Cadillac Was Parked On The Sideline On Key Fourth-Down Play Anwar Richardson, The Tampa Tribune, published 8 January 2006 Jon Gruden was willing to ride a Cadillac all the way to the Super Bowl, but when the Bucs needed a short commute for a crucial first down, he traded in luxury for economy. The Bucs took over on their own 14-yard line with 13:18 remaining in the fourth quarter and trailing by seven points. Quarterback Chris Simms drove the Bucs downfield, connecting on long passes with Ike Hilliard (19 yards) and Joey Galloway (24 yards) to put his team into Redskins' territory. With possession on the Redskins' 28-yard line and 9:14 remaining, Cadillac Williams ran 3 yards to the 25. Simms then threw a 6-yard pass to Williams on second down, setting up third-and-1 with nearly eight minutes remaining. Fullback Mike Alstott failed to convert on a third-down run, putting the Bucs into a fourth-and-1 situation with 7:41 remaining. As the Bucs (11-6) lined up with Williams in the backfield, Gruden saw something that caused him to take away the keys from Caddy, and contributed to Tampa Bay's 17-10 home loss against the Redskins (11-6). "You got to take your hats off to those guys. The defense came out and played, but at the same time, we had a costly turnover and they ran it in for a touchdown. It just leaves a bad taste in your mouth, especially this one that we gave away," Williams said. Williams lined up behind Alstott , and the initial play was designed to show why Williams was named NFL Offensive Rookie of the Month in September and December. In the last month of the regular season, Williams rushed for 462 yards, eighth-most in the NFL and fifth-most in the NFC during the last five games. He also rushed for three touchdowns in that span, leading the Bucs to a 4-1 finish and the NFC South Division title. However, Gruden said he noticed something. Washington had five defensive linemen and Gruden called timeout as Tampa Bay trailed 17-10. He opted to take Williams out of the lineup in favor of a designed play for backup fullback Jameel Cook, who had seven receptions for 43 yards this season and no carries. After the timeout, Simms dropped back and looked for Cook, but instead saw linebacker Marcus Washington and defensive lineman Phillip Daniels in his face. Simms' pass landed short of Cook, and as the ball bounced away, so did the Bucs' opportunity to tie the game. The questionable play call was something Gruden addressed during his news conference. "We went for it because we felt we had a play that would get the yard. We had a third-and-1 prior to the fourth-and-1 and we ran Mike Alstott setting up a fourth down, and it was almost a full yard, just inside a yard. I didn't have my tape measure, but about 30 inches," Gruden said. "We took a timeout when the Redskins brought in an extra defensive lineman, so we obviously went with a play-action pass with a protection we felt would have worked out better than it did there and tried to give Chris [Simms] some options. Unfortunately, the Redskins made a great play there, we didn't handle the protection, and we were forced to give up the ball on downs." Even though the Redskins were not expecting a play designed to the Bucs' backup fullback, they were seemingly ready for whatever the Bucs were going to call. Williams was limited to 49 yards on 18 carries, and the Bucs only had 75 rushing yards on 25 attempts. "They tried to switch it up, but Marcus [Washington] had the pressure and I had my man," said Redskins middle linebacker Lamar Marshall, who was defending Cook. Alstott had 25 receptions for 222 yards and one touchdown prior to Saturday's game, plus averaged 2.4 yards a carry, but the A-train was nothing more than a caboose when it counted on fourth-and-1. "Everybody wants the ball. Cadillac wants the ball. I want the ball. Joey [Galloway] wants to the ball. Everybody wants to make the play and keep the drive going. There is only one ball," Alstott said. "The play was called and they had the perfect call on for that particular play. They won on that play."