Chris Simms spent the night walking the sideline, leaving Luke McCown and Bruce Gradkowski to state their final cases for being Tampa Bay's backup quarterbacks. McCown threw for 203 yards and three touchdowns in the first half, and Gradkowski threw a 31-yard scoring pass to Paris Warren with three minutes remaining to give the Buccaneers a preseason-ending 31-24 victory over the Houston Texans on Thursday night.

The Bucs are thought to be shopping Michael Clayton, but it's unlikely they would get an offer they deem fair for a receiver they invested a No. 1 pick and millions of dollars in. They likely would seek an early round draft pick at minimum. There are factors that make trading Clayton plausible. The Bucs have a logjam at receiver, including Joey Galloway, Maurice Stovall, Ike Hilliard,David Boston, Paris Warren and Mark Jones, who could make the final roster as a return specialist. Clayton's production has slipped in each of the past two seasons. He followed his 1,193-yard rookie season in 2004 with 372 and 356 yards, respectively.

Second-year quarterback Bruce Gradkowski's name has surfaced during a federal points-shaving investigation at his alma mater, Toledo, according to a report. ESPN.com says investigators are reviewing his playing time in certain games in which the final scores and betting patterns raised suspicions. In some of the games, Gradkowski, a starter from 2003-05, was not at full strength because of injuries. FBI agents have not spoken to Gradkowski, according to the story, and there is no indication he is a target of the investigation or that he might be charged. ESPN.com quoted Gradkowski as saying: "I don't know what to say about that."

Jeff Garcia played three series Saturday, and he helped the Buccaneers beat the Dolphins 31-28 with a 26-yard touchdown pass to Joey Galloway on his final snap. Bruce Gradkowski brought the Bucs from behind twice in the fourth quarter and threw touchdown passes of 6 yards to Earnest Graham and 1 yard to Paris Warren. "I like some of the things we did offensively," said Bucs coach Jon Gruden, whose team improved to 2-1. "Defensively we have to play better."

Tampa Bay wide receiver David Boston was arrested on charges of driving under the influence on Thursday night in Pinellas County. According to a police report, Boston, 29, was found passed out behind the wheel of his red Range Rover at the intersection of 49th Street and Park Boulevard in Pinellas Park on Thursday night. Pinellas Park police say the car was still running, and it was in drive. When the officer woke Boston, he says Boston told him he was on his way from the Celebration area in Orlando to Tampa International Airport. Boston completed a field sobriety test, and the officer said he had probable cause to believe that he had been driving under the influence of alcohol or a controlled substance.

Tom Brady spent most of the night on the sideline. Randy Moss didn't play at all. New England opened the preseason with a 13-10 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Friday night, however it will be a bit longer before the Patriots get a chance to see their new passing tandem together in a game.

Mike Alstott's season, and perhaps his career, is over. The Buccaneers on Thursday placed the six-time Pro Bowl fullback on injured reserve with a neck problem that Alstott said was not related to a career-threatening injury that required surgery in 2003.

Buccaneers fullback Mike Alstott is expected to announce his retirement Thursday, multiple Tampa Bay-area media outlets reported. The team has scheduled a 2 p.m. ET press conference in Tampa, at which the retirement is expected to be announced. The announcement comes after Alstott missed a third consecutive day of workouts Thursday as the team prepared for its preseason opener Friday against the Patriots. His retirement is reportedly not injury-related.

In a move that ostensibly ends the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' attempts to lure quarterback Jake Plummer out of retirement, the team has formally commenced the process of attempting to recover a portion of the 10-year veteran's signing bonus. And they have been joined in the grievance procedure by the Denver Broncos, his former employer and the franchise that originally funded the bonus. Tampa Bay officials, who placed Plummer on the league's "reserve/did not report" list when he failed to show for the start of camp, had hinted at such a maneuver. In a contractual technicality, when the Bucs acquired Plummer from Denver in March for a seventh-round draft pick, which could have escalated to a fourth-rounder if he did not retire, they also gained the right to try to recoup part of his signing bonus money.

Quarterbacks often are judged by comebacks and their ability to beat the clock, but Chris Simms is running out of time. So now we know it's not just a matter of a sore left throwing elbow. Simms said several days ago it felt fine. And if the fifth-year pro just needs to knock the rust off, then why is he a spectator for almost every practice except for two or three passes during individual or seven-on-seven drills? The Bucs play their first preseason game Friday against the Patriots, and it's not going out on a limb to suggest you won't see Simms play then, either. "He's just got to get to the point where everything is back status quo, and I want to hear it from his two lips," coach Jon Gruden said.