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LAKE BUENA VISTA — The loudest cheer during Tampa Bay’s first training camp workout Friday morning at Disney’s Wide World of Sports was for an old-school Buc.

When Mike Alstott, the 33-year-old, Purdue-tough fullback with mammoth arms and stubborn legs, snagged a short Chris Simms swing pass in the right flat and churned upfield, the 2,273 fans jammed into the squatty bleachers went bonkers.

That’s no surprise. Alstott has been a favorite of Bucs fans for most of his 10 seasons, six of which landed him in consecutive Pro Bowls, the last coming after the Super Bowl win in 2002.

Alstott’s return for this season, however, was hardly a given. After taking a paycut to re-sign for last season, Alstott contemplated retirement.

But the 6-foot-1, 248-pound punisher couldn’t stiffarm another shot at a Super season after the Bucs rebounded from 5-11 in 2004 to 11-5 in last year’s regular season while winning the NFC South.

Not with 21 returning starters and much greater expectations.

“I am excited and I just want to build on last year and the offseason and continue that, contribute, and be a leader here,” Alstott said. “It was awesome for myself and for the whole team.”

Things hadn’t been so awesome for Alstott since 2002, when he rushed for 548 yards and five touchdowns. That was his highlight in the Jon Gruden era, and it came during the coach’s first season in Tampa.

AP photo

Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Mike Alstott, left, signs autographs for fans on the first day of training camp at Disney’s Wide World of Sports complex in Lake Buena Vista on Friday.

Under former coach Tony Dungy, Alstott mostly played running back and twice led the team in rushing (949 yards, 7 TDs in 1999 and 680 yards, 10 TDs in 2001).

Since Gruden’s arrival, Alstott has played mostly fullback and his numbers have nosedived. In 2003, he had just 77 rushing yards. He managed 230 the following season.

With the emergence of running back Cadillac Williams, who would rush to NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honors, Alstott became almost solely a lead blocker last season, coming up with only 80 yards with a long of nine. But Gruden turned to him enough around the goal-line for Alstott to plow his way to six rushing TDs and a TD reception. Those were big scores for Alstott’s ego.

“My confidence is back,” Alstott said. “I don’t know if it was back last year when I was sitting here talking to you, and I had to earn that at training camp last year and continue on Sundays. It is huge when you can finish strong and do some good things and do those things on the field and then continue in the offseason and build on it. It is all about confidence.

“I believe you are a football player and you are here for a reason because (of) your talents and your skills, and you have been blessed. But at the same time, you have to have that mental attitude, that toughness and stuff like that.

“When you have that confidence behind you, you can be dangerous.”

Alstott laughed when someone asked him to compare minicamp and training camp. There is none, of course. He doesn’t exactly look thrilled to be here for the 11th time. Asked if he had to psych himself a few more notches for this camp, Alstott measured his words.

“No, I am excited,” he said. “We really have a great team here with a lot of potential and we have a great group of guys. Now if we had distractions and the locker room wasn’t tight and we were coming off a season where we didn’t feel we could do something this year, then it might be a little difficult.

“It’s training camp but everybody goes through it and you have to go through it. This is how teams unite, right here and now. We sleep together, we eat together, and we are together all the time. This is where the chemistry is built and this is where everything begins.”

But does Alstott think of this season as the end?

“I think about a championship, you know what I mean?” he said. “We are here today and we are here to play the ’06 season, and I wanted to be a part of that, and that is why I am here today. I see the potential in this team and how much fun this team, this organization and myself had last year and what success we had.

“I also feel that I can play at this high level and compete and be productive. That is why I am here today, and hopefully everything goes right and we can talk in February.”

Gruden grew weary — and sometimes testy — of questions about Alstott last season. He always has admired Alstott’s hard work and stoic leadership qualities, but it seemed he wasn’t sure how or when to play him.

But Gruden grew to enjoy the luxury of riding the A-Train into the red zone, and he wants the rides to continue.

“We want to obviously keep Mike Alstott as a big part of this attack as a rusher and a receiver and a leader,” Gruden said. “We’ll talk him into playing 13 or 14 years before it’s all said and done.”

COLMER OUT, CADILLAC PARKED: Parsonage-Turner Syndrome has again sacked Chris Colmer’s season.

A third-round pick from North Carolina State in the 2005 NFL Draft, Colmer (6-5, 310) missed last season because of the nerve condition in the shoulders and also his junior season with the Wolfpack.

Now he will miss 2006, and his career may well be over before it started.

“It’s unfortunate, but he will not play for the Bucs this year and we hope he can make a speedy recovery,” Gruden said.

Cadillac Williams could not finish Friday morning’s workout because of back spasms. Williams missed the afternoon session, but is expected to return this morning.

Backup quarterback Jay Fiedler (throwing shoulder) and Luke McCown (right knee) were placed on the Physically Unable to Perform list.

“Fiedler’s close,” Gruden said. “We’ll monitor him day to day to day and as soon as he’s ready to go we’ll activate him off that. McCown obviously will be a little bit longer than that.”

SO FAR, SO GOOD: Not one to flippantly pass around kudos, Gruden was almost giddy after Friday morning’s padless practice.

“We had a really good first day,” he said. “We had a lot of situations — we put the ball on the goal-line, we tested different areas of the field, we tested different segments of the offense and defense. Our players came back with very good retention. We didn’t have a lot of turnovers or fumbled exchanges or wasted plays. We handled the blitz period, I thought, on both sides.

“There’s plenty to clean up in terms of our technique and fundamentals, but we’re off to a good start.

“On Sunday morning we’ll put the pads on and see exactly where we are then.”

Buccaneers camp

Where: Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex, 800 Victory Way, Lake Buena Vista (approximately 15 miles SW of Orlando)

Directions: Take I-75 North to I-4 East toward Orlando. Take Exit 62 (World Drive). Take the Exit for Wide World of Sports/Osceola Parkway. Continue to the first traffic light and take a right onto Victory Way. Continue to complex.

When: Today through Aug. 17. For daily practice session updates, go to: www.buccanneers.com

Admission/parking: Free