Old man/good guy Earnest Graham sat in on Total Access, with host Scott Ledger of the Buccaneers Radio Network, this week.

Joe’s got a brief summary for you.

Talking about his starting fullback role, Graham was quick to remind listeners that he was really a fullback from Day 1 when he came to the Bucs in 2003, when Chucky told him his role was to emulate Mike Alstott.

“It’s been going on a long, long time. Maybe some people have missed it. When I first came, Coach Gruden actually told me that’s what my role would probably be here [at fullback]. You know, to be similar to Mike Alstott. Be able to carry the ball, catch the ball out of the backfield, just be a total all-around back,” Graham said. “So it’s been a while that I’ve been playing both positions.”

Graham explained that his versatility was in focus in 2005, when he started the first half of a preseason game at running back, and then played fullback through the second half before switching back to halfback in overtime.

He emphasized that the Bucs’ 2010 offense is similar to Chucky’s, with Greg Olson capitalizing on Josh Freeman’s all-around talent. Graham said he does screwup at times, forgetting whether he’s playing running back or fullback.

Graham said he’s never looked at the game of football as if he was under pressure in a certain position. “I’ve always been a guy where it’s just football to me. I just go do what I’ve been doing since I was six or seven years old.”

As for Graham’s take on Sunday’s game, a fan called in to tell him to go out and beat Pittsburgh. Graham replied, “I think we will.”

Graham expressed his sadness for suspended safety Tanard Jackson, who he called a friend.

“It’s a tough loss. … You know, Tanard was definitely in a situation here where he definitely, you know, looked for guidance from a lot of the older players. He was a guy we kept our arm around,. And just to see him have a mistake right now is tough, especially when we need him,” Graham said. “Just as a friend, I know that he’s hurting. He made a mistake and he has to pay for it. But I know he’s hurting, because I know in a sense he let his teammates down and his friends down.”