Bucs' rushers ready to lead attack of Pack
By PAT YASINSKAS of The Tampa Tribune
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They entered as question marks. One a step too slow, the other 20 pounds too light.
Could Mike Alstott be anything more than a blocking fullback in the NFL?
``He's answered that question,'' Bucs General Manager Rich McKay said.
Could Warrick Dunn, the tiny running back from Florida State, take his game to the next level and be more than a specialist?
``Maybe we were stupid,'' McKay said. ``But we didn't view him as a risk.''
With Dunn and Alstott in the same backfield, it's opposing teams that are at risk.
``One guy punches you in the nose,'' Arizona Cardinals coach Vince Tobin said. ``Then, the other guy breaks your back.''
Most of the time, anyway. Arizona used an eight-man front to slow Dunn and Alstott in the Bucs' 19-18 victory Sunday. But other teams have felt the knockout punch from Dunn and Alstott.
Call them by any one of their nicknames - WD40 or Thunder and Lightning - but it's clear the tailback Dunn is the speed and the fullback Alstott is the power.
``Mike Alstott is the prototype fullback,'' said Green Bay coach Mike Holmgren, whose team gets a chance to stop them Sunday at Lambeau Field. ``You bring Warrick Dunn in and he can go on any play. It's a great combination in their backfield.''
Dunn and Alstott have given the 5-0 Bucs more balanced productivity than any of the league's other backfield duos. Dunn has carried 69 times for 312 yards with two touchdowns and Alstott has gained 254 yards and two touchdowns on 62 carries.
Throw in their receiving numbers - Dunn has 13 catches for 141 yards and touchdown and Alstott has nine receptions for 79 yards and two touchdowns - and it's hard for any other duo to stack up.
``Nobody comes close,'' Bucs running backs coach Tony Nathan said. ``I'd say Dallas has a great backfield with Emmitt Smith and Daryl Johnston. But Emmitt doesn't have Warrick's speed and Daryl can't run the ball like Mike. It's really a unique combination.''
It also is a combination that has clicked immediately. Alstott, a second-year pro, has erased the doubts that surrounded him when he came out of Purdue.
``The negative for Mike Alstott coming into the draft was that he was a guy that lacked any potential,'' McKay said. ``He wasn't going to get any faster and he wasn't going to get any bigger. There was just a good football player. He's done in our league exactly what he did at Purdue. One of the faults of our league is that we'll sometimes punish players because we don't see that great upside.''
The Bucs also are seeing Dunn's upside. At 5-foot-8 and 178 pounds, he's been able to cast aside all questions about size and durability. Dunn carried 24 times for 130 yards against Detroit and 16 times for 101 yards against Minnesota.
``His ability to run between the tackles and be productive between the tackles is probably a little surprising in the sense that we didn't have the plan of having him carry the ball that many times inside there,'' McKay said. ``But the fact that Warrick Dunn has made big plays in big games is certainly not a surprise to us because at Florida State that's what he did. That was the main focus of drafting him. This franchise had gone a long time without somebody that could change a game. Warrick Dunn is the type of guy that can change a game with one play.''
That play didn't happen for Dunn or Alstott against Arizona. They were held to a combined 51 yards and that has to change this week. As the Bucs travel to Green Bay to play the defending Super Bowl champions, Alstott and Dunn will have to be on top of their games.
``We won't be able to win the ball game unless we're able to control the clock and control the ball,'' Coach Tony Dungy said. ``They have some big people inside and they make it tough, but we're just going to have to get it done.''
