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THE SMACKDOWN Michael Pittman, Fullback Jermaine Phillips, Safety Hardest Hitter

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 9, 2007

Some call it 'Trucked.' Others prefer the word 'Rocked.' Several say you were 'Blown Up.' The phrase 'Jacked Up' has been used. There is also 'Pancaked.'

Many different words have been used to describe it, but there is nothing that brings out the pugilistic cravings of football fans more than seeing one player run over another during a game. While many observers initially cringe at the high-speed collisions, the sadistic adrenalin rush cannot be equaled by those simplistic emotions of watching a touchdown reception.

In the first of our weekly Tampa Bay's offense vs. Tampa Bay's defense battles, we pit hard-hitting running back Michael Pittman against punishing free safety Jermaine Phillips to determine who brings more pain when it comes to pummeling opponents.

Pittman's arms are bigger than most people's thighs, but he is known for busting through a hole and hitting opponents with teeth-jarring magnitude.

Pittman (6-foot, 228 pounds) has no problems running past an opponent, but if duty calls for him to go through a person, he will gladly lower his shoulder and try to break them.

'For a running back, he will hit defensive linemen, linebackers, defensive backs and anybody who comes across him. He does it pretty darn good,' right guard Davin Joseph said. 'Pittman can light you up. And when he lights you up, he lights you up bright.'

Players on Tampa Bay's defense acknowledge Pittman is one player who can 'crack' if you are not fully prepared, while his peers on offense enjoy watching him bowl over opponents.

'I think when people actually tackle him, they get hurt,' offensive lineman Anthony Davis said. 'He runs hard and has a large amount of muscle up there.'

Pittman remembers being a standout running back at Fresno State and running over two Oregon defenders at the same time on a toss sweep left en route to a touchdown. His love of hitting still remains.

'When somebody tries to dip, I'm going to dip with them and hit them as hard as I can. It doesn't matter who it is,' Pittman said. 'If it's a defensive lineman coming down to chip block, I'm not going to shy away from them. I'm going to hit him as hard as I can and keep it moving.'

The childlike smile Phillips normally has turns into a sinister grin when he describes his emotions after hitting a player.

'It feels good. It's an adrenalin rush,' Phillips says. 'It's like going on a roller coaster and you go on that big drop. It's like 'ooh.'

'It's great. It's like bungee jumping. I can't explain it. I can show it better than I can explain it. It gets me excited just talking about it.'

That is why Phillips is not a guy most players want to see storming at them full speed.

'Flip,' his nickname, has the reputation of hitting guys when they are up and pounding them into the ground like a nail being smashed by a mallet.

'The biggest thing about Flip is he usually gets that 20-yard running start and he is not slowing down at all,' linebacker Barrett Ruud said. 'He's definitely a good hitter. Flip is definitely one of the biggest hitters we got.'

And it's a role he relishes. Listen to him describe his perfect hit.

'When the running back is coming through the hole and you have the defensive end making the gap real small, then the linebacker just took on the fullback and you know there is only one place for them to go. ... It's like two freight trains going at it and it's like boom,' Phillips said. 'One is looking forward to it and one may not be looking forward to it. I am looking forward to it.'

Keyword: Smackdown to vote for who you think hits harder between Pittman and Phillips. Scores will be updated weekly, and one unit will emerge as champion by Week 16.

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