Determined as ever, Graham finds his way Gary Shelton, The St.Petersburg Times, published 5 November 2007 On the play when he finally made his mark, Earnest Graham ended with his face pushed into the dirt. Fitting, that. Graham cut to his left, and for a second, he looked like a man who was trying to climb a mountain during an avalanche. There was nothing there: no daylight, no oxygen, no promise. And so Graham ducked his head and pushed forward. He twisted and he tugged and he shoved, as if someone were trying to pass a cannonball through a coin slot. Finally, a sliver of air appeared, and Graham tumbled forward, leaving his feet and belly flopping forward to stretch a 2-yard hole into a 3-yard gain. All things considered, it was a hard way to get to a hundred. When you think about it, however, would you expect success to come to Graham any other way? Graham finally made it Sunday afternoon. After all these years of watching, after all these afternoons of waiting, Graham finally has a100-yard rushing game in the NFL. So what if it took him 50 games into his career? So what if it took him 29 carries into his afternoon? The important thing was that Graham got there ... and that he dragged the Bucs offense along with him. Thirty-four times in all - more than he has ever touched it in any season before this one- Graham carried the ball. He gained 124 yards, most of them coming on tough trips down rough roads. And by the end, the effort it took the Bucs to beat the Cardinals 17-10 pretty much matched what you had seen from Graham. More and more, the Bucs look like Graham. Oh, don't get me wrong. Quarterback Jeff Garcia is a more creative player, and receiver Joey Galloway is faster, and darned near everyone is bigger. But this is not an offense that strikes you as especially creative or especially fast or especially large. This is an offense that looks like Graham, underdog, making a play. This is an offense that looks like Graham, overachiever, pushing a pile. This is an offense that looks like Graham, working-class hero, showing up for work. "I run hard," Graham said. "I fall forward." Frankly, a lot of worse things have been said about the Bucs offense over the years. Graham has rescued the Bucs. There is no other way to say it. He has made certain his team has not missed Cadillac Williams or Michael Pittman or Mike Alstott. In a town that always has appreciated effort, Graham has made a bit of a name for himself. "This guy is the working-stiff's hero," running backs coach Art Valero said. "Everyone works hard, and all anyone wants is a chance. Earnest goes to work like the guy down the street from you. He keeps his mouth shut. He keeps his head down. He keeps going forward." Who knew? All along, the thought was that Graham was replacing Cadillac. Turns out, he was really replacing Alstott. "I think the fans can relate to me a little more than a lot of guys, knowing from where I come from," Graham said. "Some guys come in, and people think they're given some things. People have seen me fight for everything." For Graham, it has always been that way. He tells the story of being a kid, back in Fort Myers. His next door neighbor was a kid named William Fletcher, and every day, the two seemed to find some reason to get into a fight. And every day, for three years, Graham came in second. And then, he didn't. He found a way. Maybe that's why Graham always believed he was capable of an afternoon such as this. Of course, the NFL is filled with backup running backs who think the same thing. Most are wrong. Most will watch their careers end without any 34-carry,124-yard afternoons. Today, most of those backups are looking at Graham in envy. That is the best part of Graham's story. None of it was promised. If Graham's career had ended without this kind of chance, no one would have known it would be possible. Perhaps that is why Graham lingered as he walked out of the Bucs' locker room. One more minute to savor, one more memory to enjoy. "I'm part of a good story," Graham said. Yes, he is. The best part.