Touchdown Vulture might be grounded for good

By Chris Cluff  |   Thursday, August 09, 2007  |  Comments( 1 )

Tampa Bay Buccaneers
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In a new commercial for ESPN, former Tampa Bay teammate Warrick Dunn presents current Bucs fullback Mike Alstott at the Fantasy Football Hall of Fame - all the while whining about the days when Dunn used to do all the work between the 20s only to yield to Alstott on the goal line.

In the final line of his presentation, Dunn declares: "And now I present Touchdown Vulture - I mean, 2007 Fantasy Football Hall of Fame Inductee - Mike Alstott."

As Alstott accepts the award from his former backfield mate, he says to Dunn, "Let it go, little buddy. Let it go."

And now it looks as if Alstott will have to let it go as the Bucs put him on injured reserve because of yet another neck injury.

"It is what it is. The facts are the facts. I can't put on the helmet and jersey this year," an emotional Alstott told reporters Thursday. "One thing is: You don't mess with the neck. There are always situations where it can be worsened by playing. It is a severe injury, and it's a situation you don't mess with."

There were thoughts that Alstott might call it a career this offseason after 11 years and six Pro Bowls with the Bucs. But the team offered to re-sign him to a one-year, $1.5 million deal even though his role has diminished over the past four seasons.

Alstott, who had neck surgery in 2003, did not address Thursday whether he would consider retirement this time.

"I just want to tell everyone I was ready to play football this year," he said. "My mind was set: 'I'm playing this game and I'm helping this team.' It's not like I went out there and the body wasn't working.

"Camp was going great. The team was doing great. I was playing well. But some things in life don't allow you to do things sometimes."

Alstott, known as the A-Train for his bruising running style, became the team's No. 2 career rusher, running for 5,088 yards in his 11 seasons with Tampa. He was a tailback in a fullback's body, with quick feet to complement his powerful build. It was a combination that yielded a franchise-record 71 touchdowns (58 rushing) and prompted the NFL Network to recently dub him the 10th-best power back in league history.

Kansas City coach Herm Edwards, the Bucs' former secondary coach, once called Alstott the "Clavicle Buster." And coach Jon Gruden called him an "anvil."

As mentioned before, Alstott's future was up in the air after last season, but the team decided to bring him back and he recently said he still had a burning desire to play.

"When you are on a one-year ... contract, you never know what's going to happen," the 33-year-old Alstott said. "You never know what direction they are going to want to go in or what direction you're going to want to go in. But after sitting back for a couple of weeks, I knew that fire was still burning inside me -- that I wanted to play football and I can play football."

Thus Alstott was poised to return for a 12th season of helmet-rattling, pad-pounding good times with the Bucs.

"I've been doing this since I was 7 years old, so I couldn't imagine not being here right now. And, it's going to be a hard transition sometime down the road when I decide not to be here."

It looks as if the transition is beginning. He said Thursday that he plans to be around the team this year even though he won't be in uniform.

While he might no longer be the Touchdown Vulture, Alstott said, "I'm a Buc. I always will be a Buc.

"It's my team. It's [Derrick] Brooks' team. It's Ronde [Barber's] team," Alstott said. "We grew up in this organization, and we're going to turn this thing around together and win another Super Bowl, even if I can't put on a helmet this year. They need me. I need them."
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About Chris Cluff

Chris Cluff spent 10 years as an editor and sportswriter for The Seattle Times. He was a key figure in the newspaper's coverage of the Seahawks, particularly during their Super Bowl run in 2005. He also has written two books on the Seahawks: "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Heart-Pounding, ...
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