Bucs finally loosen shackles on A-Train Joanne Korth, The St.Petersburg Times, published 20 November 2006 The call lines of every radio talk show in Tampa Bay will be lit this week. Everyone will want to talk about Mike Alstott. Everyone, perhaps, but Alstott. The fan-favorite fullback sparked the Bucs' running game with three consecutive first-quarter carries that gained a total of 25 yards, more rushing yards than he had in the nine games before Sunday's win against the Redskins. But when Alstott barreled over a would-be tackler, everyone in Raymond James Stadium felt the jolt. Afterward, Alstott declined to comment, but that didn't stop everyone else from gushing. "He gets everybody going," running back Cadillac Williams said. "When you see a guy give that much effort and break two or three tackles, the crowd gets going. For what he's meant to this team, this league, it makes you want to play that much harder. To be honest with you, I think that's what gave us the edge today." Alstott, 32, returned for an 11th season because he expected the Bucs to be playoff contenders and wanted to contribute as the team's short-yardage and goal-line back. But the more the offense struggled, the less Alstott was involved. The Bucs' second all-time rusher went four straight games without a carry before last week and entered Sunday's game with 20 yards on 10 carries. Determined to establish the run against the Redskins, the Bucs called on Alstott early. Fans stood and cheered after Alstott gained 4 yards on his first rushing attempt. Then, on third and 1, he put his head down and ran over cornerback Shawn Springs to pick up 16 yards, a classic A-Train carry. His third attempt gained 5 yards. "We went in saying, 'Hey, we're going to do it,' " running backs coach Art Valero said. "He had that big short-yardage play and I said, 'He's hot; let him go.' "It got the crowd into it. It got Mike into it. It got Cadillac into it. He is the patriarch of our group. He's the guy who's been there. As frustrating as the season has been for all of us, it's really frustrating for him. I was glad he was able to contribute like that." Alstott finished with six carries for 28 yards. He also had an 8-yard reception, the 300th catch of his career. Though not everything about his afternoon was perfect - he was denied the end zone on consecutive runs from the Redskins 1 - the contribution was his most meaningful since the 2005 win against the Redskins in which he scored two rushing touchdowns and dived over the pile for the winning two-point conversion in the final minute. "Mike running over somebody and bringing the football, we've seen him do that for 10 years now," cornerback Ronde Barber said. "We miss it. It got the offense going. I don't think it's any coincidence that Cadillac had a big day running after that." Energized by Alstott, Williams turned in his second 100-yard game of the season. "We tried to get him, as a captain, as a leader of this football team, the ball early," Jon Gruden said. "He's still a heck of a teammate, a great football player, and he gave us a lift."