In reflection, Cobb sees Bucs recommitted Jim Carson, The St.Petersburg Times, published 11 November 1991 When Reggie Cobb gets up this morning and looks in the mirror, he'll like what he sees. There will be a reflection of a man who became the first running back in Tampa Bay history to rush for three touchdowns. And, of a man who had his first 100-yard game as a pro - with 139. And, of a man who, along with his offensive line, said he has dedicated himself to salvaging the season and earning the respect of Bucs fans. "I want to be able to get up in the morning and look in the mirror and like what I see," Cobb said after Sunday's 30-21 victory over Detroit. "I want to be able to look at myself and know that I gave it all I had. And I think everyone on the offense feels the same way." The new attitude was born a week ago before the Minnesota game when Cobb and the offense huddled and met on the sideline, looking for an answer to their troubles. Cobb was one of the players who spoke up. "I said, `Just give me all you've got,' " Cobb said. "And today, I couldn't have asked for more. Our linemen just went out there and busted their butts. And the better the line plays, the better I play." The new-look Bucs line dominated the Lions, effectively neutralizing nose tackle Jerry Ball and linebacker Chris Spielman, the Lions' defensive leaders. Bucs coach Richard Williamson Sunday inserted Tom McHale in place of John Bruhin at left guard and last week replaced Charles McRae at right tackle with Rob Taylor. McHale agreed with Cobb that the Minnesota meeting has inspired the Bucs. "We rededicated ourselves two weeks ago. We just got together and said we can't go out there and be humiliated," McHale said. "We're better than that." Taylor showed that Sunday. "I'm glad Coach Williamson gave me a chance because I'm hungrier than ever before," Taylor said. "I'm mentally intense on every single play. I'm coming off the ball with a feeling of momentum and confidence. We're just so much more together as a unit now, and we're much more confident. You could see that in Reggie today. He just kept pounding and pounding. I've never seen him run so hard." Cobb scored on runs of 1, 3 and 59 yards and averaged 6.6 yards on 21 carries. "I've said all along I need 20 to 25 carries," said Cobb, a second-year pro from Tennessee. "I need to get in rhythm with my offensive line. Too many times we've killed ourselves. Today we were clicking." Cobb clicked best on his 59-yard touchdown run as he swept left, broke into the secondary and was sprung for the final 20 yards by Lawrence Dawsey's block of Melvin Jenkins. "All I ask of my offensive line is to get me into the secondary and then it's my job to do the rest," Cobb said. "Alonzo (Highsmith) threw a block to get me clear, and then Dawsey threw a great block downfield." In the Bucs' locker room, Highsmith was curious to know how effective his blocking was. "Cobb! Cobb!" Highsmith called out from across the locker room. "How many yards did you have?" "Hundred-thirty-eight," said Cobb, making his only mistake of the day: He was off by a yard. Cobb was in such demand that he was the only Buc besides Williamson to hold his own press conference in a separate room. "I look in the paper and I see I have the same average as Emmitt Smith, only he has carried the ball 100 more times than me," Cobb said. "I think I can be a 1,000-yard rusher in this league - as long as I get the ball."