Chucky Says Signing Doug Martin Was A Bill Walsh Move
March 27th, 2018
You just can’t make this stuff up, though it is almost expected in the wonderful world of the Buccaneers soap opera.
Earlier today at the annual NFL coaches breakfast, Joe dispatched sage columnist Ira Kaufman to ask Chucky what he saw on game film that made Doug Martin a good signing for his Raiders this month.
Based on the response, it seems Chucky was looking at rather old film and Martin was a deal inspired by deceased Hall of Fame coach and personnel man Bill Walsh.
“We didn’t pay him the $15 million signing bonus. It’s not like we took a huge contract. I thought him coming to play for us, with what we signed him for, sent a message — ‘hey, I want to prove I can still play.’ ” Chucky said of Martin.
“I’ve seen him play great football in Tampa. And there’s an old philosophy I learned from Bill Walsh a long time ago: if a player has played great in the league before, there’s a chance he can play great again. And Doug Martin has played great football in this league. He’s 29 years old and we can afford it. It’s not a huge risk. It’s a gamble I think is worth taking. I think he’s got something to prove. He needs a new lease on life. I think he needs a new chance and we’re going to try and put him right back into the channel. Oakland, California, Stockton California, where he grew up. He’s got some family and friends out there. Hopefully he likes our offense and hopefully he gets in great condition and he returns to health. We’ll see what happens.”
That “returns to health” line by Gruden sure got Joe’s antennae up, but Joe won’t speculate here.
Ironically, Walsh himself lectured Ira in person years ago in Tampa about the benefits of getting rid of a player a year to early rather than a year too late. … The Bucs could have used that advice with Martin last year.
Joe truly wishes Doug Martin well. It sure would be something if Chucky resurrected his career.
March 27th, 2018 at 3:47 pm
Shouldn’t surprise anyone to see him have a monster year in Oakland.
March 27th, 2018 at 3:48 pm
^ it’s the Bucs way after all.
March 27th, 2018 at 3:54 pm
This is also why us missing on Gruden might have been the best thing that has happened to this franchise in quite some time.
Gruden = great coach
BUT
Gruden also = horrible talent evaluator.
March 27th, 2018 at 3:58 pm
Still can’t believe some of you wanted to replace Koetter with THIS. Wish Gruden and DM the best of luck but we are much better off with Licht running the show than Gruden.
March 27th, 2018 at 3:59 pm
See what happens lol… we all know. 3 yards and go down on first contact. And I was a supporter of him.
March 27th, 2018 at 4:08 pm
Gruden probably watched the Oakland game vs the Bucs a few years ago when Martin ran for over 250 yards……
Hey, he’s gone…I wish him well in Oakland as long as they aren’t playing us.
March 27th, 2018 at 4:12 pm
Don’t matter what Martin does. He had to go. Franchise was well overdue with moving on in that position.
What matters most is if/how we improve at RB
March 27th, 2018 at 4:18 pm
this feels far more like a sign charlie garner to the bucs move than a sign jerry rice to the raiders move.
March 27th, 2018 at 4:20 pm
Believe it. Koetter had an interview after last season in which he was asked ” What was your favorite offensive play of the year”? He could not answer that simple question after a 15 second pause , he responded I will get back to you next year on that. It takes a decision maker in a second to be a great NFL coach , Chucky is that and Koetter never will be. If you need more evidence look at the clock mismanagement at the end of the Patriots game when we had the ball.
March 27th, 2018 at 4:21 pm
mark davis flat out told the media the other day that “Reggie McKenzie’s job is to get the players Jon Gruden wants.”
Have fun with that, Mark
March 27th, 2018 at 4:23 pm
Martin, if healthy, will rush for more than 1100 yards in Oakland and at a 4.5ypc clip or higher.
March 27th, 2018 at 4:24 pm
Martin was a rollercoaster ride here. Flashes of greatness draped in mediocrity and off field issues. I remember not being excited when he took carries from Blount and was clearly struggling to adapt to the NFL. Then he went nuts and totally changed my mind. Then he flopped. Then he bounced back and looked even better. Then he flopped. Good luck to Doug, but I’m looking forward to seeing who emerges as our number one back next year.
March 27th, 2018 at 4:32 pm
Martin needs to hope for a kickarse relapse… right now the 30 for 30 does not have enough content or highlights to be more than a 15 seconds of meaningless yards.
March 27th, 2018 at 4:33 pm
Hey Martin bashers, watch this from the game in Buffalo, which is a perfect example of the entire year.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRcYEqxGA9w
This is every Martin carry/touch in the game, he ends with 20 carries for 49 yards, which is 2.45ypc.
In this film, albeit it only from the TV angle, I see perhaps one run out of 20 where it looks like Martin might have been able to do more with the carry. Meanwhile I saw at least 5 plays where he made moves to pick-up additional yards that weren’t there. The stat line for the game stinks but the game film shows a guy making plays but is doomed by terrible play calling and awful run blocking.
This game is a perfect example of the entire year and what I saw game after game. It’s only a 2:44 second video, give it a watch, and explain to me how Martin is the problem.
March 27th, 2018 at 4:33 pm
Not bringing him in to be the primary back. If it doesn’t work out then they haven’t lost much. No draft choices or anything.
Perhaps Chucky sees something in that thick playbook that Martin can help with over a 16 game season.
We shall see if the knee jerk “chucky sucks” reaction turns out to be the case.
March 27th, 2018 at 4:35 pm
Watch Dougie have a pro bowl season running behind Penn.
Meanwhile McIceCream will get 7-8 sacks and a 6 win season and it will be all Jameis’s fault. Ohh Tampa why are you so slow?
March 27th, 2018 at 4:35 pm
Chucky was always a big fan of himself, comparing his moves with Bill Walsh shouldn’t come as a surprise.
March 27th, 2018 at 4:41 pm
gruden knows players get better once they leave tampa….sad but true….
#NOEXCUSESIN2018!!!!!!….GO BUCS!!!!!
March 27th, 2018 at 4:48 pm
I think it was more about Gruden proving Tampa can’t get the best out of its players. I honestly won’t be surprised to see our old head coach, improve our old rb behind our old offensive lineman.
And replacing Crabtree with Nelson???? That won’t work. It will be good for Cooper but that’s about it
March 27th, 2018 at 5:03 pm
all doug martin needs to do to “improve” in oakland is to not be the lowest ypc back in the league among guys with 100+ carries. that’s what he’s been the last 2 years…not just barely. .3 ypc worse than the second-worst guy in 2016 and .4 ypc worse in 2017.
for those trying to make it about the team\offense, i couldn’t help but notice that Peyton barber outgained him on 40 fewer carries and averaged a full yard per rush more than doug. in 2016 rodgers outgained him by 140 YARDS with 15 fewer carries
March 27th, 2018 at 5:20 pm
I think martin can contribute as relief to Lynch, he is not a 25 carry a game back.
March 27th, 2018 at 5:22 pm
Drugie will do a great job running the ball because now he is motivated and has to
BUT, he still has the hands of stone, Gruden will be going nuts with the timely misses that Drugie always makes each game
Grudog needs a great pass catching RB for all his screen game….Drugie is not that
March 27th, 2018 at 5:29 pm
Well if it doesn’t work out Jon can always go back to counting that 100 million.
I wouldn’t worry much from that position.
March 27th, 2018 at 5:43 pm
Jim Brown is still alive
March 27th, 2018 at 5:52 pm
Sometimes a change in venue does a person good both in career and personal life. It did me. I luv the Tampa Bay area. But when I found I could make double what I was making there with my job with an even lower cost of living here out West, I never looked back. Don’t be surprised to see Martin ressurrect his career. The Change will probably inspire him to play better. Sometimes..Change is good!
March 27th, 2018 at 5:52 pm
Not craw…. CRAW!!!!
-Unconcerned Bucs fan
March 27th, 2018 at 5:57 pm
He is in prove it year so he will try …for a year. Won’t get a lot of touches but will be good in gruden offense cause again this is a 1 year prove it deal.
Then he will sign a bigger contract and disappear once again
Unfortunately. Homie loves his mollies. Probably has better connections back home so that could be a problem unless his family watches closely. Hope he gets past that. He stole some serious booty from the bucs.
March 27th, 2018 at 6:36 pm
Gruden’s comment cracks me up:
“I’ve seen him play great football in Tampa. And there’s an old philosophy I learned from Bill Walsh a long time ago: if a player has played great in the league before, there’s a chance he can play great again.”
And if monkeys had wings, they’d be flying out Gruden’s ass, lol!
March 27th, 2018 at 7:10 pm
Hey Joe, if you get a chance please checkout that video above of Martin’s touches playing against Buffalo – it’s less than 3 mins and I think perfectly sums up the entire year. I’m genuinely interested in what you see when you watch that, like how Martin was the problem.
It’s one game. One. Recommend the end zone film view. First carry of the game was a great example of what went wrong for Martin’s game repeatedly last season.–Joe
March 27th, 2018 at 7:40 pm
@Rod Munch
That’s exactly why I argued with the J0es about this all year last year. Fix our o-line and ANY of our RBs could have been incredibly productive behind it, especially Martin.
Too late now, I wish him the best, and hope we get someone even better.
March 27th, 2018 at 7:47 pm
It’s funny cuz you watch that video Rob posted and there are only three plays where Doug even gets back to or past the line of scrimmage, before defenders are already making contact with him.
Pretty sure this was the game where Doug had 51 yards after first contact, but only 49 yards total from the line of scrimmage.
Think about that folks…
March 27th, 2018 at 7:49 pm
I was shocked that the Bucs didn’t clean house in the strength and conditioning department. Seem that every position from qb on down had issues that prevented them from being more than 70% of their strength.
March 27th, 2018 at 8:25 pm
Knowing Bucs history of the departed, Martin will have a Superbowl ring soon…
March 27th, 2018 at 9:05 pm
Doug Martin is a bust
Gruden ….. The older the better for him. But C Mon. Doug? I hate the Raiders anyway so good luck with that one
March 27th, 2018 at 9:06 pm
I have a better chance to hit the lotto than for DM to break another 100 yard game. Facts
March 27th, 2018 at 9:56 pm
Joe, true that it’s one game, it’s just the only video I saw precut. Also this is a very standard game, he averaged 2.5ypc on 20 carries, nothing big to inflate his average, to my eye this was what the entire season looked like.
On the first play he’s hit 3 yards behind the line of scrimmage and there was 3 defenders there. Maybe if he just puts his shoulder down and plows straight ahead he only loses 2 yards, but he also creates a ton of yards on his own as the game goes along despite the stat line.
March 27th, 2018 at 9:58 pm
Rod munch
When he does have daylight and clear run to for a big game…..he trips himself. He just falls off balance. What is that?
March 27th, 2018 at 10:02 pm
unbelievable – agree completely with you, I was also saying the same thing all year. I just didn’t and still don’t see a guy who lost a step. I saw terrible predictable play calling and even worse blocking.
March 28th, 2018 at 12:19 am
He’s actually right. What do the raiders have to lose?
March 28th, 2018 at 3:45 am
Our offensive line is getting pushed around by every team. Our OL is costantly getting creamed since Mankins retired, its embarassing. The Saints D line lived in our backfield. I like Jensen bur hes just one guy. The Bucs lacked grit and toughness in the trenches on both sides last year. Hope the D line is fixed but they should draft Nelson or trade back if hes gone.
March 28th, 2018 at 8:11 am
Doug Martin at this point only plays good with a great oline against a weak run defense. Hence why he did good against the Pats in his return running through those wide open gaps.
March 28th, 2018 at 8:13 am
The Bucs haven’t had a true franchise running back since Warrick Dunn
March 28th, 2018 at 8:28 pm
It would be something if Gruden resurrected his own career.
March 31st, 2018 at 11:10 am
I agree with Seattle Buc when he mentions how our oline is getting pushed around by everyone. Doug Martin and every other Bucs back are surrounded by defensive linemen seconds after receiving the ball. Our offensive line maybe able to pass defend but their run blocking is horrible. They need some oline men with something to prove or just a lot more aggressive than the ones we currently have.
March 31st, 2018 at 1:41 pm
The more I hear about the moves Chucky has made in Oakland the more I think we dodged a bullet.