In search of full role, Pittman ready for fullback

He looks the part at 228 pounds, but no decision has been made.

By RICK STROUD
Published August 13, 2007

ADVERTISEMENT [Bill Serne | Times] Michael Pittman points up to the Dog Pound after his 11 yard TD at the Cleveland Browns Stadium in 2006.

LAKE BUENA VISTA - The way Michael Pittman sees it, the linebackers have it coming.

After spending nine NFL seasons absorbing punishment as a running back, the guy with 19 1/2-inch biceps will enjoy being the hammer instead of the nail.

Playing fullback will have its privileges for Pittman.

"I'm going to get my revenge on these linebackers," he said. "Now I'll be running at them instead of them running at me."

Pittman, who turns 32 Tuesday, is capable of doing a lot more in the Bucs offense.

Already the backup running back and third-down receiving back, the 6-foot, 228-pound Pittman is ready and willing to add a new job title to his resume.

With Mike Alstott on injured reserve with his second neck injury since 2003, Pittman started at fullback in Friday's 13-10 preseason victory against New England. He could have company. Fourth-year player Earnest Graham and B.J. Askew, who played four seasons with the Jets, will get some long looks as well.

But Pittman's versatility gives him an edge. Coach Jon Gruden imagines Pittman and Cadillac Williams in the same huddle, a version of the "Rocket backfield" the Bucs experimented with in the previous two preseasons. Only this time, Pittman will be asked on occasion to open some holes.

"Anything I can do to get on the field, whether it's playing fullback, receiver, whatever, I just like playing," he said. "I love the game. If it's playing fullback and that's going to be my role, I'm all for it.

"Cadillac has gotten a lot better catching the ball and he's been working hard on it. It's like a rocket backfield out there. I'll be on the strong side, of course, and the strongside linebacker has to try and cover me and that's a mismatch right there because sometimes the weakside linebacker can't cover me and he's supposed to be faster. So we can create a lot of stuff, a lot of mismatches."

If Pittman has an edge, it's his experience. He has 1,248 rushing attempts and will know what the man following him is thinking.

"One of the things I can bring is that I'm going to be reading the play like I'm carrying the ball," Pittman said. "So if I'm going to see a cutback lane I know Cadillac wants to take behind me, I'm going to cut it up in there. It's going to be a lot easier for me to adjust to the fullback position and try to open some holes. That's just a little advantage I have over a natural fullback."

That kind of awareness helped Alstott, a running back at Purdue and much of his Bucs career.

"The vision you have from carrying the ball, you take it to fullback and have an edge over the guy who's just going to be a big bull and slam in there," Alstott said. "There are situations in short yardage and goal line where you want the guy to go up in there and nail a linebacker. But there are going to be some techniques and some position blocks that are going to open some holes, and the reading of your eyes and footwork will help you get up on that linebacker and be successful."

After just one game, Gruden isn't ready to award the position.

"Earnest and Mike Pittman and a cast of characters will perform that position," he said. "I was happy with B.J. Askew. I think he's a lively guy. He's athletic, being a former halfback at Michigan, and I thought he did some good things in the time he played."

But nobody looks the role more than Pittman. A workout fanatic, he has a mountain range of muscles. He also is well-rested, having averaged just 60 carries the past two seasons.

"I still feel like a young guy even though I'm 31. That isn't old, but in football years, that's getting up there," he said. "It's the way I keep my body, the vitamins I take, I don't drink, I don't smoke. I keep my body in shape. Knock on wood, I've never had any knee injuries. I feel like I could play another five years."

Rick Stroud can be reached at stroud@sptimes.com.

[Last modified August 13, 2007, 01:53:42]