Dashin win... but at what cost Rick Stroud, The St.Petersburg Times, published 17 October 2005 Brian Griese leaned on crutches and slowly made his way from the locker room before gingerly climbing onto the flatbed of a cart that would take him to the parking lot. From the front seat, his wife, Brook, tried to console him by placing her hand on his chest. The Bucs quarterback wore a heavy brace on his left leg and a look of disbelief on his face. This is the way the 5-1 Bucs rode off into the bye week after Sunday's 27-13 win over the Dolphins. They have the best record in the NFC, having already matched last season's total for wins. It's a sizzling start, but including Griese, the Bucs are very concerned about who will finish the season. Griese sprained the knee, but the Bucs fear there could be more, such as a torn anterior cruciate ligament sustained when linebacker Zach Thomas rolled into his leg with 3:43 remaining in the second quarter. That would keep Griese out for several weeks or the rest of the season. He remained on the turf for several minutes but managed to limp off the field and was taken to St. Joseph's Hospital for an MRI exam. Griese declined comment, and his condition will be updated this morning. Griese is not alone. Safety Dexter Jackson aggravated his right hamstring injury and did not finish the game. Rookie running back Cadillac Williams (foot) did not play for the second straight week. His replacement, Michael Pittman, rushed for 127 yards and a touchdown despite a pinched nerve in his neck. "I don't know what we look like week in and week out," coach Jon Gruden said. "Cadillac isn't playing. We had an identity going there early. That identity shifted. Now the identity shifts again." That identity might belong to backup quarterback Chris Simms, who was steady, if unspectacular, in relief. He went 6-of-10 passing for 69 yards and overcame a shaky start (two incompletions and a sack) to drive the Bucs 66 yards before settling for Matt Bryant's 32-yard field goal. His only glaring mistake was forcing a third-down pass to Michael Clayton in the end zone that was nearly intercepted by safety Lance Schulters. "It felt great, especially the start of the second half," Simms said. "I got to come in (the locker room) and kind of regain my composure. It's not always the easiest going in there on second down in the middle of a series. But I came in here and said, "Okay, let's go play football. It's no big deal.' It's just a matter of being around the block a few more times." Simms had plenty of help. Pittman turned what looked to be a certain tackle for a loss by defensive end Jason Taylor into a 57-yard touchdown to give the Bucs a 20-6 lead with 1:32 left in the third quarter. Then 86 seconds later, the Bucs made it 27-6 when Greg Spires sacked Gus Frerotte, forcing a fumble that was returned 33 yards by Will Allen for a touchdown. Except for an 8-yard touchdown run by rookie Ronnie Brown (set up by Earnest Graham's fumble at the Tampa Bay 8), the Bucs defense was close to flawless. Running back Ricky Williams, making his long-awaited return from a one-year retirement and four-game suspension for substance abuse, gained just 8 yards on five carries. But the celebration in the Bucs locker room was tempered by the uncertainty of Griese's injury - and others. Safety Jermaine Phillips missed his second game with a broken right thumb. Linebacker Shelton Quarles injured his lower back but finished the game. "We're evaluating him right now. We're just very concerned," Gruden said of Griese, who finished 12-of-16 passing for 120 yards and a 7-yard touchdown to Joey Galloway on the game's first drive. "I'm not going to say anything. I'm not a doctor. I'm just very concerned as a friend, and we spend a lot of time together. I worry about him." Thomas, a teammate of Griese's two years ago in Miami, said the collision was unavoidable. "I feel bad because I'm coming in and I got cut, I swear," Thomas said. "He's a great guy. I hate to see somebody injured, especially hitting him in the legs. I'm not trying to." Pittman said he felt partly responsible. "I went up to Brian at halftime, and I told him, "Sorry,"' Pittman said. "Because I cut Zach Thomas, I cut him down, and Zach rolled into his leg. ... Maybe if I stayed a little bit higher, he probably wouldn't have had a chance to roll into his leg." While Griese accepted a ride to the parking lot, he insisted on walking off the field under his own power. Now his team might have to move forward without him. "We all shook our heads when he didn't want to go on the cart. That was some swagger right there," Bucs defensive end Simeon Rice said. "That built an aura of what (Sunday was) all about. He's hurt, and he's denying the cart. Shelton (Quarles) is out in pain, as usual, screaming and hollering, and the next thing, he's back in. It just shows you what this team's about in terms of character."