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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers gained a dramatic 36-35 win over the Redskins yesterday with Mike Allstott powering over for the winning score - a two-point conversion - with 58 seconds remaining in the game.

Figuring into Gruden's decision was a reprieve just seconds earlier, when the Redskins blocked the point-after attempt only to be flagged for jumping offside. So with the ball one yard out, Gruden said he wouldn't have wanted to guess at what would have happened.

Right after the call was made, neither Alstott nor Chris Simms were aware of it. Alstott was sitting on the bench. "My running back coach was going berserk," Alstott said with a grin.

There was little doubt as to who was going to get the ball. Alstott knew it, Washington knew it and the crowd certainly figured it out too. The rest was history -
Allstott, after initially it seemed like he might be stopped short, powered his way over the line.

"A dramatic win," Gruden said. "One I'll never forget."

Neither will Alstott, who also had two touchdowns. He acknowledged the moment might have been one of the most special of his career. "Other than the Super Bowl, yeah," he said, "No question about it."

The Buccaneers are not out of it yet. Midway through the season they are 5-3 and just behind the Falcons and the Panthers in the NFC South.

After a 4-0 start they have lost three of their last four games. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers appear to have lost their way and need to navigate treacherous NFL waters with inexperienced quarterback Chris Simms - who seems to be struggling.

So Tampa will possibly have to rely on defense on Sunday against the Redskins at Raymond James Stadium.

"I've got to give them a lot of non-verbal cues to turn it up," Brooks (linebacker) said. "Whether we started out 1-3 and went on a four-game winning streak to 5-3, it don't matter how we got here. We're here in the middle of things. We can't ask for anything else."

Simeon Rice's days with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers may be numbered, but his immediate future remains stable, despite being sent home for missing a team meeting on Saturday night in San Francisco - before Sunday's 15-10 loss at San Francisco.

Jon Gruden said the Buccaneers' defensive lineman will return to the lineup on Sunday to face the Carolina Panthers.

"It's done with. We need Simeon Rice back. I think he understands that. And we're looking forward to seeing him." said Gruden.

Ironically, Rice created a bit of upheaval last season when he stated that the Bucs were undisciplined under Gruden. On Sunday, he discovered otherwise. "We met regarding his comments last year," Gruden said. "The whole situation is done and over with.

It's hard to say how much Tampa missed Rice, who leads the team with five sacks. They held the 49ers to 208 yards of total offense. But the Buccs did not record a sack of 49ers quarterbacks Ken Dorsey or Cody Pickett - so you could argue they missed the pro bowler.

The real surprise was San Francisco's success on the ground. Kevan Barlow became the first running back this season to break a 100 yards rushing against Tampa Bay.