Life Without Doug Martin
January 12th, 2017
Uncertain future.
As next week’s East-West Shrine Game practices begin in St. Petersburg, it sort of marks Joe’s beginning of draft season.
Some general managers and hundreds of scouts descend upon the area combing through prospects, hunting for that hidden jewel.
Could Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht be looking for a gem of a running back?
That may be the biggest question facing the Bucs in the next four months through free agency and to the draft: What are the Bucs to do with Doug Martin?
Yes, Martin is still under contract. For now. No, the contract is no longer guaranteed. That clause in his contract was voided when Martin tested positive for a banned PED. It seems unlikely the Bucs would keep Martin at the same roughly $7 million salary as his five-year career has been pockmarked by injuries, subpar play and drug problems, with two exceptional seasons mixed in. Throw in the fact Martin, if he tests positive again, could be staring at a 10-game suspension, well, Martin’s 2017 season is anything but etched in stone.
It is because of this the Bucs should plan now for life without Martin, so long-time Bucs beat guy Woody Cummings said on WFLA-TV Channel 8 last week on the season finale of “Bucs Bonus.”
“They have to look for somebody to replace Doug Martin because let’s face it: You cannot depend on Doug Martin coming back,” Cummings said. “He’s going to rehab. You don’t know how he is coming out of that. If he comes out of it, that’s great. If he can play football again, that’s great. But you know what, that’s also a bonus.”
That is the key element here: If Martin gets out of rehab, (if he actually attends rehab) does that mean he has shaken the demons that led him to getting popped in an NFL whiz quiz? No one knows that. It’s nothing but a complete and total guess.
That’s why the hunt to replace Martin may begin in earnest beginning Monday in St. Petersburg for Licht and his staff.
January 12th, 2017 at 7:05 am
Marlon. Mack.
January 12th, 2017 at 7:26 am
Agree..Marlon Mack..
January 12th, 2017 at 7:35 am
That’s the head scratcher!!! If he didn’t know about the clause he’s a moron and should be cut as well as the agent, if he did know about it he’s a moron and should be cut
January 12th, 2017 at 7:59 am
I don’t know and presume nobody but Joe knows Doug even a little bit personally. So this is just a guess, playing with pain in one of the hardest hit positions in the league, stress of getting that contract and playing up to expectations, getting hurt and wanting to comeback and compete, even though you still might be a little injured, not making excuses, but none of are out there getting hit. Hopefully, Doug turns thing around, no doubt, he’s hot and cold, but when he’s hot, he is one of the best in the league and is a #weaponforwinston, redo the contract, tired of seeing our players go elsewhere and get in the right situation and succeed, bring him back to camp (remember family) draft one of these guys that may slip, like Marlon Mack or Joe Miixon, now you have serious competition with Peyton, Jacquizz and Chuck, may the best men win, it’s simple as that.
January 12th, 2017 at 8:35 am
Impossible to comprehend such stupidity. MILLIONS of dollars lost, over what? Getting high?! Sad how people throw away the special gifts they have been blessed with.
January 12th, 2017 at 8:40 am
Seems at this point that joe, bleacher report, bucs nation, etc. are all convinced that he is most likely gone. I disagree.
This isn’t Lovie or Schiano. Dirk is definitely smarter and more patient than those two. If he can retain a potentially a top 5 rb who will play for a percentage of his original contract and a restructure in which he could be cut without any loss if for some reason he underperforms or violates any rules, than he will. Doug didn’t beat his wife or commit a crime. I trust in extra motivation in him to return to form.
I am confident our ownership will obviously game plan for life without doug if he regresses by resigning quiz and drafting an rb late or someone in fa. There is too much upside in retaining him and we can cover all bases with a backup plan.
January 12th, 2017 at 8:40 am
Rrsrq do you think he was thinking about “family” when he was taking those drugs? Or when he was stinking up the joint against Dallas or NO to cost us the playoffs? And before everyone starts defending him yes the oline struggled but it was also clear to anyone watching that Quiz was running with better vision, effort, and patience than Doug and that could all be from a lack of focus maybe cause he was high!
January 12th, 2017 at 8:53 am
@ Eric,
I agree with you. Licht will smartly take advantage of the situation and offer him a prove-it contract with incentives. If the Druggernut is not a complete idiot, he will jump on it and do what he did in his contract year – be a franchise RG. He obviously has the ability and I doubt Licht wants to look like an idiot and just let him go show that elsewhere.
January 12th, 2017 at 8:59 am
Eric, excellent post but I’m not totally convinced that Martin will be with Bucs next year. Bucs will in all probability void his present contract, but may or may not be able to re-sign him for considerably less, even if they want to. There are a number of teams with solid OLines who could use a RB like Martin, for a relatively cheap price (hey, he did it to himself). Doug (and his agent) may decide it’s better to just move on at this point and try to revive his career someplace else.
January 12th, 2017 at 9:17 am
If i were Jason Licht, i would seriously be trying my best to sign Latavius murray. Not a super star back by any means, but he can run between the tackles, and catch out of the back field. He even has the potential to make big plays.
Like i said, not a worldbeater, but he is a competant starting back that can play all 3 downs. And in todays Nfl, thats all you need to keep D’s honest.
January 12th, 2017 at 9:32 am
Harry, most of us can’t comprehend why addicts throw away their lives because most of us have never dealt with real, serious addiction. I’m not talking about being addicted to chocolate or caffeine or even cigarettes, although they are closer. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a physical addiction to be a big problem either. Look at how many people squander their fortunes on gambling, for instance.
Addiction is a very serious disease that can be very difficult to beat. Whether Doug got caught for Adderall, MDMA, cocaine, Percocet, steroids, HGH, or anything else doesn’t matter. Whatever it was, it was a powerful enough addiction to cloud his judgement enough to risk everything he had earned.
The real long shot here is not whether or not Doug can play football again, it’s whether or not Doug can beat this addiction. If he can beat the addiction, he will certainly be able to play football.
And beating an addiction is on par with Noah Spence resetting his shoulder on the field. Only very amazing people are able to do either of those things.
We wouldn’t be criticizing Doug like this if he had developed cancer, we would be cheering him to beat the disease. We should be taking the same approach with addiction. Doug is our Eric Berry.
January 12th, 2017 at 9:36 am
i know there’s lots of Jacquizz Rodgers love out there right now, but i think a focused doug martin can still be a far superior back. a paycut is a must, but i would keep doug on the roster until final cuts and have him, JR, and the Peyton Barbers of the world competing for one or two roster spots, with Sims and one new addition with history of\potential for #1 production basically locked in
i predict doug would be hugely de-motivated by basically auditioning for the job we’ve signed guys like Bobby Rainey and Rodgers off the street to fill in years past. However, the bucs lose nothing but some training camp reps to find out whether he comes looking more like 2016 Doug Martin or 2016 DeMarco Murray
January 12th, 2017 at 10:30 am
The Bucs knew Martin had issues….the prove it season had little to do with his on field performance or staying healthy…..He wasn’t healthy this season and they would still be paying him had he not failed the drug test. Martin and Freeman were rumored for years to be partying….The best thing this team can do, particularly since its a new regime is send a message to the young core by cutting Martin and moving on. They need to see that the NFL is a cut throat business and a once in a lifetime opportunity each and every week you step on that field. Either act like professionals and buy into the football first mentality or find work elsewhere. Truth be told, we have no idea how Martin will react to a reserve role….he may not take it well and go right back to his old ways causing another round of distractions for the team.
January 12th, 2017 at 10:58 am
I just hate how people have been rewriting the pasr to justify hating on Doug. Bobby, there were NEVER rumors like that in the past. People are making up stories now that there were, but it just wasn’t so.
Doug Martin has ALWAYS been a good, upstanding teammate with the Bucs.
People are taking things and adding to his mistakes because fans always want change. They want to justify their own desires.
Here’s the truth: Doug is family. He’s got a problem. While he certainly should not make as much money as he is slanted to make, he should at least be given the opportunity to do a new contract and compete.
Nothing should be handed to him. He should have to work his butt off.
I’m all for getting competition at RB, but we have greater needs in the top of the draft. Plug and play at RB could work until next year. Before this happened, we all new our top 3 needs. One event does not change those needs.
January 12th, 2017 at 11:04 am
Doug will be 28 tomorrow, with a significant injury history. He was never that fast, even coming out of school. I’d like to see him clocked again.
Now, if you want to sign him as stop gap (meaning: reduced from 7mm), maybe. But, he’s going to be on the downside of 30 before you know it. He might have a few more productive years left, but, combine that with the risk of his next suspension being a long one. That’s a significant risk.
It’s time to find a triplet to join Jameis and Mike.
January 12th, 2017 at 11:20 am
@Bobby M You are right, the NFL is a cut throat business, players either have to put up or ship out. But the BEST thing this team can do to send a message to the young core is to not just “talk-it” about family but “show-it” that they ARE family.
Now I don’t know about your family, but in mine the love doesn’t stop just because someone makes a mistake. There is always a teaching moment with my young ones and yes, there may be very well be consequences to their misstep, but they are also given a chance to do it right next time.
If Doug took banned drugs to overcome the pain of injury to get back on the field, intentionally or not, that is a completely different issue than him struggling with a banned substance simply for pleasure. It would of course be better to know it was the former and not the latter. The former may have simply been a misinformed mistake and shouldn’t happen again. However the latter would be of greater concern because that would mean Doug intentionally and willfully made the choice and decided to take the risk knowing he could get popped.
The consequences for either of those scenarios would be quite different in my family, but neither would lead us to decide to “walk the plank”. Instead we would ALL be there for him to help him through, whatever it takes. Why? Because that’s what family does.
Go Bucs!
January 12th, 2017 at 11:51 am
I don’t see any reason to trash talk Martin either.
January 12th, 2017 at 11:57 am
Cal – Your hearts in the right place, but bottom line, professional football is a business. Doug took drugs and (in my opinion) cost his teammates and Tampa Bay the playoffs. Move on. Better for him as he doesn’t have to face the same questions elsewhere and better for the Bucs when they don’t have to wonder if Doug is on a different road trip than they are.
January 12th, 2017 at 12:09 pm
@ Bonazai
Excellent point man. I do not get the unjustified Doug Martin trash talk. The guy is a good person.
Leveon made a mistake and he’s back. Although Doug is currently not as good, he can be as evidenced by his two spectacular season.
It is a business and the team has a lot more to gain with him than without. Just bring in a back-up plan. Period.
January 12th, 2017 at 12:15 pm
Wow! Just wow! So many people just writing him off as if nobody that posts here has ever done anything wrong! While Doug did disappoint, to blame him for us not making the playoffs is absurd. I digress.
I’m of the opinion, under the cut his salary option, that this is actually the best scenario for him AND the Bucs. Think about it. Why bring in Murray when you have a RB who knows the system and might be inspired? With so many holes to fill, you could bring Doug back for a discount and not even miss a beat.
All ya’ll (you know who you are!) need to sop with the holier-than-though BS. He’s not out there beating women, he’s a young man who made a young man mistake. I’m 100% that the team would welcome him back if he showed remorse. Why can’t we?
January 12th, 2017 at 12:20 pm
So many good logical post above. Logic says he can go through off season and training camp and rehab, just can’t play in first 3 regular season games. So if you use deductive reasoning you 1) initiate a salary cut with a “prove it.” clause. If he stays healthy, drug free, and plays to an acceptable level for his age and skill set, Keep him and use him in a back-up or situational role. Hell he might earn his starting status back. BUT if he fails at any of the above criteria CUT HIM. Now we all know if he is at full strength like most aging running backs he will need to eventually be replaced. Don’t wait 2 years and put all your eggs into the Rodgers or Peyton basket. Draft the best replacement that you can and let him compete for a starting role or back-up and improve role. In that case you will have a RB in the pipeline for several years to come while still keeping a cheaper high potential back in Martin.
January 12th, 2017 at 12:25 pm
Isaiah Crowell would be an interesting option aswell. He is only 24
January 12th, 2017 at 12:25 pm
Doug martin hashad 3 god awful seasons and 2 really good ones.
By those facts alone, he is overall a below average Rb.
On top of that, as soon as he got paid, he shirked his obligations to pop mollies.
With a dedicated in shape Doug, we would be in the playoffs. No doubt in my mind.
With that said, Bye Felicia.
January 12th, 2017 at 1:01 pm
It’s not hard to imagine life without Doug Martin…just think 2013, 2014, and 2016. Even when he’s on the roster he’s not always here.
While I’m like NOSBOS and lust for Dalvin Cook…perhaps not as badly as him lol
I believe we need to invest a serious draft pick in an RB or maybe even two.
I agree with 1GR8Buc on Marlon Mack. He’ll be available in later rounds and is worth a pick.
But I’m hoping for the Foreman kid from Texas in the 2nd or if I could get past his past perhaps brave woman hitting Mixon…that would need a ton of due diligence for me.
BTW as an aside for those making fun of me for wanting choirboys…where are all you guys who pimped for Greg Hardy and just knew we had to have him?
I guess you guys will now have to switch to UFC fans to follow Hardy.
January 12th, 2017 at 1:04 pm
No, no. Don’t think Martin is “most likely gone.” It is hard to believe the Bucs would keep him at his current $7 million salary.
Am pretty sure the Bucs are not banking on him to be a No. 1 back any longer. It was dubious he would return in 2018 anyway (contract/age).
January 12th, 2017 at 1:12 pm
anyone know when a decision on Doug has to be made, as far as being on the hook for any of his 2017 salary? Like if we’d have to cut him in March, or else could wait until July/August? If we cut him before the draft and don’t pick up a free agent RB, it kind of telegraphs to the league that one of our first few picks will be RB
January 12th, 2017 at 1:19 pm
@Blake- Your point is valid. I would add though a healthy VJax and better blocking. Our defense didn’t do us any favors either, if memory serves, other than a 5-6 game stretch.
I think the point that I and some others are making is that he was #2 in the NFL in 2015, he knows the offense, and he’ll be an inexpensive signing. With him, we still have Rodgers, Sims, and Barber. So nothing is really lost. It gives the Bucs freedom to pursue other positions of much greater need.
I’m disappointed like every other fan, but he nor any other Buc pays my mortgage or puts food on my table so I could care less about him popping mollies. That’s HIS business.
Get better Doug!
January 12th, 2017 at 1:21 pm
@ Joe
You’re absolutely right. That is why a restructure is the most likely scenario. He definitely won’t be back for $7 mil a year here anyway and any franchise willing to take that on will most likely be a desperate one. (cough cough Cleveland)
As far as him being the #1 back, that’s 50/50 and I agree they are not banking on him doing so. That’s why I think a late round rb pick or even a mediocre rb signing is a possibility. (someone like andre ellington maybe?)
Restructure, sign or draft some competition, and may the best man win. We’ve all seen what Doug can do when he’s motivated. Throw in some incentives and we may all be surprised.
BTW this is your first response to my post so it’s a pretty exciting day for me. Thank you and I will be taking work off early to celebrate!
January 12th, 2017 at 1:46 pm
Don’t care much if he stays or goes as long as he has to earn his spot back and they bring in competition. He is a grown ass man who made his choices. Now it’s time to pay the piper. That’s just how life works.
January 12th, 2017 at 2:08 pm
Ha! You have low standards. 🙂
January 12th, 2017 at 2:16 pm
@America’sCommenter
Excellent well thought out post. And while I agree totally with your sentiment about beating up a guy over an illness I can’t get myself too worked up about Doug’s future as a Buc.
First let me agree with your most important point. We do not know the challenge Doug faces with his addiction…we don’t even know the substance. So first I join you in wishing Doug a speedy recovery…football or not. Just get better.
After that though….dude has made over ten million $$$ in a short time. He’s set for life. And I hope he can take advantage of his blessings.
But I do not want him on the Bucs.
The other side of the lack of compassion coin is called co-dependency and when it’s for just a winning football team…sad. We can’t enable his problem.
January 12th, 2017 at 2:58 pm
@Joe
don’t tell me fiancé that hahaha
January 12th, 2017 at 5:01 pm
It’s 100% up to Doug Martin how this goes down IMO.
If he does everything right and everything that is asked of him over the next 6 months – the Bucs should absolutely bring him back to compete for a job. At a very reduced salary of course. Something like a 1 year $1.5M deal with incentives to earn another $2-3M if he hits certain high standard marks like snaps, yards, Pro Bowl, etc.
Even with us not knowing all the details – its still pretty easy to say that Doug F’ed Up pretty bad. He knows it, we know it, the organization knows it.
But with as much talk as there was in 2016 of fostering and nurturing a “family” environment (and I believe it was sincere) – a “family” does not turn their back on a brother when he makes a mistake or is in trouble.
Doug made a big mistake and will personally pay dearly for it (losing at least $4-5M if not more next year – along with a major hit to his reputation).
We know what a healthy, motivated DM looks like on the field. He looks like one of the better running backs in the NFL. It would be foolish for the Bucs to not give Doug the chance to earn his job back as long as he agrees to a reduced contract and stipulations that instantly void the new deal with any additional future “troubles”.
January 12th, 2017 at 5:31 pm
I agree with you Pickgrin if he does the right things resign him to an incentive based deal. Let’s go BUCS postseason next year.
January 12th, 2017 at 7:27 pm
It doesn’t matter what we think of Doug Martin, Coach Koetter sat his butt down as a healthy scratch for the Dallas game. A game that would have put us in the playoffs had we won. Obviously, Koetter has no confidence in him. Not good if a 1st year HC has buttoned holed you. They are moving on.
January 12th, 2017 at 9:34 pm
Martin always has a good year every other year, anyone who wants to let him go when the Bucs can keep him with no fear of it backfiring, they’re just short sided morons. Keep Martin around – then cut him AFTER next season since we know he’ll have a bad season then.
January 13th, 2017 at 8:35 am
Only reason they benched Martin is because they were made aware of his suspension. It was a public relations stunt to rest him because he had just gotten punished by the league and it would have looked bad to start him. It was a message to the team, not because he lost faith in him. Period.