Under Pressure
June 5th, 2017
Bucs player makes list.
Just who has the most pressure on him this summer?
Well, Chris Burke looked throughout the NFL for players under the gun big time. And on his SI.com list is Doug Martin.
Tampa Bay continues to talk up Martin’s effort this off-season following a PED-related suspension (he’ll sit the first three weeks of 2017) and a stint in rehab. That’s a good start to what is a make-or-break year for the 28-year-old back. He has surrounded two Pro Bowl seasons (’12 and ’15) with three frustrating, injury-plagued efforts. The Bucs have him under contract through 2020 but owe him no additional guaranteed money.
What Burke did not touch is that Martin has more than just pressure to perform during training camp and preseason to make the team. It’s off the field, too.
Look, Martin has an addiction, and good for him for seeking treatment. But the brutal truth is that treatment doesn’t guarantee Martin can magically stay off whatever substance and demon is haunting him.
Fighting whatever he is battling off the field may be more pressure than football.
This is one reason Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht and winning coach Dirk Koetter have been so over the top in their praise of Martin playing working out in a sandbox. Joe gets that and it’s a noble motive.
As Joe has stated, don’t lay a nickel on the table that Martin returns for 2017. Martin has a lot of obstacles to overcome, both on and off the field, before the Bucs bring him back. One of the biggest is that heavy contract of his.
June 5th, 2017 at 5:15 am
Every year is a ‘make-or-break year’ (as Chris Burke puts it) to every NFL player. To us fans it’s entertainment, but to them it’s their livelihood. Doug Martin surely knows better than any of us that his job (and his career) depends on how well he performs on the field … just like every other NFL player. His contract isn’t an issue at this point … if he doesn’t perform well in the coaches’ eyes, he’ll be gone. If he does perform to (or exceed) their expectations, how much money he’s making more than likely won’t be an issue to the Bucs. And besides they can always renegotiate it prior to Game 4. But in any event, most of us are pulling for Doug to keep his act together and have a year similar to 2015. And my guess is that you are too Joe.
June 5th, 2017 at 6:33 am
Rules: Great comment. The best I’ve read about Martin.
June 5th, 2017 at 6:48 am
I guess Kwon and Jude has an addiction also. Will they have a relapse?
June 5th, 2017 at 7:15 am
Alcoholics that always talk about drinking never even admit they have a problem. They need to drink everyday and never get help. Some do and fall off the wagon. They even drink and drive. What perfect citizens to be casting stones.
June 5th, 2017 at 7:21 am
I can’t wait until Doug tears it up this season. So Joe will STFU.
June 5th, 2017 at 7:36 am
You can’t say he had an addiction if you don’t know what he used. It could have just as easily been something non-addictive but he made super stupid choices with. And hearing him talk that seems highly likely. Hearing the Tampa media talk, you’d think he used heroin based on the way they say he should still be struggling with addiction (because they are – like with alcohol?). So who knows. We don’t have enough information to say he is struggling with addiction and all we can difinitively say is he made terrible judgement calls and needs to fix his behavior and dedicate himself to football.
June 5th, 2017 at 7:46 am
I think its probably adderall, cuz he got popped for PED, specifically. If the Bucs have over 1700 yrds rushing this year we’re going to SB
June 5th, 2017 at 8:23 am
@Defense- Well-stated!
@LakeLand- The hypocrisy is mind-boggling.
I’ve said it before; Doug Martin would be the starting RB for this team if not for a wee test. All of a sudden, he’s not good enough to crack the roster?!
SMGDH
June 5th, 2017 at 9:23 am
@bucsfanman
Cheating to win on the field is viewed different than getting wrecked at the club!!!! It may be the same punishment but it is viewed totally different!!!!!
I would put the “under pressure” tag for a close second on the O-line!!!! They have shuffled the interior and are waiting to see the Tackles step-up and have a better year!!!!! much to prove!!! While drug martin has “pressure” at least he is playing for the same position that he has always played!!!!!!!
Go Bucs!!!!!!!!!!
June 5th, 2017 at 9:47 am
Thank you Joe. I never truly understood why you didn’t think he would make the roster. I gathered the facts, as did you but now I realize your pessimism in relation to his return is based mostly on his addiction. Whoa. Whoa. Whoa. Joe never wrote that or implied it. Why make stuff up? Your continued nonsense and malicious shots at Joe (remainder of this post was deleted) now has you in the comment cooler. –Joe
June 5th, 2017 at 10:03 am
Lakeland:
When did Hey Jude and Kwon have to check themselves into an addiction treatment facility?
June 5th, 2017 at 10:19 am
@ Defense: the Bucs cannot “renegotiate” downward unless they place Martin on waivers first and he clears waivers. And IF he clears waivers THEN he’s a Free Agent and can go where he wants.
Not gonna happen.
A team can “restructure” without waivers because it means the same money is just shifted around. But in Martin’s case there is nothing to restructure, no money to shift around…unless they start guaranteeing a portion of his current non-guaranteed contract.
June 5th, 2017 at 10:26 am
@Realist- Perhaps they are perceived differently, but the fact remains that BOTH hurt the team.
I think there’s pressure on Jameis as well. With the added weapons, his accuracy/turnover ratio has to improve. I have faith that it will but I can totally see JW putting it on his shoulders.
June 5th, 2017 at 10:36 am
@bucsfanman
while the games missed due to suspension hurt the team , they still played 12/15 games!!!!!!!! One was flying around on the field, healthy and making splash plays, the other was tired, hurt, and got benched!!!!
1 cheated to get better on the field, the other just wanted self gratification and did not care about the performance on the field!!!!!
Go BUCS!!!!!!!!!!!!
June 5th, 2017 at 11:29 am
under no circumstances can the bucs rely on martin. has proven that time and time again. he is unreliable. take the drugs out of the equation, he was completely unreliable before the drug bs. i’d rather see him panhandling or pushing a cart on hillsborough with the rest of the deadbeats than letting down the team again. rehab is a joke it does not work. look at the relapse rates. it’s just another money grab by healthcare facilities. with relapse rates so high it’s not rehab it’s expensive detox.
June 5th, 2017 at 11:37 am
“Look, Martin has an addiction, and good for him for seeking treatment. But the brutal truth is that treatment doesn’t guarantee Martin can magically stay off whatever substance and demon is haunting him.
Fighting whatever he is battling off the field may be more pressure than football.”
——————————–
Joe, this is the lowest you’ve stooped yet.
This is a Tom Jones level hit piece.
June 5th, 2017 at 11:45 am
AGAIN I have no bone to pick with Doug Martin. I’m not a big fan of his limited talent but do concede he had two good years.
But if you think this through it’s ABSOLUTELY better for the Bucs if McNichols works out and frees them to let Doug try and earn a living with a team that will give him a good chance.
If McNichols works out it’s far better for the Bucs….a starting RB at a rookie level contract…he’ll be really really cheap for awhile!!!
In addition he’s young and the future…Doug is getting near the end…better for the team if we find the solution to Doug this year and not next.
I hope Doug goes somewhere else and gets a thousand yards…won’t make a difference to us as long as McNichols and Quizz perform.
June 5th, 2017 at 11:49 am
Blake
Why is it a hit piece. LMAO One man’s hit is another guys compassion. I take Joe to mean on a very human level football is irrelevant compared to his health.
LITERALLY what Joe wrote is true. Martin has far more to lose to addiction than to no longer being able to play football. He’s already a millionaire and made his bones in the league. Before any of it can mean a thing though Doug needs to get healthy.
I think Joe and all of us are rooting FOR DOUG MARTIN. I want him to go somewhere regain his health and rush for 1,000 yards…I also want whats best for the Bucs which would be the success of McNichols not the return of Martin.
June 5th, 2017 at 11:55 am
So in the event that Martin does come back, is it a foregone conclusion that his contract gets reworked?
June 5th, 2017 at 12:16 pm
Doesn’t wanting to get better qualify as “self-gratification”? You can say “team”, but in the end it’s still selfish. There are ways to get better that don’t require cheating, says 90-95% of the league.
I don’t want to split hairs Realist. I simply do not view one as being better than the other. My opinion.
@Stpete- It would be ideal for McNichols to emerge. If he doesn’t this year, we have insurance in DM.
June 5th, 2017 at 1:37 pm
the bucs have seen a motivated doug martin before, and it was pretty great for the offense. They deem it worth seeing if they’ll see that doug again and there’s every reason to do so
Every year is now a contract year for doug, and once he gets cut for not playing up to this deal in Tampa he’ll never sniff more than $2.5 a year…how’s that for motivation?
June 5th, 2017 at 1:55 pm
A whole lot of people with a whole lot of assumptions being cast around here.
The fact is it’s a prove-it year for Martin, and we’ve seen him play exceptionally well in those years.
If no one else balls out weeks 1 -3, we will see Martin in a Bucs uniform week 4. Simple as that.