Players React To Martin Demotion
December 24th, 2016
Bucs players speak on Doug Martin’s situation.
As Joe noted earlier, the Bucs did a nice job of making sure every employee of Team Glazer was on the same page.
“Coach’s decision” was the cry heard from just about everyone who works at One Buc Palace while in New Orleans tonight.
Joe asked several players for their reactions and for what might be lurking behind the scenes, as Pro Bowl running back Doug Martin was inactive for today’s game.
“I didn’t really realize [Martin would be inactive] until before the game,” Russell Shepard said. “It’s something I really wasn’t paying attention to so I’m not sure [when he learned].
“It definetly [was shocking] I think to everybody. But [coaches] did it for a reason. I ride with the coaches. Whatever they’ve got, I ride with them.”
Center Joe Hawley admitted he was stunned to learn Martin would be inactive.
“Yeah,” Hawley said when asked if he was shocked. “It was a coach’s decision. Obviously he’s a great player. It was a decision [Dirk Koetter] made.”
Joe asked Hawley if Martin had re-injured his hamstring or if he was still not 100 percent back from the injury or if Martin had suffered another injury of some sort.
“Hurt? I have no idea what the [reason] was,” Hawley said. “You will have to ask Dirk. I have no idea.”
Akeem Spence didn’t seem fazed at all by Koetter’s move, and said he was unaware of the transaction until today’s game. Spence professed full and total confidence in Martin’s former backups.
“We have great running backs,” Spence said. “Jacquizz Rodgers, man, and Chuck [Charles Sims], they know how to get the job done. So missing Doug, yeah, but we have guys who can step in and fill the void.”
Spence offered he didn’t notice Martin to be suffering from any injury inn practices leading to the Saints game.
“He looked like he was ready to go,” Spence said. “It’s not my call. Hey, he may have gotten sick last night. Who knows?”
Rodgers suggested this is the way the NFL works and players always need to be ready.
“Playing football, you always have to be ready,” Rodgers said. “If my numbers is called, I try to step up.”
Rodgers wouldn’t offer any specifics on when he learned that he would be the starting tailback against New Orleans.
“Sometime during the week,” Rodgers said. “Sometime during the week, that is what I said.”
Rodgers shared what the general reaction of the team was with Martin being inactive.
“It’s a next man up mentality,” Rodgers said. “That’s what the team carries.”
December 24th, 2016 at 10:49 pm
Yawn! Another click bait to sell your story.
Sir, Joe providing the reaction of the locker room to a top player’s demotion is hardly click-bait. Heck, Martin getting benched could be a turning point in Bucs history, if the head coach no longer values him. … Really don’t get the misguided hate around here. –Joe
December 24th, 2016 at 10:59 pm
At least that locker room is tight. The players knew not to “create a story” by giving away too much.
December 24th, 2016 at 11:08 pm
Dirk better be verrrry careful here, Doug is a well liked guy around the team, you saw the way Winston head butted a guy for Martin. Dirk could easily lose the locker room over this, I don’t agree with it at all. Split carries sure, inactive is BS if I ask me, I lost a little respect for our coach today.
December 24th, 2016 at 11:15 pm
It’s a message. He gave Martin plenty of games to get it together and has yet to show anything worthy of him starting.the rest of the team needs to back the coach. I am a huge fan of Martin but if the backups are producing better than sit him. I’m a bigger fan of the coach who runs the team not a single player who has done nothing to justify all the money he’s earning.
December 24th, 2016 at 11:25 pm
After many many years of watching and playing football I now know without a doubt. Ladies and gentlemen the fix is and had been in on our team. All the NFL rants and races on player protection is garbage and only applies to about a dozen players. I saw jameis get horaecollared at least 3x. No flag. Hits to the head? No problem.
People, the NFL does not want this team or this market as a top dog.
Was that fumble on the saints called fairly?
I’ve seen thisbbefore. I know beyond a doubt that the fix is in and has been for some time now. This league ain’t fooling me. We didn’t play well enough to deserve a win BUT damnit I am tired of the uneven playing field given.
Even my mother who could care less but knows the game and th rules was astounded.
Sans Detroit game with raheem.
I’m over it. This is a political fraud league.
PFL
December 24th, 2016 at 11:27 pm
The O-Line has regressed in it’s play this season….o wait let me reframe that statement, the O-Line has not played as well as they did last year! Coach K went with the back-ups, and what pray tell did that accomplish, what a stupid move in a must win game, no Doug no win, 1 game to play with 1 game to win to show improvement over last year’s team….with Bone-Head Decisions like this I doubt we get there! DISAPPOINTING TO SAY THE LEAST!!!!
December 24th, 2016 at 11:31 pm
At some point this team will come together the even the NFL powers-that-be will not deny them the chance to play games that mean a spit. I am just absolutely disgusted. I watch a lot of other games and how they are officiated. It’s not right but such is the story of life
December 24th, 2016 at 11:43 pm
You don’t bench the 2nd leading rusher in the NFL, you use your imagination as a play caller until he regains form. I guess you can’t do that if you’re terrible. This guy should be fired.
December 24th, 2016 at 11:57 pm
Some seems to happy about this. It was on the back of the players mind in the game. It had it effect. No matter what story is put out. Bad bad timing. Woth every thing that happened negative this week and this was a poor manage kick in throats to everyone. Except for the playoff teams.
December 24th, 2016 at 11:57 pm
He wasn’t playing well. Doug would continually run into his own player instead of hitting the hole. Just like Gosder on the OL and Huff on kickoffs. The all deserved to be benched.
December 25th, 2016 at 12:41 am
Dolphins sat their starting RB….guy caught on fire and has had a career year. Martin seems to have some Josh Freeman tendencies which is why the Bucs were hesitant to sign him to a long term deal. This will hopefully get his rear in gear.
December 25th, 2016 at 1:55 am
Martin sucks. You dougillac lovers are annoying af. He has done jack shi all year and has had a good 2 years out of 6. Hes cadillac williams basically. Hes mediocre st best. This team is 1 gamebreaker more away from being a hell of a team. Hint dougillac aint that guy. Delvin cook perhaps. Mccfery maybe. Maybe its a stud wideout like dede westbrook. F dougillac the pouting dancing gerbil. He sucks i would gladly trade him for a 7th.
December 25th, 2016 at 1:59 am
Not saying u shouldn’t benched the guy. But did it a a little earlier than before kickoff. That shocked the world. Martin is not a josh huff.
December 25th, 2016 at 3:20 am
How about we talk about how $HITY our defence played today? It doesn’t matter if it’s doug or quiz or chuck back there, the o line is BAD. And this draft is $hit for O line. Idk about free Agency?
December 25th, 2016 at 4:39 am
In the end guys this team was just not ready for the big dance. I see a lot of potential and promise with what we have, but still missing some key pieces of the puzzle. Go Bucs we will be back!!
December 25th, 2016 at 9:14 am
Martin’s just not explosive enough. He’s a nice guy and seems to be a great teammate but he’s not a smooth runner and doesn’t have speed to take it to the house. I went back and rewatched the Dallas game last week and there were several 3-4 yd runs that he had that I thought a quicker back could’ve turned into 20 yds or more.
December 25th, 2016 at 9:25 am
Thinking about Martin brings something back to my mind that Bill Parcels said years ago when he had Troy Hambrick at RB. He said Troy will get you 3 yds a carry regardless of whether you block for 3 yds or block for 20 yds he’ll get you 3.
December 25th, 2016 at 11:04 am
Ok. Maybe the decision seemed knee jerk to some of u…but just look at how the season went on…Martin not doing much before he got hurt…again. Simms kinda sucked, injured. Jacquizz Rodgers came in and really played well…injured. Martin came back and hasn’t done squat. So I’m sure coach had told him exactly why. Now J. Rodgers and C. Simms both did well last night running the ball behind a makeshift o-line. Better than Martin would’ve done probably. So y was this a bad move? We complain about guys getting paid big money and not producing…now they bench a guy for not producing and then we complain as well? C’mon give me a break. I’m concerned with J. Winston though, he looked like his bell got rung last night. The play where he almost fell backwards was just odd. And after a couple hits, his accuracy really fell off. Jmho.
December 26th, 2016 at 10:52 pm
Vernon Hargreaves is statistically the worst Corner in the NFL. Are you telling my his leash as a rookie is longer than that of veteran Pro Bowl RB who is playing behind what is among also the worst offensive line in the NFL?
And don’t say you chose other players because of their roles in special teams. Sims has played 1 play on special teams in 3 years. When asked about this coach said “I will not comment on this, it does not make a difference now”
It was a MUST WIN GAME!!! This is not acceptable, there is a time and a place for a move like this. 1 hour before kickoff of what is the most important game of the season is not that time. There is more to the story than we know. I am 100% sure of it.