Great run, Mike, but time to leave

By JOHN ROMANO
Published March 2, 2007

In springtime, sonnets automatically sound sweeter. Trust is a given, and every intention is for the best.

In springtime, even a marriage between Mike Alstott and the Buccaneers can seem a splendid union.

As long as you ignore the coming fall.

For that is when the game plan gets written without Alstott in mind. So the fullback grows silent and his fans grow noisy. Eventually, the head coach grows agitated.

Look, this is not a new story. It's not even an intriguing story. For several years it has played out the same way, and there is no reason to believe 2007 will be different.

So, tell me, why are they getting together again? Why, during the optimism of March, do they always ignore the reality of September?

Why does an announcement that should be celebrated, instead seem fraught with consequences?

And, yes, I know you're still hoping for the fairy tale. Truthfully, I am too. We imagine the moment when the Bucs find themselves on the edge of desperation, and Alstott comes out of the huddle to save the day.

But, deep down, we all know that's not likely to happen. And, I'm pretty sure, the Bucs and Alstott know it, too.

So it becomes a loveless marriage held together because of the children. And, by the children, I mean the hairy guys screaming from the top of the bleachers. Alstott does not want to leave because of a fan base that adores him. And the Bucs are afraid to suggest it's time to leave for the same reason.

Which brings us to this stalemate. And to this dilemma:

Do you applaud something you believe is doomed?

It is, of course, our respect of Alstott that makes this so much harder. He, like Derrick Brooks, is a symbol of all that can be possible in sports.

A player who arrived when the Bucs were a joke, and contributed greatly to a franchise's rise. A player who has been nothing but admirable on the field, and always exemplary off it. Those are the qualities general manager Bruce Allen spoke of when discussing Alstott's return Thursday night.

"Mike Alstott's role on the team has been, for the past several years, a team captain," Allen said. "He's a good leader for this team, and a lot of the younger players, as well as the veterans, look up to him. That's what we have seen of him."

It would be wonderful if, somehow, the Bucs and Alstott could find some common ground between a leading role and an extra. If he was used occasionally as a skill player instead of as Cadillac's bumper.

But the truth is, Jon Gruden has never been sold on Alstott as an offensive force. He wasn't when Alstott was 28 and a Pro Bowl player, so why would his opinion change now that Alstott is 33 and a spare part?

The dropoff in Alstott's career is not hard to trace. You either begin with the neck injury in 2003, or you start a year earlier when Gruden arrived.

During his first six seasons, Alstott started every game he played and averaged 11 carries for 43 yards. Since Gruden showed up, Alstott has been in and out of the lineup and has averaged five carries for 17 yards.

For a fullback who has never been celebrated as a blocker, it seems wasteful and silly to keep bringing him back for a handful of carries a week.

By last season, the Bucs were not even taking full advantage of Alstott in his supposed specialty. In short-yardage situations - 1 or 2 yards to go, on third or fourth down - he got the ball less than half the time.

Now there will be those who suggest Gruden has it in for Alstott, and has purposefully kept him down. That's absurd. Gruden wants to win as much as anyone, and would play a scoundrel or a Pacman if it gave him an edge.

The problem is the player never fit the coach's plan. And, five years later, we're still determined to force them together.

I understand why Alstott still wants to play. An athlete's time is brief, and it can be difficult to let go of something so precious. And I understand why people want to see Alstott finish his career in a Tampa Bay uniform.

But is it really so special when the uniform is spotless and the player is frustrated?

Hey, they tried to make it work. Alstott swallowed his pride and came back year after year. And the Glazers wrote out paychecks with precious little in return.

So maybe this should have been the time for Alstott and the Bucs to part ways. If he is still the same workhorse, wouldn't everyone be happier to see him have success, even if it is elsewhere?

He has meant too much to be brought back again out of obligation. Maybe that works for a year or two. But not for three. And certainly not four.

The man has already given us memories. He helped bring respectability to Tampa Bay, and a Lombardi Trophy to One Buc Place.

Mike Alstott has given us everything he had.

All that's left is a farewell.

John Romano can be reached at (727) 893-8811.

[Last modified March 2, 2007, 06:19:22]