Cadillac Doesn't Make Excuses Ira Kaufman, The Tampa Tribune, published 4 December 2006 In his 27th game as a professional football player, Cadillac Williams bottomed out. The NFL's Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2005 had a day to forget in Tampa Bay's 20-3 loss to the Steelers. Gaining only 27 yards on 11 carries was the least of his concerns after Williams suffered through a series of mental and physical mistakes. "It was a tough game for me all around," said Williams, who added four receptions for 30 yards. "My performance was very poor and I've got no excuses." The problems began early as Williams dropped a flip from rookie quarterback Bruce Gradkowski at midfield while open in the right flat on third-and-2. Five minutes later, Williams narrowly avoided a turnover when officials ruled he fumbled when hit by linebacker Larry Foote. The Bucs challenged and the call was overturned, but Williams was in no mood to celebrate the reversal because he was flagged for a false start on the next snap. "It's like one possession we look like a good offense and the next possession, we look like we don't know what the heck we're doing out there," Williams said. Matters only got worse on Tampa Bay's opening possession of the third quarter. The drive started off well, with Williams running for 3 yards and catching an 11-yard pass, but Foote recovered a Williams fumble at the Steelers 44 when James Farrior hit him following a 2-yard completion. Later in the quarter, Williams was flagged for another false start. "I'm just trying to make plays," said Williams, averaging 3.7 yards on his 194 carries, with only one touchdown. "There's no reason to drop balls and fumble. I put that on me." The Bucs were 6-0 last season when the former Auburn standout ran for at least 100 yards, but Williams has reached that mark only twice this year. Tampa Bay's offensive line is among the youngest in the league and Gradkowski is learning on the job, but Williams won't use inexperience as a crutch for a 3-9 start. "That's no longer a reason," he said. "We're 12 games in. We've got a young offense, but that's not the reason. We get paid and we should all man up and get the job done." Williams isn't the only player struggling on the league's lowest-scoring offense. Gradkowski finished with a 35.8 passer rating in his hometown return and the Steelers finished with five sacks to spoil a solid game by Tampa Bay's defense. "The key for us was stopping the run," Steelers safety Tyrone Carter said. "I don't think with a young quarterback they are going to put the ball in his hands to make him win the game." Jon Gruden said some of the sacks were not the fault of an offensive line that led the way for only 71 rushing yards until Tampa Bay's final drive. "As a group, we have to be more consistent," rookie right tackle Jeremy Trueblood said. "We couldn't put anything together today." Williams needs 276 yards in the final four games to reach the 1,000-yard mark for the second consecutive year. Sunday, with Pittsburgh's defense playing soft in the final minutes, Earnest Graham gained 35 yards on four carries, including a 17-yard burst up the middle. Graham had attempted only two runs all season before replacing Williams down the stretch. "It's really frustrating," Williams said. "I definitely can't put a finger on it, but we'll go back to work."