“This Guy’s So Damn Strong”
July 1st, 2014
So what Buccaneer blew away Ronde Barber in the weight room?
Who turned the Bucs icon’s head? You might be surprised.
Per a story regurgitated by FOX NFL analyst and Barber co-worker Jay Glazer, that Buccaneer is the Muscle Hamster, Doug Martin.
Glazer explained how Barber had “never seen anything like it,” referring to Martin in the weight room. “This guy’s so damn strong,” were Baber’s words, Glazer claimed. (You can enjoy the full FOX roundtable video below.)
Martin’s power is an element of his game rarely mentioned. Injured on a deep wheel passing route last October (that still makes Joe pound his ahead against a wall), Martin is built for the pounding Greg Schiano was giving him.
Now, Martin’s legs remain fresh and young, and Lovie Smith will use the many complements he has to Martin. It feels like a perfect situation for Martin, assuming the Bucs’ offensive line can somehow jell quickly, with limited talent by NFL standards.
July 1st, 2014 at 9:07 am
It would be great if Doug Martin could defy the odds and become a two-contract player….tough for a running back these days…..
That’s how guys in the NFL are judged:
one contract players; two contract players; three contract players….
The “threes” are few and far between Derrick Brooks was one.
July 1st, 2014 at 9:29 am
Urlacher states that Lovie is missing the ‘good offensive line he had in Chicago.’ Seriously what Bears offensive line was he watching? Cutler was one of the most sacked QB’s in the league when Lovie was running the ship. It’s one of the reason’s that the Bear’s overhauled the offensive line in 2013 under Trestmen. They had a mediocre offensive line all through Lovie’s tenure in Chicago.
July 1st, 2014 at 9:38 am
Here’s a picture of Martin last year, I’m 95%sure its him, from training camp. And look at his biceps !!!!!!!!!!!
http://www.buccaneers.com/multimedia/photo-gallery/You-Can-Just-Feel-It-Training-Camp-Day-5/92232793-5218-4693-8167-dc82c8b88313#cb5bce7b-e162-4662-85ce-5d5ffe2386c5
July 1st, 2014 at 9:42 am
I think Muscle Hamster is a great nickname and it looks like it won’t change soon anyway.
July 1st, 2014 at 9:55 am
I really hope this guy is around for a while and his production level keeps going up. I think last year was more on the Oline and freeman than anything.
I know that rbs are being devalued now but I would love for Martin to be a consistent pro bowler for us.
July 1st, 2014 at 10:01 am
Thanks for posting Joe! There are 2 huge assumptions that need to come through for us to win this year:
1. That McCown will be the player he was last year and not what he showed the majority of his career.
2. That Tedford will indeed be a good offensive coordinator. I am hopeful that he will be but he has never called a play in the NFL.
July 1st, 2014 at 10:24 am
I see a ton of Curtis Martin style play potential in Doug’s future.
July 1st, 2014 at 10:40 am
If only he could have Curtis Martin’s longevity. My biggest worry is the OL. If that holds up, we could really make some noise this year.
July 1st, 2014 at 10:47 am
Nothing to not love about Doug. Great Kid, Great attitude, very impressive skills. He doesn’t really need a ton of blocking. Just a crease. He reminds me of a roided up Dunn. (Not that Doug is doing that)
July 1st, 2014 at 10:52 am
Don’t agree that the Bucs O-line has “limited talent by NFL standards.” It has limited experience at the guard positions, but I believe they see talent in a few of the young guards… And I see no problem with the talent at the center and tackle positions. The point about getting the line to jell is one of experience, not talent… And really, do you think so many NFL teams have more talented O-lines? I doubt that there are very many teams who feel good about their starting O-line from tackle to tackle. It’s the hardest unit to build.
July 1st, 2014 at 11:17 am
Is he stronger than Akeem Spence?
July 1st, 2014 at 11:31 am
Wow, when was the last time you heard that much Buc Love in one room? Even Donovan was on the Train and didn’t puke. These guys actually did some research on the Bucs. I’d like to see Urlacher on Lovie’s staff. He really thrived in that defense in Chicago and could be an asset.
July 1st, 2014 at 11:54 am
Good content in this video piece… Thanks Joe!
July 1st, 2014 at 12:12 pm
Great find Joe! Getting excited for the season!
July 1st, 2014 at 12:15 pm
Was absolutely certain he was going to say Glennon. That ginger-haired freak of nature can lift cars with the power of his mind.
July 1st, 2014 at 12:56 pm
Doug Martin is one of the best Bucs ever, in my opinion. Happy he has some backups to give him some breathers.
July 1st, 2014 at 1:29 pm
It’s a stretch to say Dougernaut is one of the best Bucs ever, at this stage. He certainly has the talent to be one of them if he stays healthy.
July 1st, 2014 at 2:10 pm
Where do you think the nickname came from? He received the nickname in college when his teammates there realized how strong he was. He was just short hence the muscle hamster. Thats why Doug hates the nickname.
July 1st, 2014 at 7:57 pm
Doug Martin is an awesome running back
July 2nd, 2014 at 2:00 am
Best part of this interview was when he said (and by the way) “they ALSO have Vincent Jackson”.Last year he was practically ALL we had after Dougie went down. What a difference!
July 2nd, 2014 at 5:50 am
@Joseph Mamma: I laughed right when he said the same. Our O-line has been putrid for years, but still it has always been far better than what Chicago had. Now I do not know how well their O-line held up last year. May be Trestman did some improvements with scheme and personnel.
July 2nd, 2014 at 5:53 am
I just checked O-line rankings based on 2013 performance on PFF. Bears O-line (19) is ranked ahead of Bucs’ (24th). But they still were among the worst in pass blocking (29th), compared to somewhat bad (21st) Bucs O-line.
July 2nd, 2014 at 4:37 pm
The production of this clip (camera angles, lighting, ect…) was very unusual IMO.
July 3rd, 2014 at 12:56 am
Csidedave, Tedford may not have called a play in the NFL but he called plays for five years in the Canadian Football League and before that was a QB Coach in that league, and even played Pro Ball in Canada as a QB himself, so he has a lot more Pro experience to go with his highly successful years developing players as a College Coach. Watch for him to even surpass what Kelly did last year with just college experience.
July 3rd, 2014 at 6:31 pm
That is the best round table on the Bucs I have seen all year hands down. Slightly on the optimistic side, but it is easy to be an optimist about next year.