Doug Martin Talks Bad Arizona Memories
October 10th, 2017
Doug Martin with his hamstring wrapped in Arizona last season
Hopefully, most Bucs fans have erased last year’s trip to Arizona from their memories.
The Bucs got buried and America’s Quarterback, Jameis Winston, was left on the field in the fourth quarter to take a needless beating.
What a hot mess, as the Bucs fell 40-7.
Joe still has strong recall, however. Perhaps it was the Phoenix bar Joe was in where drunken 30-something women were riding a mechanical bull, or the Bucs assistant coach Joe ran into at the bar down the street, or maybe it was the evil taxi driver who intentionally dropped Joe off at the wrong side of the stadium.
For Doug Martin, last September’s Arizona trip marked a downward spiral to his career.
“I tweaked my hamstring and that set off a whole chain of stuff,” Martin told the Buccaneers Radio Network. “Yeah, definitely, I’d definitely like to [go back] have a good game.
“Definitely that game left a grain of salt in everybody’s mouth here. Because it definitely was a game we lost control of. So to go back there and play a great game and leave with a W would be awesome.”
Robert Ayers also was lost in Arizona last season with an ankle injury, a crushing blow at the time.
It’s a new year now. And last season should be irrelevant. The Cardinals (2-3) are a bad team missing it’s top weapon, running back David Johnson. The Bucs need to start fast, use their weapons, take the crowd out of the game and keep pace in the NFC South.
October 10th, 2017 at 8:49 am
We know the are gonna bring the heat on blitzes so our WRs have to win matchups.. D-Jax should have several 1-1 chances to get deep balls.. Lets hope Hargreaves isnt covering John Brown 1-1.
October 10th, 2017 at 9:32 am
This could say something if the Bucs go in and take care of business. A road win to kick off the 2nd quarter and if the offense gets clicking, the confidence of this team could put them where they need to be, it needs to be a confident win.
October 10th, 2017 at 9:48 am
There’s a lot more to last year’s 40-7 loss than simply ‘our defense played poorly’. Lest folks forget, our offense screwed the pooch in that game. Jameis had 4 INTs plus a fumble … 5 turnovers against the Bucs vs none for the Cards. Bucs gameplan was questionable (as was the play-calling). Jameis threw the ball 52 times, and 11 of those went deep … with only 1 completed. ME13 was credited with being targeted 18 times … he caught 6 of those (only 1 deep). Bucs abandoned the run fairly early, I guess because of falling so far behind by halftime & Martin tweaking his hamstring. And yet our run game was fairly effective inside (21 rushes for 85 yds … the outside stuff wasn’t very effective at all). Jameis’ short passes were also pretty decent … 26-for-38 (68%). Certainly a tough loss, but we mostly did it to ourselves. We can beat the Cards this year I’m convinced, but not if we repeat last year’s faux pas.
October 10th, 2017 at 9:53 am
I was there last year and I will be there Sunday
October 10th, 2017 at 10:57 am
So how is it that the Bucs have to go to Phoenix 2 years in a row when last week’s game was the FIRST time Tom Brady visited Tampa in 17 NFL years?
Bucs last “home game” against the Pats was in England. NFC teams only play AFC teams once every four years.–Joe
October 10th, 2017 at 11:14 am
So Joe I always wonder why the Bucs had to travel to Philly in 2003 after winning the Super Bowl. It would have seen normal for the Champions to host the game not to travel.
But what I loved the most was winning the last game on their old stadium and winning the first game played at their new stadium.
karma baby karma!…. you will never cheat karma.
October 10th, 2017 at 11:33 am
Not so sure that AZ should be labeled a “bad” team. Palmer is brittle and getting old – but he’s still a very good QB when healthy. Lots of talent on that team and they have a good coaching staff.
We have talent and a good coaching staff too.
Go Bucs! Lets have a GREAT week of practice – then go to Phoenix and kick some Cardinal ass!!
October 10th, 2017 at 12:16 pm
I have NOT gotten over that game, for two reasons.
Not only was I there, but my wife and I, along with other Bucs fans we saw, got a good scare coming back to the runway at TPA on Monday evening after that game. The the pilot couldn’t get the left main landing gear down so we did the whole “Brace! Brace! Brace!” deal after circling for 35 minutes as we heard the pilot recycle the gear four times, seeing a helicopter shine lights on the belly to see what we had, etc. I am a retired Air Force pilot and knew immediately we had a problem just by hearing the gear the first time. And no kidding, my thinking was “First the loss, now this” as my wife said “I don’t want to go on these trips anymore” as I thought…that may not be the issue here anymore.
So that ended a perfect freaking trip…first the blowout, and now that!
Fast forward a year to going up the Vikings game two weeks ago. Another blowout. But at least we landed just fine. But in the last three years, I’m 0-5 on the road. Maybe it’s me.
For the record, I won’t be at any more away games this year…hopefully we win some games.
October 10th, 2017 at 12:25 pm
Oh yeah, and like Joe, we got dropped off on the wrong side of the stadium, and that is one that you can’t get anywhere near…do we probably walked two miles to get to a place where we could get into the area.
And then there is embarrassment. I’m in the elevator at the Bucs hotel and this lady looks vaguely familiar to me. I couldn’t place her. She asked “Are you here especially for the game?” I said “Yes “Ma’am…it’s a religious rite for me.” So then I asked, “How about you? Are you with the Bucs.” She said “Yes.”
It was Darcie Glazer-Kassewitz. Oops!
October 10th, 2017 at 12:57 pm
Yeah Joe it was last season and it should be irrevelant but it isn’t by a long shot. Palmer needs to be made to eat dirt. That is how to beat the cardinals.
VH3 needs a correction and I hope he has gotten it this week before the game, he could blow it for us or maybe possibly he could ball out.
Hopefully we can use our linebackers to get some sacs/pressures
Jameis needs to avoid Patrick Petersen
Our team was hammered last year in Az, we must beat them with every stick we have!!!!!!!!!!!!!
October 10th, 2017 at 1:18 pm
last years game in ARZ was brutal…..
note to DIRK:
IF MARTIN IS RUNNING LIKE HE DID VS. THE PATS, PLEASE CONTINUE TO RUN THE BALL….
matter of fact, it really doesn’t matter….just continue to run the ball…GO BUCS!!!
October 10th, 2017 at 3:05 pm
@813- I agree. If it’s working don’t out-think yourself. Take what the D gives you and bludgeon them with it. It’s about winning.
October 10th, 2017 at 3:40 pm
The Bucs need to exorcise the AZ game from ’16 before moving forward. It’s stuck in their memory banks and the memory banks of their fans.
October 10th, 2017 at 9:06 pm
@Roy T. Buford. I, too, was at the Cards game and was on the same American Airlines flight coming home. I vowed to never let a football game ruin my day again!!! That lasted one week because we then screwed the pooch in the worst way against the Rams!! But you, sir, need never equate your presence to a Bucs loss. I love our Bucs, but they have invented new ways to lose (see last Thursday) and their losses (while our losses) are not because of our support by being there. This week should erase last year’s beatdown and cleanse our team for the run that is about occur. If we stay healthy, we are gonna be the team no one wants to face down the stretch. GO BUCS!!