Jacksonville Jaguars called me that day. Their guy, a scout, said he loved the way I played. He said he sticks up for four or five guys a year, and he said he'll stick up for me. The New York Giants called me Tuesday night when I was at the Pirates game. They wanted to know my draft day phone number, what teams I worked out for. Then today [Thursday], the St. Louis Rams quarterbacks coach, Doug Nussmeier, called me and left a message. It sounded like he was going to come in and visit with me before the draft, but we'll see. Next week, I'll be going out to Wisconsin and working out with Jonathan Orr. I'm excited. Greg [Diulus] just told me how the Steelers would like to get me, but they don't think I'll be left when they're going to draft [a quarterback]. I've been hearing that some team is going to pick me in the third round. I hear second through the fourth round or third through the fifth round. I think I'll get drafted in the third round, on the first day.

Friday, April 14, 2006

When I got to Toledo last Thursday I met with the owner of the Yark car dealership in Toledo. They sell Chrysler Jeeps. He was very interested in doing something with me. He thought I might be able to do some appearances and card signings and maybe some commercials. He was talking about giving me a car, but he wasn't sure about what city I'll be playing in. That went over really well. I think my agent will just handle the rest from here. Then I went to see my roommates Trinity Dawson and Jason Flowers. I saw them for a little bit and then I went to the Toledo Mudhens game with my girlfriend Miranda, her uncle and her cousin. In Toledo, I get recognized. It's neat. I was doing an interview with a television station up there and afterward I signed this kid's mitt. I've been in Toledo for a while now. I think it's cool that little kids know who I am. After that, I took Miranda out to eat and I went back and met up with my buddies.

On Friday I went down to our stadium at Toledo and worked out with Trinity. We got some lunch and then we went to Toledo's scrimmage. It's weird watching those guys. I feel like I'm so much older than those guys and it's like I played with them so long ago, but it wasn't only a few months ago. They looked good. I'm kind of jealous because their whole offensive line is back. Our running backs and receivers are looking good. Our defense was flying around the ball. I think Toledo's going to be tough next year. They'll be playing at Pitt. I'd love to see that game. After the scrimmage, me, Trinity, Jason and Andrew Clark, our tight end, went to dinner. We went to Red Lobster because it was Friday and I couldn't eat meat. It was cool just being able to hang out with the guys.

On Saturday I got up and had breakfast with my mentor. At Toledo they set you up with a mentor when you get there. It's either an old professor or an alum. They're there if you need anything. My mentor is Bob Wendt. We've kept in touch. He's a psychologist. He's still around Toledo. My family loves him. He loves my family. I'd go over there and eat dinner sometimes. He's someone I could always count on. He's a very intelligent man and gives good advice. We had a good talk. He gave me a Green Bay Packers mug. He's a Packers fan. He said, 'Brett Favre might be retiring. The Packers might need a quarterback.' After that, me, Trinity and Jason went to a block party and saw some friends. Then me, Trinity and Miranda went to the Olive Garden for dinner.

On Sunday me and Miranda went to church. The priest at our church I've known for five years - Father Basick. He's a great guy. We'd go to lunch sometimes. Back home when I go to St. Margaret's where I grew up [in Green Tree] the priests that were there when I was growing up aren't there anymore. It's neat to have someone like Father Basick. I've gotten to know him pretty well. After that Miranda made me lunch. She's always cooking food. If not for her, I'd be eating fast food all the time. After that I just hung out with Trinity and Jason the rest of the day. We were watching this show Joes vs. Pros. It's ordinary people playing against pro athletes who used to play. They do different competitions. They had an old pitcher trying to strike a guy out. They had someone trying to get a rebound over a basketball player. I told those guys that if us three were doing that I'd win. Then it started. We're all so competitive. So we decided to go miniature golfing. Once we got there, we had to come up with the bet. So we settled on the person who comes in last place has to buy dinner for the first place finisher and the second place finisher gets his money back from the round. Trinity was doing good for the first nine holes then he had a hole where he had like nine strokes. Me and Jason were tied through the last nine then he went ahead with a lucky hole-in-one. On the last hole, we had to hit it up a slope, and Trinity hit it up the slope and it ran off the green. So he had a two-stroke penalty and had to start again. So he hit it and it went off the green again. Me and Jason were cracking up. Trinity is a poor sport. We were laughing so hard. The third time he finally got it up and we finished. Jason won. We went to dinner after and Jason is such an instigator, an agitator. He kept on Trinity the rest of the night. That was the last time I was going to see those guys for a while. It's hard. I like to go with the flow. I just said 'See ya.' I don't like to make a big deal about things. I think it's better not to make a big deal of things. If I started thinking about what a great five years I had... I grew up so much in college. I met people there that I'll know for a lifetime. Those are friends you want to know for a lifetime.

On Monday I got up and drive back to Pittsburgh. My financial advisor is in Cleveland, so I stopped and met with him for about an hour and a half. I signed some papers. After that, my sister Deanna goes to Kent State, so I took her and some of her friends out to dinner. I got home around 8:30 and went up to my Aunt's house.

On Tuesday I woke up and went to work out with Erik Gill at Pitt. I've always known him because my cousin Joey plays at Pitt. We also have the same agent. I need someone to throw to. He's a good kid. He's always willing to work out and catch the ball. I ran and lifted at UPMC after that with Ron DeAngelo. I went home and took a shower and then came back to watch Pitt's practice with my uncle Joe. Joey looks good. He's smooth. He has the best hands on the team by far. I'd like to be able to throw to him for four years. He'll be a big part of that team next year. They'd be crazy not to try to get him on the field. He just makes plays. They need to keep him on the field because he's so consistent. If it's third-and-eight, they just have to throw it to him because you know he's going to catch it. We talked to Joey for a little bit after practice and then we went home. I ate dinner with my family. I also talked with my agent Ralph Cinrich on Tuesday. He's doing a comparison with me and Drew Brees because Dan Henson, a former coach and one of my financial advisors, worked with the both of us. He thinks it's a good comparison. We have the same quickness, I'm a little bit taller than he is and my arm's a little bit stronger than his arm was when he was in college. His arm is stronger now because he's been in the NFL. Ralph was going to send that comparison out to teams.

On Wednesday I woke up and worked out at Extreme Fitness up at the Bourse Shops. I got a good workout in. After that I had lunch with my mom. I had to rush home from lunch because a guy from Upper Deck was meeting me at my house at 1:00 to watch me sign 3,000 stickers for my trading card. He had to witness it. So I sat there and did that for three hours, got done around 4:00. After that I went up to my cousin Ralph's house and had dinner up there. After dinner, me and my cousin Michael - he's 13 -- played one-on-one [basketball]. He's grown up with athletes all around him. Joey is really hard on him. Michael is really athletic. We just tease him because he's small. He tells me he's better than I was at [that] age. He says he's going to play at Duke... I'm just sort of going with the flow. I'm starting to get excited for the draft. I'm not nervous. I'm excited. I talked with Greg Diulus - he works in the office with Ralph Cindrich - we talked about all the quarterbacks in the draft. He really thinks the Broncos like me a lot. I hear so many things. I hear I'll be drafted on the first day then I'll hear that I'm out of the first day all together. Draft day is going to be crazy. My Aunt Donna was yelling at me because we had ESPN on the other day and they were going team by team and what they needed. She told me to turn it off. She said I shouldn't watch that stuff until draft day. But they were doing the Vikings and I wanted to see what they had to say because they need a backup for Brad Johnson because he's getting old. Then I was watching the NFL Network. It's all around me now. It's hard to avoid it. I'm sick of working out. I want to start learning an offense and do football things. I'm in good shape. I'm ready to go.

Friday, April 7, 2006

I drove back from Toledo last Thursday. I got home and my mom was cooking up some food. I ate the house. Later that night I went up to my Aunt Donna's house and we watched a movie, Amityville Horror. It was me, my cousin Cara, her boyfriend, Ryan, and my aunt Donna. It was funny. I had seen the movie before, but I like watching other people's faces who are watching the movie.

On Friday, I got up around 10. I promised my sister that I'd take her to the mall. It was her birthday and I hadn't gotten her anything yet. Before we went, I took my family to lunch at the Whiskey Hollow Grill in Banksville Plaza. My sister Deanna was there, my uncle Joe, Aunt Zia, Aunt Donna and my Nunny. It was my treat. I wanted to do that because of these card signings I've been doing. I had to sign 3,000 stickers that are going to be placed on my trading card. A guy had to come and witness me signing the stickers. I get paid for that. I love being able to do stuff like that, take my family out to eat. Hopefully, I can really take care of my family someday. Right now, taking them out to lunch is no big deal. Whatever they need I want to be able to do for them because I wouldn't be where I am without them.

So after lunch, me and Deanna went to Beaver Valley Mall. I'm supposed to be taking her shopping and we end up at the Finish Line for an hour. I bought my brother a pair of shoes and I got some stuff for myself. Then we went to the Mall at Robinson. That's where she did her shopping. We came home and my mom cooked some pasta with shrimp in it. It was Friday so we couldn't eat meat. After dinner, I signed some of those stickers. I wanted to get that done and have that in the mail by Monday. After that, I just hung out at my house and we watched "Deal or No Deal." My dad and my Nunny love that show. That show is crazy. After that I went up to my Aunt Donna's house and me and my cousins ordered pizza from Fiori's.

On Saturday, I got up and went to my Aunt Donna's. Me, her, my Uncle Tom and my cousin T.J. went down to West Virginia to watch my cousin Carmen Connolly in a scrimmage. It was a good deal. They had just moved him from safety to receiver. He got a lot of reps. It was only his second day at receiver, but I'm not worried about him. He's going to pick things up real quick. After the scrimmage, I talked to coach [Rick] Trickett, their offensive line coach, and coach [Rich] Rodriguez. They're recruiting my brother. Coach Rodriguez said if I ever needed a place to work out I was more than welcome to use their facilities, which was nice of him. After that, we took Carmen out to lunch at the Texas Roadhouse. T.J. was in a hurry to get back because there was a concert he wanted to see in Oakland later that night, so we headed back.

When I got back, I had to get ready because it was my cousin Ralph DelSardo's birthday and I went out to dinner with his family. We went to the Red Bull Inn. As soon as I got home, my Nunny was on me. 'Are you coming to dinner?' It was me, my Nunny, my uncle Joe, Aunt Zia, Michael DelSardo, who is 13, and Joey. The (NCAA) basketball games were on when we were eating so we watched the games. After dinner, I went over to Ralph's and we watched the other game. I love basketball. Sometimes I say to myself that 'I could be doing this.' I analyze the game and question why they do certain things. I believe I could have played at that level. I don't play basketball anymore. My agent, Ralph Cindrich, made me promise that I wasn't going to play. He doesn't want me spraining an ankle or anything, which is smart. After the games, then me, Ralph and my friend John Baker went to Margarita Mama's and we just hung out.

On Sunday, I got up and went to church at St. Bernard's with my cousin, Joe. I kind of laid around all day Sunday. I signed some of those stickers. After dinner, I went to my Aunt Donna's and watched the Soprano's. I'm not really a TV guy. I'm not really into a lot of shows. I just forget when they're on. But I like the mafia stuff and movies. After that I went home and went and hung out.

On Monday I got up early and went to breakfast with Ralph Cindrich and my dad. Ralph put together a nice packet of information on me. It compared me with other quarterbacks in the draft. It compared my stats with Matt Leinart, Brody Croyle and Jay Cutler. It had touchdowns, interceptions, completion percentage, passer rating. I was first or second in every category. They did a comparison with me and Cutler. My numbers were better than his in all the major categories. They also did a comparison with Charlie Frye [the former Akron quarterback now with the Cleveland Browns]. My numbers were better than his, too. They were going to send it out to teams this week. Hopefully, the teams will look at it and it will make a good impression.

I went up to Seton-LaSalle to work out around 4:30. Their weight room is getting renovated and all of their weights are in their locker room now. It's really neat to go back there and work out. I had been working out at UPMC by myself. It was getting a little boring. I needed a change of scenery. My brother and his friends were up there. It's neat to be there with those guys. They see me -- and I'm not Superman or anything -- and they see that if you work hard you can someday be in a position like I'm in. Working out at Seton-LaSalle was good for me. It's not the best machinery, but it's where I'm from. And, of course, some of the guys were asking me 'Where do I think I'll get drafted?' Other guys were kind of shy and just laying low. But I like being around those guys. I love being in that atmosphere and being a positive influence on people.

My brother Gino is a junior and he already has scholarship offers from Toledo, Pitt, West Virginia, Miami, Ohio. He visited Michigan, Michigan State and Penn State. He's still waiting for a scholarship offer from a Big Ten school. It's impressive watching him lift. He's bigger than me. He's 6-3, 280. He's a man already. I see how hard he's working. I see good things for Gino. We went home and had dinner. My mom made meatloaf. After that me and my Nunny watched "Deal or No Deal." The girl who was on there looked like my sister Deanna, so we were laughing about that. My Nunny gets real nervous when she watches that show. She yells at them just to take the money. I'm like, 'No, keep going.' After that I went down to Dairy Queen and got a couple of banana splits. My dad had been craving one of those all day. Then we watched the (NCAA) championship game. My mom always tapes One Shining Moment. She tapes it every year. I have tapes from every year of the tournament.

On Tuesday I woke up early and went down to Pitt and threw to Erik Gill and Marcus Furman. Marcus e-mailed me and told me he wanted to get some work catching because he's going to be a receiver at the next level. That was good. I'm always looking for people to throw to. When we got down there the Steelers kicker, Jeff Reed, was working out. He seemed like a cool guy. He wished us good luck. He wasn't trying to big-time us or anything. Then I did some conditioning work on my own.

I went back home, took a shower and picked my mom up at work and took her out to lunch. We went to Eat 'N Park. Then Gino called me. He needed money to go out and eat. After that I went to Robinson to exchange a phone I didn't like and on the way back I stopped at my other Nunny's in Green Tree, where I used to live, and hung out for a while. That night I had a meeting with my financial advisors, David Zabransky and Dan Henson, Drew Henson's dad. We had dinner and a meeting. Dan Henson had been a football coach, but he gave it up and wanted to watch his kid play and get into the financial end of things. He's a real good guy. He's been in contact with me and has been giving me input. He knows what's going on. The relationship we're building is more than financial. They want to work with good guys who come from good families and build lifelong relationships.

On Wednesday I slept in a little bit and then went up to Seton La Salle to lift around 2. This time it was crazy. A lot of the freshmen were up there lifting. That's when you get a lot of stares. I got a great lift in. I left around 4:30. My brother didn't get home until around 7. Coach [Greg] Perry does a great job with him. He was doing some extra footwork drills after lifting. I always get on him and tell him he can't get too big. His athleticism is one of his biggest strengths. My mom cooked stew that night and my brother was complaining that it didn't fill him up, so he went down to Subway and got us a couple of subs after dinner. Wednesday night I just hung out with my mom and Nunny. We were watching a movie on Lifetime.

It's definitely different being back home. I really enjoy it, but I'm used to being on my own. All of my friends are in Toledo. My mom loves having me home. She was giving me a hard time about going back to Toledo today [Thursday.]. I'm going back to visit my roommate, Trinity [Dawson]. He's going back to Atlanta, where his family is now on Monday. I'm going up there to see him and hang out with some friends. I didn't know when I was going to see him a again because I'll be going straight to a mini-camp after the draft. I'm also meeting with a car dealership [Thursday]. I'm going to see about doing some marketing for them and working out a deal.

Friday, March 31, 2006

I definitely helped myself at the combine (held in Indianapolis last month). I got to show my speed and my athleticism. I ran the fastest time of any of the quarterbacks, but there are a lot of fast quarterbacks out there. It was a good experience to show what I can do. The combine has only helped me. The same thing with the (East-West Shrine) all-star game. That experience only helped me as well. I've been getting feedback from my agent, Ralph Cindrich. He tells me what teams were saying about me before the combine and after the combine. He tells me I've helped myself tremendously. My stock is rising. The all-star game, the combine, my pro day, everything has gone really well.

The first day at the combine is the medical exams. They ask you about your past injuries. They know all of your past injuries. They take X-rays, MRIs, take blood work, all kinds of stuff. Then you do some Cybex testing. That's a test to see how strong your legs are. Then it's dinner and meetings. The meetings take place in this big banquet room. It's just a big room with all of the coaches in there. The coaches come up and grab you if they want to talk to you. That was from 7 until 11 at night and I was there until the final minutes. All kinds of coaches come up to you: offensive coordinators, quarterback coaches, scouts. I talked with the Dolphins quarterbacks coach, the Seahawks, Redskins, the Raiders' offensive coordinator. It had to be 20 teams. It was non-stop.

On Friday, they get you up very early, like around 5:30. You go down and take a drug test. You pee and they take a urine sample. Then they poke and prod you. They call it pokin' and proddin' day. There are six or seven different rooms you have to go into. There are different NFL teams and their doctors. They check your shoulders, knees, ankles, put you in all different kinds of positions. Then the other positions do the 225-pound bench press. The quarterbacks don't have to lift. Then it was the Wonderlic test. That's a different experience. It's an interesting test. I take my time on tests. The Wonderlic tries to get you to answer questions in a short period of time. I tried to answer as many as I could. It's tough. They do it to see if you're a bright kid. But if you know football, you know football. Mine was an average score. After dinner, you go back into a room with the coaches. The first night I was there I thought I met with every team. But the second night was the same way. It was non-stop again.

On Saturday, you wake up early and do psychological testing. I did that at the all-star game, so I only had to take one test. Everyone has to take the New York Giants test. It's 200 multiple choice questions. They ask you things like your favorite food. They ask you when you eat, do you get too full? Or not full enough? Just weird stuff. Do you like pizza or ice cream? They want to see what kind of person you are. Are you lazy? Outgoing? Are you a leader? Or do you like to sit back and watch?

On Saturday night, I had my scheduled meeting with the Eagles. That went very well. When I met with their quarterbacks coach in the room, I'd draw up plays for him. When I met with the Eagles staff, (head coach) Andy Reid was sitting there. They asked me about my background. Then they started in with the questions. Andy Reid said, 'Go to the board. It's third-and-eight. Draw up any play you want.' I drew up a play and every detail I knew about the play, what my thought process was, the protection, how to pick up the blitz. Andy Reid said, 'What if this guy comes?' And I went over what I would do. I thought it went very well. That's what excites me. I want to be up in front of coaches and show them what I know about football. I'm pretty confident in my mental abilities as a player.

Sunday was the day I was waiting for. That's when you run and do all the tests. It's a long day. I was there from 9:30 until 3. You do flexibility testing, then you run the 40. Then after the 40 you do different drills, throw routes to receivers. Then we went to the shuttle drill, the long jump and the vertical jump. It's mentally draining. I was getting so psyched for the 40. You run two 40s and then you go straight to the throwing. That was the biggest part of the day for me. I wanted to show that I had enough arm strength. That went very well. I felt good. Then I had to do a couple of more drills. It's mentally and physically exhausting. You have to be on your toes at all times.

March 18th was my pro day. Pitt let me do my pro day at Pitt. I'm thankful to Dave Wannstedt and Pitt for letting me do that. Our pro day at Toledo was March 2nd, which was right after the combine, and I didn't feel like I had anything left to show right after that. All I did was throw at Pitt's pro day. The Eagles, Rams, Browns, Jaguars and Steelers were there. I threw to my cousin, Ralph DelSardo, who played at Morehead State and is now at coach at St. Francis, Pa. I was going to throw to Greg Lee, but he had just run his 40s and his hamstring was bothering him, so Ralph stepped in and did a great job. The night before, Doug Nussmeir of the Rams took me to dinner and we watched film. We watched film up at Seton La Salle and then we went to Mitchell's Seafood at the Galleria. It was Friday, so we couldn't eat meat.

Then this past week I was up at Toledo and kind of laid low. I was working so hard every day preparing for the combine and my pro day. I didn't throw at all last week. I lifted and I ran a couple of times. It was good to be back to see my coaches and my buddies. I talk to the Toledo coaches a couple of times a month. Coach Shannon, my offensive coordinator, checks up on me. They want to know what's going on. He tries to give me some tips. They had another pro day at Toledo on Wednesday, just so guys can get better 40 times heading into the draft. The Jaguars, 49ers and Dolphins were there. We had two running backs, two linebackers, our strong safety, two cornerbacks and a receiver working out for the scouts. I wasn't going to do anything, but I threw to the DBs for the scouts and then to our running backs and receiver. I wasn't planning on working out, but I have nothing to hide. The scouts asked me and I said sure. Afterward, it was funny. The 49ers guy said, 'Hey Bruce, I want you to try something.' He said, 'Come over here and put your foot on the sideline.' He wanted me to throw from sideline to sideline without moving my feet. So I threw on to the hash to one of our receivers. Got it there nice and easy. Then to the numbers, nice and easy. Then I had to throw it all the way to the other sideline. That's when I really let it go, and it made it fine. He said, 'Wow and accurate.' Everyone wants to see about my arm strength and I've always done really well with that at the combine and my workouts.

In my free time, I just like to hang out. I don't like to go out all that much. I just kind of relaxed this past week. I took my buddies out to eat. I went to the movies a couple of times. I just like to lay low. I haven't really changed my diet too much. I can go home and eat my mom's spaghetti and meatballs. Just so I don't eat meat on Fridays. Before the combine I was watching what I ate a little. I'm not a junk food kind of a guy. I keep my eye on it, but I'm not too worried about it.

Right now, I'm very anxious and excited. I want to see how all of my hard work paid off. Before the season started I was being projected between the third and fifth rounds. Now that all of my workouts have gone very well, I feel very confident. My agent, Ralph Cindrich, is telling me to relax, that I got another month until the draft, to slow down. I'm just taking it day by day and enjoying the moment. I'm just going to work out and stay in shape for the mini-camp that comes right after the draft. I'll be very excited for draft day. I'm a positive person, so I'll be expecting the best. I'm expecting a first-day pick. But I'll just be happy to get drafted.