History
October 26th, 2012
Joe is still geeked from last night’s game, a punch-in-the-face win over the Vikings in their crumbling crib.
It’s as if Joe has had a glass or two of Bushmills. But he hasn’t.
One reason the Bucs fared so well against the Vikings is that the team made history, thanks in large part to Muscle Hamster, Doug Martin.
Consider what the numbers geeks at ESPN dredged up for the Bucs:
Running back Doug Martin carried the load, becoming the first player in Buccaneers history with 135 rushing yards and 75 receiving yards in the same game.
Martin ran for 121 of those yards between the tackles, the second-most by a Buccaneers running back in the last five seasons (LeGarrette Blount had 126 in a game against the Indianapolis Colts last season).
Martin’s 65 yards after contact, between the tackles, are the fifth-most by a rusher this season.
Pretty impressive night for Martin, right? Joe just marveled at Martin’s vision last night. he was patient with his blocks and when there were bodies in front of him, he quickly shifted to the sight of daylight.
Very impressive.
Martin seemed to have turned the corner with performances over the Chiefs and Saints, both lame defenses. Now he sets a team record against one of the better defenses in the NFL, the Vikings?
Joe’s liking what he is seeing. Big time!
October 26th, 2012 at 12:18 pm
Nice job by the Hamster and the offensive line , now let’s get on a roll and win a few in a row .
October 26th, 2012 at 12:54 pm
Doug Martin played extremely well and was not going to be denied but why no talk about Lorig and what he did last night. I thought his blocking was intense and technically sound and he chipped in all over the field including his TD catch. I’d say it was his best game in a Bucs uniform and made him look like a bonafide starter.
That said, we should never toss a screen in Dotson’s direction again and I think he might be best served as a TE convert. His cut blocks are tragic and he plays with no leverage.
October 26th, 2012 at 1:14 pm
I like positive ‘Joe’, much more appealing…must be the hangover.
October 26th, 2012 at 1:50 pm
Big Bount supporter here…I was clammoring for smash and dash, but m,y tune is starting to change. Looks like Martin has more grit and determination in his tiny stature than Blount and all of his 250lbs.
Lorig is a beast and deserves his due as well. The man was flat out blocking his ass off last night!
October 26th, 2012 at 3:34 pm
To me the passing game helped the running game. In the beginning of the season the Bucs had no passing game to fear. Now that Freeman is slinging the ball around the running game has seen more openings with the safeties out the box.
October 26th, 2012 at 5:32 pm
if im not mistaken this was his first time playing on turf and he obviously had more burst and change of direction. look for him to be an advantage anytime we play on turf, this is what he was accustomed to in college
October 26th, 2012 at 6:58 pm
What I love about Martin is his ability to do everything a running back needs to do to be a 3 down back. Run hard, catch balls thrown your way and get yards after the catch, and block WELL. Muscle hamster ( Martin hates that nickname haha ) is starting to really open some peoples eyes
October 26th, 2012 at 8:35 pm
Actually, Martin has a very high drop percentage in the passing game. As to running, he is adjusting to the speed of the pro game, & learning to go ahead & trust his instincts, e.g., bounce it to the outside.
Great job.
October 27th, 2012 at 10:45 am
“Feed the Hamster!!” ….the Bucs new battlecry for 2012′.
October 27th, 2012 at 9:51 pm
I’m surprised you referred to them as ESPN instead of BSPN