Doug Martin Itching To Play More
August 19th, 2013
There seems to be buzz beginning among Bucs fans who wonder aloud why the starters (sans, Da’Quan Bowers, if indeed he is a starter), are getting so few reps in preseason. Joe will address this in another post but there’s one Bucs Pro Bowler that is all but begging Bucs coach Greg Schiano for more reps, and it isn’t Darrelle Revis.
No, that player in question would be one Doug Martin, the Bucs’ stud running back.
Martin has logged just five plays through two preseason games. One reason is he had his bell rung — no official concussion — when he took a knee to the head early in the loss to the Patriots while blocking.
“Got a knee to the head, got a little dazed. I practiced today. I am fine. I definitely want to play (against Miami). Previous two games I only got five plays. I would like to get two or three quarters in,” Martin said today.
Joe wonders if this limited action for so many starters is smart or not. Of course, Schiano said it is all part of a precise, well-thought out plan. Everything is going as expected, Schiano said today.
Usually, the third preseason game is when the starters play most. It will be interesting to see just how many plays both the offensive and defensive first teams of the Bucs will log in Miami Saturday.
To hear more of Martin, click the arrow below. Audio courtesy of Joe’s good friends at WDAE-AM 620.
August 19th, 2013 at 5:45 pm
its good to hear that he’s alright.
August 19th, 2013 at 5:55 pm
People will point out that so many starters get hurt but so many times without playing they don’t get the ‘rust’ off. QB’s & receivers need to get their timing down. RB’s NEED touches.
Resting starters at the END of a season works when you’re in the playoffs; the Bucs need to get there before resting.
August 19th, 2013 at 6:04 pm
@ Joe
read the article you posted on traumatic brain injury. very interesting stuff. I did notice that while there may be no such thing as a “mild concussion” there is such a thing as a “mild traumatic brain injury”, per the article. if Doug did in fact experience a traumatic brain injury, it may very well have been of the mild variety. then again I have yet to find anywhere where it states that Doug even suffered from TBI. Anywho, Im just glad that hes alright.
You can research the definitions of concussion and traumatic brain injury at CDC.gov. –Joe
August 19th, 2013 at 7:10 pm
@ Joe
took your advice. concussions and TBI are one in the same. in fact a concussion is defined as a type of traumatic brain injury of the mild kind. so basically a concussion is considered a mild traumatic injury. given that a severe traumatic brain injury would include loss of consciousness and/or amnesia, if ANYTHING Doug suffered from a mild form of traumatic brain injury or as it is commonly referred to= a concussion.
http://www.cdc.gov/concussion/
I dont mean to be rude, but Im more interested in knowing where you heard/read that Doug suffered from a concussion or any type of traumatic brain injury. by all accounts he passed his concussion/mild traumatic injury test.
August 19th, 2013 at 7:15 pm
wow, learned more about concussions/mild traumatic brain injuries then I really wanted to lol. If anyone falls on their head, you know where to find me lol.
August 19th, 2013 at 7:24 pm
Andrew1 – Getting belted in the head like Martin did and then being “a little dazed” like Martin was immediately, that’s a traumatic brain injury by definition, aka concussion.
That’s the medical standard. Joe doesn’t need a team report on that.
NFL concussion protocols and their field tests are an entirely different standard. Those have little to do with whether a concussion was sustained and more to do with the player’s current state.
Martin’s “dazed” state easily could have gone away in 10 seconds and his symptoms were 100 percent gone. That’s awesome, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t sustain a traumatic brain injury or concussion, by definition. Hope that helps.
August 19th, 2013 at 7:46 pm
@ Joe
so basically when you say an NFL player was given a concussion test and passed, it can be very misleading. I honestly didn’t know that. I just assumed that the residual affects or “dizziness” that a player suffers from would be enough for said player to automatically fail the concussion test. I mean the team doctors could clearly see that he was dizzy. to me it even looked like he was drunk. and yet he was allowed to pass the concussion test. I guess thats just how it works.
August 19th, 2013 at 7:56 pm
given all the signs and symptoms he was having after the hit, I dont believe he should have been allowed to pass the concussion test, because the very fact that he was having those symptoms means that at some point he suffered a concussion. whatever, I guess doctor knows best.
August 20th, 2013 at 8:16 am
@Andrew1
I was watching the new Hard Knocks and this same issue came up with a player. Player’s head hit the ground hard and he was ‘woozy’. Trainer asked him how his head felt and player responded that ‘his bell was rung’. Trainer immediately sits him the rest of practice and sends him to get tested.
These protocols do need to be implemented. Once it becomes the norm for the pros to take time to recover from these head ‘dingers’, it will become easier for the younger kids and college players to do the same.