In the gloom of another devastating loss to the Panthers, Bucs running back Michael Pittman wasn't about to duck the questions.
In front a locker crowded with media, Pittman faced the reality that despite a good all-around performance on the field, his inability to hold onto the ball affected the outcome of Sunday's game. And it raised questions about his ball security.
"I'm not a fumbler, but this year, I've got to be more aware, I guess, I don't know," said Pittman, who twice stalled drives by turning the ball over. "Maybe other teams will now think of me as a fumbler, and they should."
Pittman, who missed the first three games of the season due to a league suspension, has fumbled four times in the past eight games, losing all four. In the sixth game of the season, against the Rams on Monday night, Pittman's fumble at the Rams 7 led to a 93-yard touchdown return that turned the tide of the game.
"You look at my stats in the past, my catches, my carries, look at the way I have carried the ball and you rarely see me fumble," he said. "But it's something I have to work on. I don't know what's going on. I have to be aware. They were both my fault. I lost the ball. I take pride in holding onto the ball because people are depending on me and that's why I'm upset right now. If teams do think I'm a fumbler, then they have good reason to right now."
Pittman, a critical part of his team's success the past month, entered Sunday's game with 405 yards rushing and six touchdowns in the past four games. He averaged 5.1 yards a carry in those games and had three 100-yard rushing efforts.
But in the 21-14 loss to Carolina, the seventh-year pro will be remembered more for the balls that slipped away.
With the score tied at 7, the Bucs defense stopped the Panthers as Jeff Chandler missed a 38-yard field goal. With momentum in their favor, the Bucs opened the drive on their 29. After an incomplete pass from Brian Griese, Pittman scampered up the middle for a 2-yard gain and fumbled as he was hit by defensive end Mike Rucker. The ball was recovered by linebacker Mark Fields. The defense held again and its special teams unit struck a big blow when defensive end Dewayne White bull rushed his way to block Chandler's field goal, also from 38 yards.
With renewed enthusiasm, the Bucs seemed set to take the lead when they made it to the Panthers 15 before defensive end Al Wallace slammed Pittman in the back and the ball popped loose. Recovered by safety Mike Minter, the turnover squashed the second straight drive.
"It's very difficult, the player I am, I have to put it all on my shoulders and right now, I probably feel worse than anybody else in this locker room," Pittman said. "I feel like I let my teammates down and my coaches down. I know they won't say the same, but (that's the truth) when somebody depends on me so much and I put so much on my shoulders and don't come through for everybody.
"Those two times when I fumbled, I lost the ball, we lost momentum. Those could have been touchdowns. You never know."
Unfortunately for Pittman, the fumbles tarnished what could have been another solid game. On a day when the Bucs couldn't generate anything in the running game (62 yards, 28 carries), Pittman made an impact as a receiver.
Taking advantage of the Panthers' plan to guard him with a linebacker or safety, Pittman set a career-high with eight catches for 134 yards and two touchdowns.
"It was me isolated one-on-one with the linebackers and the safeties," he said. "I was able to beat them all day. The running game wasn't there; they played great against it with an eight-man or nine-man front at times, but coach (Jon) Gruden wanted to isolate me on them one-on-one. We did that, but it was for naught. We lost the game."
Gruden described Pittman's receiving as "outstanding," and quarterback Brian Griese said "Pitt made some great plays to keep us in the game."
"Mike did a great job of beating man coverage," Griese said. "In a lot of their schemes, they wanted to double some of our wide receivers and it left Michael free on one of their linebackers and he did a good job."
