Alstott's power game bruises bodies, spirits Ernest Hooper, The St.Petersburg Times, published 17 November 1997 Mike Alstott does more than take a football and run down the field with a blend of bruising power and nimble brilliance. He inspires awe in fans, disbelief in opponents and confidence in teammates. Statistically, Alstott generated 126 yards rushing and receiving in the Bucs' 27-7 mauling of New England, but with each run he made and each tackle he broke, he produced so much more. Alstott's performance created excitement among the screaming fans as he came off the field pumping his helmet at the crowd hanging above the exit to the Bucs locker room. Alstott said it was awesome. "We're doing it for them," Alstott said. "They haven't had this for a long time. I really don't know what that's all about because I wasn't here, but I sense that everyone's hungry and everyone has been waiting for this for a long time. We want to give it to them." New England wanted to take it away from the fans and Alstott, but almost from the beginning, its effort seemed futile. Alstott carried seven times for 39 yards in the first quarter, helping power Tampa Bay to its first touchdown and electrifying the offensive line. "It gets us juiced," guard Jorge Diaz said. "Any time we can make blocks and spring him free it's just awesome. We love to come back and run that same play again and keep pounding away. When you think you got Mike stopped and you see him break two or three tackles, that takes a lot out of them." Whatever energy Alstott takes out of opponents, he seems to give to himself and his blockers. Quarterback Trent Dilfer said you can see it in Alstott's eyes. "You get your initial push, you get a hat on a hat, you're going to get your 3 to 4 yards," Dilfer said. "Mike turns it into 6 and 7. It gets him going." In the second quarter, Alstott added three receptions for 35 yards, including an 11-yarder in the flat in which he left three Patriots in his wake. After the game, more than one Patriot congratulated Alstott. Strong safety Lawyer Milloy called Alstott "a monster." Free safety Willie Clay said he is an uncommon commodity. "Alstott has this amazing center of gravity," Clay said. "I've never seen anything like it. He's just so hard to bring down." Alstott finished with 91 yards rushing and 35 yards receiving. Amazingly, he has never had a 100-yard rushing game, but he's just happy to run the ball. "It's hard to be in another offense and just be a blocking back," Alstott said. "They use me every way. They feature me. I'm fortunate to be on a team like Tampa Bay."