Falcons linebacker Paul Worrilow had fellow Delaware Blue Hen and newly acquired center Gino Gradkowski over to his house to help get him acclimated to the team.
“It was good,” Gradkowski said. “Paul made me a nice big steak.”
The Falcons claimed Gradkowski off waivers from the Denver Broncos on Monday.
Gradkowski started his college career at West Virginia and played for the Mountaineers as a redshirt freshman in 2008 before transferring to Delaware, where he played from 2009-11. Worrilow played for the Blue Hens from 2009-12.
“With him coming in, we’re good friends,” Worrilow said. “We go back a little ways. I just kind of told him to call me if there’s anything that he needed. I’m here for him.”
Over the meal, Worrilow gave Gradkowski some pointers on the organization.
“I kind of (talked to him) about the way we do things here and the way (head coach Dan Quinn) has us going,” Worrilow said.
Gradkowski, a former fourth-round pick by Baltimore, is listed as the second-team center and has been getting some special teams work. He played on Baltimore’s Super Bowl XLVII winning team and was their starter in 2013.
“It’s going well so far,” said Gradkowski, who’s the younger brother of Steelers quarterback Bruce Gradkowski. “I’m just trying to learn as much as a I can, as fast as possible, so that I can contribute. That’s just my main focus right now.”
Falcons center Mike Person is set to start his first game in the NFL.
“I’ve been in meetings for two days straight,” Gradkowski said. “It’s gone really well. Coach (Chris) Morgan and coach Keith (Armstrong) are doing a great job or teaching me the offense. There are a lot of similarities from my previous offense, which helps a lot.”
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