Make Someone Miss, Please
October 11th, 2014
Regular readers here know Joe isn’t a huge fan of the stat geeks, but some of their data is relevant and worth noting.
And considering the Bucs have grown their in-house team of football numbers crunchers this season, the spreadsheet data is more deserving of the spotlight.
Via NFL.com, writer Kevin Patra shared bad news on Doug Martin. He’s no longer moving like a hamster that escaped from its cage.
The problem hasn’t been just the Buccaneers’ blocking. Pro Football Focus charted Martin as causing just three missed tackles on his 37 carries and six receptions this season. That low percentage ranks him 39th out of 43 running backs with at least 25 percent of a team’s attempts.
Translation: Martin isn’t doing much with the football. Even Derrick Brooks, during one of his radio appearances this week on WDAE-AM 620, said Bucs running backs aren’t doing enough to make defenders miss.
Martin has a quite an imaginary clock ticking on his Bucs career.
First, he’s averaging 2.5 yards per carry in 2014. That’ll put a microscope on any running back. Second, he hasn’t been as good as Bobby Rainey. Third, rookie third-round pick Charles Sims returns Nov. 2.
Fourth, at the end of this season, Martin’s third in Tampa, the Bucs are obligated to decide whether to exercise the fifth-year option (2016) on his rookie contract. If not, Martin would be an unrestricted free agent after the 2015 campaign.
In today’s Lovie Smith chat on Buccaneers.com, the head coach insisted Martin is still the “bell cow” of his offense. It’s time for Martin to answer that bell.
October 11th, 2014 at 1:57 pm
he’s gone or traded before the deadline
October 11th, 2014 at 2:24 pm
Lovie named Martin the bellcow before the regular season started, he still insist’s he is that RB. It seems to me there is a lot of doubt from all sides as to whether he still deserves that distinction. I know patience grows shorter with each subpar outing by Martin, yet he has contributed to the overall positive effort shown by the Bucs.
October 11th, 2014 at 2:29 pm
Lovie named Martin the bellcow before the regular season started, he still insist’s he is that RB. It seems to me there is a lot of doubt from all sides as to whether he still deserves that distinction. I know patience grows shorter with each subpar outing by Martin, yet he has contributed to the overall positive effort shown by the Bucs. I never thought Sims was drafted to replace Martin, but to compliment the running game. Doug needs a good showing to reverse the tide of his detractor’s angst.
October 11th, 2014 at 2:32 pm
I can’t take Lovie serious when he pulls this type of stuff. He is loyal to a fault. He wanted to keep McCown in when it was obvious Glennon is playing much better football and gives this team a spark. Now with Martin, yea Rainey had a fumble and i know how Lovie is about that, but Rainey is the only RB to actually get the ball moving when he’s in. Sometimes you have to admit when your wrong and do whats best for the team.
October 11th, 2014 at 2:38 pm
I’ve been saying this since last year about Martin and is why i was so high on us trading him for say Alex Boone at the start of the year. He can’t make anyone miss and drops like a sack of potatoes the moment a strong gust of wind hits him. he had 2 very very good games his rookie year and the rest were MEH. 80% of his career stats are form those 2 games against Minnesota and Oakland.
By continuing to play him you are only shooting yourself in the foot. His stock is plummeting and his trade value is diminishing every carry. The Bucs need to fake an injury and keep him on the bench once Sims gets back just to keep his stock semi high before the end of the season… Or he needs a break out game. It’s like having the RB version of Michael Clayton
October 11th, 2014 at 2:59 pm
As far as Rainy goes he’s moved the ball, when he fumbles its at the worst time of the game. 2 fumbles I remember were at times we were trying to get the games back. Big D.Martin fan. Especially after his rookie year success, but since then its been a decline. I too hopes he does a good job against Baltimore, but if not I look for Rainey and C.Sims to get opportunities.
October 11th, 2014 at 3:06 pm
Lovie also said that Revis was an important part of this team.
And he has yet to say that Martin is the “RB of the Future”. Tomorrow is another day. Let’s hope that someone steps up and makes Sim’s return irrelevant.
October 11th, 2014 at 4:27 pm
How about passing on 1st down to set up the run? The Bucs can’t run on 1st & 10 and can’t pass on 2nd & 10 so what’s the difference? Try something different!
October 11th, 2014 at 8:30 pm
Bell cow?
Well, Martin certainly has the vision and lateral agility of a cow.
October 11th, 2014 at 10:33 pm
We could turn him into a pick or a player if he does get played out of TB by our other RB’s.
October 12th, 2014 at 12:26 am
Martin was terrible at the start of the year last year before he was hurt. He is just as bad this year. I expect Sims to put him on the bench where he belongs.
October 12th, 2014 at 2:02 am
I was actually excited about Martin having a bounce back year. I know you can’t put much stock into preseason but Martin was making the first guy miss on most of his touches in the preseason. He also trucked a few guys, looked fast and quick.
That certainly hasn’t been this case when the games started to count. Very disappointed.