Michael Pittman to the Broncos

Just got confirmation from agent Drew Rosenhaus that former Bucs running back Michael Pittman has agreed to the terms of a one-year contract with the Broncos.

Pittman became a free agent in February and said at the time he hoped to play elsewhere in 2008. But he did not find a big market for his services, at least in part because of his age (32). And with Tampa Bay addressing its running back stable with the addition of Warrick Dunn and the re-signing of Michael Bennett, there was little room left for another veteran.

Pittman leaves the Bucs after six seasons with the organization. He is coming off a 2007 season in which he missed six games and played sparingly in several others because of a high ankle sprain. He finished with 286 rushing yards and caught 26 passes for 191 yards.

In his best season with the Bucs, Pittman rushed for a career-high 926 yards in 2004. But he might best be remembered in Tampa Bay for his 124-yard performance in the Bucs' Super Bowl XXXVII victory against Oakland.

Pittman was looking for an expanded role, and Denver is a place he at least has a chance to accomplish that goal. Incumbent starter Travis Henry is recovering from a hamstring injury, perhaps giving Pittman a chance to shine in the offseason.

[Brian Cassella, Times files]

Comments

[Bob]

Good Luck, Pitt.

[vikingdan]

Well bummer! This is a sad day. I think the Bucs are wise to let him go, I think he is winding down on a solid career. He may not have been a saint when it comes to off-field issues, but he was definitely a team guy and played his heart out as a Tampa Bay Buccaneer. Michael, thanks for the effort, your skill, and for the ring! We will miss you. Good luck with the Broncos. (Say "hi" to John and Ian, too)

Personal things aside, this is good for Tampa, and the first good news all off-season for Earnest Graham. Now Tampa won't be tempted to cut ties with Earnest and bring back Pittman. The Bucs will get better use out of Warrick Dunn and Bennett, so this is actually a win-win... Pittman gets a chance to play, Tampa Bay gets better, and in the six previous years, we all got our money's worth.

Don't be tempted to bash Pittman or the Buc's here. This is just life moving on. Go Buc's!

[Ray]

"He may not have been a saint when it comes to off-field issues." I maybe wrong, but I don't recall if Pittman had any major off-field issues. Maybe someone can enlighten me. Well, I wish him the best. He was always reliable on the field and in the locker room. The irony of it is that one memory I have of him is the playoff game a few years ago against Washington. In that game, the late Redskins player Sean Taylor spat on him and he retaliated by slapping him. Go luck Pitt.

[Stephen_Holder]

Ray, I believe Vikingdan is referring to the incident Pitt had with his wife just prior to signing with the Bucs in '02, in which I believe he tried to ram her car with his Hummer. Other than that, yes, he's been a model citizen. It is interesting though. He's one of the most accommodating athletes I've dealt with. Maybe he has anger issues. I don't know.

[Jay]

Ok, I'll admit, I was drinking the Michael Pittman Hater-ade for a looooong time. He has no field vision, and has a habit of both running up the backs of his blockers, and falling down from phantom contact.

HOWEVAH (sorry, I just love Stephen A. Smith), he's come a long way, and prior to getting hurt last season, he really showed me some flashes of "getting it". He's always had great hands and is a consistent receiving threat. With Denver's blocking skills, I think he'll do exceptionally well, and I wish him the best of luck.

But I still love Warrick Dunn more. Sorry Pitt.

[John Klopfer]

Mike Pittman I salute you! You were a great Buc! Good luck in Denver.

[DEVIN]

GOOD LUCK YOUR WERE A GRAET 2 ME ALWAYS WILL REMEMBER THANKS FOR HELPING OUT IN THE SUPER BOWL

[Krutch]

Man, he could catch a pass. If you got him out in the flat, it was always a good run after the catch. His problem was he ran so top heavy all the time, any lineman or linebacker could take him out with the first tackle.

Favorite Pittman memory: Spinning the Browns CB off of him right after he caught a pass and running 60+ yards before getting tackled in their red zone. It's on your Super Bowl season highlight DVD, check it out.

[JS]

well now we only have like 2 players left from our super bowl team. barber and brooks. I think pittman was a great backup/catching RB but we have warrick back. No offense to pittman he was our main RB for many years, now he can take is guns to denver. good luck MP.

[Snook]

Pittman: The REAL Super Bowl MVP

[ANONYMOUS]

Bye- bye Pittman hopefully you can contribute more in Denver. How about signing Earnest Graham and giving him what he is due or are you going to let him walk away too?

[Nate Dogg]

Cheers, Michael Pittman.

You really seem to have appreciated everything you've had after the incident in 2002. You've been a team player thru and thru and kept out of trouble afterwords.

You will be missed. Not the best pure running back I've ever seen, but a true warrior and team player. Never pitched and moaned when Carnell Williams was drafted and given more playing time...you just gave that much more effort when given the chance to play. Almost like every play was your last...and I, for one, appreciated that.

Thanks again, Michael for all the memories (and the SB ring!). Best of luck in Denver. Hopefully the Denver Sheriff's department won't arrest you for bringing those big guns up there with you(biceps)!

Nate Dogg

[bill]

Glad he's gone. It's good to have someone with solid character and talent like Warrick.

[Bucsfan]

gool luck pit hope the best for you but not on Oct,05

[Michael]

Bill, what are youtalking about? If youare refering to the incident with his wife, while that shouldnt be excused, it was 6 years ago, and he has been a MODEL citizen here. The way you say it, its like he is in the same catagory with Pacman Jones, Michael Vick, or any other player to have got into serious trouble, multiple times.

[Michael]

Bill, what are youtalking about? If youare refering to the incident with his wife, while that shouldnt be excused, it was 6 years ago, and he has been a MODEL citizen here. The way you say it, its like he is in the same catagory with Pacman Jones, Michael Vick, or any other player to have got into serious trouble, multiple times.

[Michael]

Bill, what are youtalking about? If youare refering to the incident with his wife, while that shouldnt be excused, it was 6 years ago, and he has been a MODEL citizen here. The way you say it, its like he is in the same catagory with Pacman Jones, Michael Vick, or any other player to have got into serious trouble, multiple times.

[Michael]

Anyone know why it posted 3 times? Sorry.

[Michael]

Anyone know why it posted 3 times? Sorry.

[Michael]

Anyone know why it posted 3 times? Sorry.

[Skylar]

I think Pittman was the prime example of somebody taking advantage of being given another chance. He did something very wrong in trying to ram is wife and baby with his Hummer. Albeit, who knows how it really went down, but that's not light stuff. When he sold his motorcycle because it didn't fit his lifestyle anymore, I knew he had come full swing. Good luck Pitt; you are a true team player. I'm sorry I never got to see you jack somebody up at safety, but I bet you would have been better on the other side of the ball!

[austin]

This message is for Bill and anyone else who buys into the notion that people don't deserve a second chance. I have never personally met Michael Pittman, but he will probably always be my favorite buccaneer. Here's why.
Back in January 2003 I was serving in the Army in Kuwait when the bucs were making their march to the superbowl. We were two months prior to our operations in Iraq and I was scared... and to make matters worse... I was thousands of miles away from family and my passion... the buccaneers.
My father was lucky enough to be able to go to the superbowl that year and just prior to the game he was walking around the team hotel lobby where he ran into Michael Pittman. He told Michael my story and how bittersweet it was that he would be enjoying the game while I was in the desert.
Michael took the time to sit with my father and talk about life. Imagine that... an athlete taking the time, during his most glorious moment as a professional athlete to talk to a man who was scared for his child's safety.
Then Michael offered to record a message to me on my dad's mini cassette player. He told me in the message that he was proud of me and that he and the rest of the team were with me and the other members of my unit. And that he would keep me in his thoughts during the superbowl.
My dad mailed me the cassette message to my address in the desert and I was lucky enough to see the superbowl at 2:30 am in the middle of the kuwaiti desert... and Michael Pittman ran for 124 freaking yards in the superbowl!

Michael Pittman gets it. He is a good man and he was a great ambassador for the buccaneers. He will be missed.
Good luck Michael!

Bill... the incident with his wife happened 6 years ago. I can promise you Michael learned from that and has now made a difference in at least one stranger's life. Give the guy a break.

Noooo, that means Pitt's hot wife won't be at the gym anymore! nooooooooooo!

[D. Timmons]

Bug off you guys. We will miss Pittman and you all know it. He was a great running back and played his game regardless of how things were around him, i.e. whether he was called into play or not. The coach is the problem with the Bucs right now and if he doesn't straighten himself out he may loose his job. Hey Coach, stop being wishy washy in your picking and disposing of players. You have many good players. Keep them and stop with so many rookies. We don't need them or want them. We want a SB here in Tampa this year. Get with it.
Good Luck Pitt. We will miss your and feel you will make it good with the Broncos. Go For It!

[DR]

Let's not exaggerate too much D. Timmons. Pittman was a solid back up RB, not a great RB. He did the job he was asked but never carried the load on a consistant basis to be considered great.
I agree with Skylar. Pittman is a good example for a giving a guy a second chance. He turned out to be worth the risk. However, pathetic losers like Stevens and Boston, their second chances ran out before they were picked up by the Bucs and the Bucs, Gruden and Allen, disgraced the franchise for selling out and picking those guys up. Obviously, their worth on the field was little to none and they were a waste. The Bucs brought in two losers not just to the team, but to the community as well.

[Kurt Thoreson]

Later "Arms" The Bucs play a lot of former bucs this season.
John Lynch Rich McKay
Dwight Smith Rod Marinelli
Dewayne White Lovie Smith
Brian Kelly Herman Edwards
Aaron Stecker
MICHAEL PITTMAN
Greg Spires Monte's Son Lane
And don't to forget Former USF Bull now Cowboy Mike Jenkins.

[buc2000]

I knew the buc whould start doing stupid stuff in the offseason as usual.
Micheal Pittman was probably the closest thing we ever had when it comes to a running back. No dis to warrick ,ricky and ernest but when it comes to hard running each and every play he did that even though ernest did great for us if given more tuches pitt was better we had the best back feild for years and gruden didnt use it allsot- pittman cadillac is worthless should have got rid of him instead. good luck pitt you were my favorite player.

[Quentin]

This is great news. He really couldn't have landed in a better situation. Pittman isn't a shake and baking scatback like Cadillac, he should excel in Denver's one cut scheme. He's probably also more likely to be given a fair shake at the starting gig in Denver than anywhere else, because I don't think they're overinvested in Travis Henry. Of course, this means we're going to lose to Denver this year. We always lose the first time we go up against a former player or coach.

[gtskyrider]

Gonna miss you Pitt "Dog"...the thing that bothers me about some of you so called fans...is that when someone makes a mistake, you sure like to bring the crap up and throw it around even when that person gets help and corrects his wrong doings and becomes a better human being. Michael "Pittdog" Pittman did that and he should be respected for the man that he's become rather than the man who he was. GOOD LUCK PITT DOG!!!

[Steve L]

Wow, what a motley crew of fans who know a thing or two about life, football and where the twain meets between those poles and then, crawling out from under their rocks, some utter idiots.

Michael Pittman was a solid RB for TB. Decent runner (though he couldn’t follow a block of he were handcuffed to his lead blocker) and above average receiver. As has been noted ad infintum, aside from his early Buc gaffe he was really a consummate professional, especially when you consider the hooligans hanging around the NFL these days (BTW- nice story Austin- some perspective on the Black Superman).

He’ll definitely get a fair shake in Denver where RB’s can get 1K yards a season as long as they have two feet. If things pan out, he could end up being a significant cog in their arsenal. As for TB, with Dunn back in the fold and the perpetually underrated and underappreciated Michael Bennett a year wiser (though hopefully not slower) the Bucs should be in good shape. Cadillac will likely not see the field this year (check back game 6…or is it game 8 when the Bucs have to make a final decision regarding putting him on IR for the remainder of the year) but the rookie Boyd could make some noise if there are injury problems. Everyone should be a winner in this situation (as echoed from above).

[Greg]

Now who has the biggest "guns" on the team? I saw him at the mall once and his arms were as big as my thighs.

Not sure if denvers the best club for his skills though, because he really shined on the pass. Running he never found the holes consistently. denver does not use the RB as a reciever that often.

Anyway, great career in Tampa. Best of luck at Mile High.

[scott]

Michael was an excellent buccaneer. Period. He was invaluable during the 2002 season. Thanks and continued success in Denver.

[scott]

Michael was an excellent buccaneer. Period. He was invaluable during the 2002 season. Thanks and continued success in Denver.