Pittman: 'I Wasn't Trying To Showboat' Katherine Smith, The Tampa Tribune, published 17 October 2005 Michael Pittman plans on pleading his case to Coach Jon Gruden, but not for more playing time. Pittman's 15 carries for 127 yards Sunday already earned that. Instead, the eighth-year running back will try to persuade his coach not to fine him. The possible fine issue stems from Pittman's apparent showboating during his 57-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. He pointed toward the sky and slowed down as he neared the end zone just as Miami defensive end Jason Taylor caught up from behind and clipped Pittman's feet as he tried to make the tackle. Pittman didn't know Taylor was giving chase. "Luckily I got into the end zone, or that would have been very embarrassing," he said. "If I had fumbled or gotten tackled, that would have been very embarrassing." Almost as embarrassing as the 180 rushing yards the Bucs put up on Miami. Pittman became the first back to rush for more than 100 yards against Miami's defense since Cleveland's Lee Suggs ran for 143 yards in Week 15 last year. And third-string tailback Earnest Graham contributed 50 yards on 17 carries. "The Buccaneers ran the ball better than we wanted them to without Carnell Williams," Taylor said. Filling in for the injured Cadillac Williams, who missed his second consecutive game with a foot injury, Pittman himself was questionable for Sunday's game because of a shoulder stinger he sustained about four weeks ago. Before the game, Pittman took some Vicodin and shots to the shoulder to help with the pain. The pain, he said, starts in his neck and after he takes a hit, it travels down his left arm to the point of numbness at times. Pittman was added to the injury report Saturday. "Early in the game, it was tough," said Pittman, who was held out of all the hitting drills at practice last week. "I was trying to get into the flow of the game, but the pain was there. Some games, you just have to fight through it. I wasn't injured, I was hurt. You have to play hurt." Pittman didn't appear hurt on any of his runs, including the touchdown run. That play, called Fake 62 Flip Left, didn't unfold the way it's designed to. "It's supposed to be a fake handoff to [Mike] Alstott and I'm supposed to make a stutter step and go to the left side," Pittman said. "As we sell it, [the defender] is supposed to come down, but [Taylor] didn't come down. He stayed right there and rushed straight up the field and he wasn't fooled. I just had to try to make him miss and that's what happened." Taylor almost tackled Pittman in the backfield and almost caught him from behind before he reached the end zone. But that effort wasn't good enough. "Almost doesn't count," Taylor said, "except in horseshoes and hand grenades." Pittman was unaware Taylor got up after he missed the initial tackle and gave chase until backup quarterback Chris Simms told him. Had he known just how close Taylor got, Pittman never would have slowed and pointed. "That's totally out of my character," Pittman said. "I was just really trying to get the crowd involved in the game. I didn't turn around and put it in Jason's face, nothing like that. I could see if I did something like that, then Coach would have a very good argument. But I really wasn't trying to showboat. I'm going to fight for this fine. Hopefully I don't get fined." I didn't turn around and put it in [Jason Taylor's] face … I could see if I did something like that, then Coach would have a very good argument."