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Bruce Gradkowski, right, has been appointed the mentor for Bengals starter Andy Dalton.
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Gradkowski happy to be in Queen City

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Gradkowski happy to be in Queen City

Six weeks ago, Bruce Gradkowski and his new bride cruised the Aegean Sea, hopping the Greek Islands.

From the volcanic cliffs of Santorini to the Italian influence of Corfu to medieval Rhodes, as Turkish as it is Greek; from the white beaches of Crete in the south to those on Skiathos, a speck barely off the Greek coast in the north, to the jetset haven of Mykonos, it was one of those honeymoons that could have gone on forever.

But they never do, you know, and shortly after the couple returned to the real world, Bruce became a quarterback for the Cincinnati Bengals. No offense to the Queen City, but after the Greek Isles that's sort of a yacht-to-trawler trek.

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A national magazine recently ranked the 122 franchises in North America's four major sports, and the Bengals were No. 122. And nearly every authority at every publication ranks Cincinnati as the NFL's most hapless team in the 2011 preseason, which began with a 34-3 exhibition loss to Detroit Friday night.

Gradkowski knew all of that during the accelerated free agency period that followed the end of the NFL lockout. Still, when push came to shove, despite other options, he took the Ohio River plunge.

"We were definitely talking to other teams too," Gradkowski said late Friday night at Ford Field. "But the question you ask is, 'Where's the best fit?' This was the best all-around fit for me. I was familiar with [offensive coordinator] Jay Gruden's system from my days in Tampa, there's a lot of good, young talent, and there's an opportunity.

"And, after a couple years on the west coast [with the Oakland Raiders], it definitely feels good to be back in Ohio. This state has been awfully good to me, and it's nice for both of us to be back close to our families."

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The "both of us" would be Bruce, who hails from Pittsburgh, and the new Mrs. Gradkowski, the former Miranda Lucius, who he met while both were students at the University of Toledo. Her family lives in Tiffin.

Gradkowski was UT's quarterback from 2003-05 and left with a 26-10 record as the starter and 21 school records, including 9,225 career passing yards and 85 touchdown passes. His three Mid-American Conference records include a .682 career completion percentage.

He was a sixth-round draft pick of the Tampa Bay Bucs in 2006 and spent two seasons there, one in Cleveland, and two in Oakland. He has appeared in 32 NFL games and is 6-14 as a starter, a statistic that best reflects the caliber of teams for which he has toiled.

That doesn't figure to improve, at least immediately, in Cincinnati, which gave Gradkowski a two-year deal. What he brings to the show is experience -- his 20 NFL starts bumps the total for Cincy's quarterbacking corps to, well, 20.

The Bengals also gave him a tough assignment. They have declared rookie Andy Dalton their starter. Gradkowski, by nature a competitor, is being asked to mentor Dalton as well as the other young QBs, Jordan Palmer and Dan LeFevour, currently on the roster.

"We've got a great relationship," Dalton said Friday night. "I was excited when we picked Bruce up because he's played in this system before, and he's going to help everybody in the room. One of the great things about Bruce is that he's a team player. He's not selfish at all, and he's sharing all his knowledge with us."

Dalton played the entire first half Friday, unusual for a starter in an exhibition opener but illustrative of how he's being force-fed into the offense. The ex-TCU star got off to a rough start against Detroit's tough defensive front -- he was hit delivering his first pass, which was intercepted -- but he showed more poise and some promise as the game progressed. He finished 11-of-15, albeit for just 69 yards.

Gradkowski, who is No. 2 on the depth chart, played for three possessions in the third quarter and was 6-of-11 for 58 yards.

"I've only been in camp for about a week, but this is my sixth year, so I expect to hop in there and learn on the fly," Gradkowski said. "There were some good things out there, but you can't be satisfied not scoring points.

"Andy's doing a great job of picking up the offense. There's no reason not to help each other out. The idea is for the team to win. At the same time, I don't play this game to sit on the bench. I will keep preparing, and I'll compete every day, and the coaches will determine what happens, what's best for the team."

Contact Blade sports columnist Dave Hackenberg at: dhack@theblade.com or 419-724-6398.

First Published August 14, 2011, 4:15 a.m.

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Bruce Gradkowski, right, has been appointed the mentor for Bengals starter Andy Dalton.  (ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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