Doug Martin Returns, Vanishes
November 30th, 2014
Doug Martin had maybe his best half of the season in the first half today, only to vanish in the second half. (Photo courtesy of Buccaneers.com)
Running back Doug Martin seemed to be on his final days with Tampa Bay. The man who made the Pro Bowl his rookie season has seen his numbers steadily decline to the point he was dead-last in the NFL in yards per attempt.
Last!
Joe is convinced, after watching enough of Martin’s runs with binoculars, that for reasons unknown Martin was just putting his head down almost every time and trying to burrow through defensive linemen and linebackers.
There have been times Martin, if looking with his head up, would have had holes to get to the second and third level. But he didn’t see them because he was trying to play some modern day version of Larry Csonka.
Bobby Rainey, on the other hand, always kept his head up, always looked for daylight and often found it by adjusting his running route to green grass/turf.
Today, that changed. Perhaps because the Bucs blocked on the run the best they have all season, Martin had perhaps his best game of the season.
Martin, as he was unable to or unwilling to before, kept his head up and found holes and ran through them. Martin was averaging 4.6 yards a carry — nearly double his season average — in the first half. He went to the locker room with 55 yards. He was on his way to his best game of 2014.
But no. Either Cincinnati became wise to his ways or Martin regressed to his 2014 norm. He had but three more yards the rest of the game on four carries, finishing with 58 yards.
November 30th, 2014 at 7:27 pm
1st round OT
2nd round OG
3rd round Center
carry on all you fantasy geeks……
November 30th, 2014 at 7:29 pm
I clicked on this website and now I really think there could not be a bigger waste of my time than to read bitching about this team…. this season is all but over.
How long until the draft??
November 30th, 2014 at 7:29 pm
Martin also had a very nice run called back….and, it seems every time Sims breaks one we have a penalty…
I think Martin is done…..ready for Glennon, Pamphile, Herron & Sims the rest of the way….
November 30th, 2014 at 7:34 pm
I’m not giving up on Martin till the O-line is fixed. Injuries can change a back but a shoulder injury?? Caddy blew out BOTH his knees and came back to run over 800 yards while splitting carries with Derrick Ward. Martin’s not that soft.
November 30th, 2014 at 7:37 pm
Bucs are dead to me, go Bolts!!
November 30th, 2014 at 7:37 pm
Bucs are dead to me, go Bolts!!
November 30th, 2014 at 7:37 pm
Or Caddy was just that determined.
November 30th, 2014 at 7:38 pm
Lovie said, Eeney meeny miney mo, who should we give the ball to, hell I don’t know.
November 30th, 2014 at 7:38 pm
This game wreaks of tanking..
All kinds of guys out including the tight ends, the unbelievable 12 guys going along with playing a play… Lol. I don’t know what to think
November 30th, 2014 at 7:54 pm
Hard not to vanish in the 2nd half when you only get 4 carries…
November 30th, 2014 at 8:01 pm
Joe is wrong about Doug Martin
November 30th, 2014 at 8:10 pm
Oh wow, another “Doug Martin is done” article. Nice Joe! Funny how you center on Doug Martin when our O line is historically awful and when our other running backs haven’t done crap either.
Rainey has had success this season. Also, it was commonly thought (not by Joe) that our O-line was thorough, hot garbage last season, yet Bobby Rainey and Mike James had big days behind it after Martin went down. –Joe
November 30th, 2014 at 8:10 pm
RastaMon Says:
November 30th, 2014 at 7:27 pm
1st round OT
2nd round OG
3rd round Center
carry on all you fantasy geeks…
————
This is why all of your posts regarding the state of this franchise are worthless.
FIRE THE COACH! Never mind the fact we are currently paying 2 coaches right now. Never mind the fact that this team came within one rookie penalty away from beating the division leading Bengals.
DRAFT OT, OG, OC… in that order, it doesn’t matter if much better players are available at other positions, that’s what we have to do!
If you don’t see the improvement in this team, then that’s on you. It’s there and easy for anybody with any amount of objectivity to see.
November 30th, 2014 at 8:57 pm
I’m with Rastamon about fortifying the trenches. Perhaps trading out of the top 3 in the draft for additional picks could also enable the Bucs to grab a qb as well. I know the Bucs need a qb but with no OL there is no hope; you have to start in the trenches. Mariota or Winston may fall apart in the combines, who knows???? But a top 10 OT draft pick is usually solid unless you are Charles McRae(a Bucs draft pick, surprise!) or his teammate Antone davis…. Trade down with someone picking a few spots back (Giants, Skins, rams, etc) and let them get Winston; then draft an OT and use the extra pick(s) you got for dealing the #2 overall for getting your qb, or else draft a good center and guard with those extra draft picks…. Mariota and winston can not turn a franchise around: look @ Bortles and Carr: really struggling with little talent around them…..
November 30th, 2014 at 9:03 pm
Man Brandon that is some serious stuff you are on!
November 30th, 2014 at 9:57 pm
@Brandon
The ONLY reason we almost beat them was because of the improved defense. 6 points from our offense? Give me a break! In all the games McClown has played this year there has been a total of 101 points . With Glennon, and how many did he play? 119 points. The Bungles tried to Bungle the game and hand it to us. The defense is much improved. But that’s it.
November 30th, 2014 at 11:45 pm
Ad banners return, stay
December 1st, 2014 at 2:38 am
I agree with all the sentiments to draft o line And draft them often. Dominick kinda screwed this o line by not investing in it the last few years. Lovie and licht really screwed it up when they went to the well to completely rebuild it. Donald Penn, zuttah, and Joseph are better than the three guys that replaced them. Not that those 3 are world beaters but the current guys suck. Can’t pass or run block for nothing. Then you add in the constant bombardment of penalties this o line racks up and our offense really doesn’t stand a chance.
December 1st, 2014 at 8:50 am
martin is a better back…..so what if rainey is more shifty that doesn’t make him better. I like hard runners and martin ran hard against that defense but it doesn’t matter who the back is the problem with this offense is the offense coordinator keeps putting the ball in mccowns hand in the second half and they stop running the rock
December 1st, 2014 at 10:17 am
Every time martin had a good play, Gilkey, or someone else on the line would mess up, and The play would be called back!
How is that Doug Martin’s fault?
December 1st, 2014 at 11:01 am
I’m starting to think that you have something against Martin! So you think the Cowboys running is great all of a sudden b/c Murray got that much better during the offseason?!? It’s definitely the o-line & offensive coordinator coming in to stabilize that part of the offense. At worst Martin is a B player. You don’t need A players all over the place to win a chip. We can do a lot worst than Martin & in all honesty plz stop wasting post about trying to get rid of Martin!