Doug Martin Gone
February 20th, 2018
Released.
The Muscle Hamster is no more.
Someone at One Buc Palace finally sobered up. The worst running back in the NFL the past two seasons has been waved goodbye. Martin, a 2012 first-round draft pick, will no longer drag down the Bucs offense.
Martin, truly a nice guy, simply just wasn’t getting the job done. Last year, and perhaps the previous season, the biggest problem with the offense of the Bucs was neither the bum throwing shoulder of America’s Quarterback, Pro Bowler Jameis Winston, nor his fumbles. It was the total one-dimensional offense the Bucs had because, for reasons unknown, Bucs coach Dirk Koetter banked on the 2015 Doug Martin to reappear as opposed to the Doug Martin that was the norm.
In Martin’s six-year NFL career, he had but two seasons of 1,000 yards rushing.
So at least on the surface this morning, it appears the Bucs will have a new name not currently on the roster as the bellcow back.
February 20th, 2018 at 11:29 am
Thank goodness.
February 20th, 2018 at 11:29 am
in other news – water still wet…. Moving on….
February 20th, 2018 at 11:30 am
There is a God.
February 20th, 2018 at 11:32 am
Ding dong the witch is dead! About time this idiotic franchise did something right
February 20th, 2018 at 11:32 am
Good riddance to the Muscle Shamster. He was overrated and under performed the majority of his career in Tampa Bay. It’s laughable people out there think he’s going to turn it on somewhere else and rush for 1000 yards again.
Having two DNP-CD’s (team suspensions) over the past two years, plus the league suspension, should tell you everything you need to know about the Muscle Shamster.
February 20th, 2018 at 11:35 am
Long overdue adios to Dork Martin. Put the hamster in a long dark tube and wave good bye.
February 20th, 2018 at 11:35 am
He will make a fine, 3rd string back somewhere.
February 20th, 2018 at 11:36 am
one year too late still.
But at least we all know that this seaosn players will have a new feeling named accountability !
February 20th, 2018 at 11:37 am
“Someone at One Buc Palace finally sobered up.” Now THAT is a good one. Pun intended or not Joes?
February 20th, 2018 at 11:38 am
Id be shocked if one of the Joes didn’t have a special podcast just to celebrate the move. Not a player losing his job. But the bucs for finally making the move
February 20th, 2018 at 11:39 am
Ok. Now get rid of Swaggy and get a GREAT trade for McCoy and my hopes will be slightly up for the upcoming season. I am sure there are some more mal-contents on the team. CLEAN HOUSE LICHT!
February 20th, 2018 at 11:39 am
“You don’t have Martin to kick around anymore, because, gentlemen, the hamster is off the wheel.”
February 20th, 2018 at 11:41 am
Nah. Joe takes no joy into this news. Joe always got along with Martin and Martin was always very good to Joe. Thing is, Joe has to set aside his personal feelings for players to look at the big picture and the greater good.
Despite what some may think, there is no dancing at JoeBucsFan headquarters this morning. A sigh of relief? Yeah. Nothing more. Page turned.
February 20th, 2018 at 11:41 am
Sadly
He should’ve been released a year ago
February 20th, 2018 at 11:42 am
The only way Dougie rushed for over 1000 yards is if he is playing the Bucs 7 times this year. THINK Adrian Peterson (Cardinals)…LMAO!
February 20th, 2018 at 11:42 am
Watch New England pick him up on the cheap…. super bowl champ
February 20th, 2018 at 11:43 am
Probably right. 🙁
February 20th, 2018 at 11:44 am
wake me when they release JW
February 20th, 2018 at 11:45 am
Another talk show host dominik failure!!!!!!
The Full and complete rebuild is almost there!!!!!!!!
Go Bucs!!!!!!!
February 20th, 2018 at 11:47 am
@Finalyzer34:
I’m with you. If the Bucs didn’t make this move then you would have to say even the Browns are smarter than the Bucs.
February 20th, 2018 at 11:47 am
Robert
Yeah that’ll be great. The next 20 years searching for another QB will be so fun to watch!
February 20th, 2018 at 11:51 am
So Barkley it is then…fun!
February 20th, 2018 at 11:52 am
Robert, if that’s the case, when you make up you wont even know what decade it is.
February 20th, 2018 at 11:53 am
Good Luck Dougie. I’m sure you will get another chance somewhere.
February 20th, 2018 at 11:55 am
Shame he couldn’t turn it around…. Excited to see what we end up doing at this position.
February 20th, 2018 at 11:56 am
Good Luck Doug! I’ll never forget that Raiders game!
February 20th, 2018 at 12:05 pm
And the axe begins to fall…
…hopefully, this is when things get interesting again.
February 20th, 2018 at 12:09 pm
And in other news … the Bucs’ OLine remains unchanged. Well, except that Pamphile & Evan Smith are both free agents.
@Joe … “Martin, truly a nice guy, simply just wasn’t getting the job done.” I’ve seen you label a number of players (and coaches) Joe as being ‘truly nice guys’. Martin was truly a nice guy. Hayes was also truly a nice guy. Out of curiosity, who’s next on the hit list? Hmmm, I seem to remember you describing Smitty as being ‘truly a nice guy’. Aren’t Pamphile & Evan Smith both ‘nice guys’ too? How about Sweezy?
February 20th, 2018 at 12:10 pm
Joe….update on cap space??
February 20th, 2018 at 12:15 pm
This move needed to happen, and I’m glad we’ll be moving in another direction, but I bear Martin no ill will. Good luck to you Doug, wherever you end up.
February 20th, 2018 at 12:16 pm
Jeagan1999
I think the bucs will now have $66 mil in cap space after the release of doug martin. Just my guess though
February 20th, 2018 at 12:17 pm
Quick question, how much cap was freed up?
February 20th, 2018 at 12:19 pm
Bonzai
$6.75 mil
February 20th, 2018 at 12:22 pm
Yeah, I just looked it up on spotrac. Good savings!
February 20th, 2018 at 12:22 pm
Yes yes yes! Never should have drafted him while we had blount on the damn roster in the first place.. Good riddance drug martin
February 20th, 2018 at 12:25 pm
Only question moving forward is, what will Joe blame an inefficient offense on moving forward?
a. Koetter’s playcalling
b. a subpar OL
c. Jameis’ inconsistency
my guess: a
February 20th, 2018 at 12:25 pm
Joe said:
Nah. Joe takes no joy into this news. Joe always got along with Martin and Martin was always very good to Joe. Thing is, Joe has to set aside his personal feelings for players to look at the big picture and the greater good.
Despite what some may think, there is no dancing at JoeBucsFan headquarters this morning. A sigh of relief? Yeah. Nothing more. Page turned.
————————————
Very professional response, Joe. If Doug were to read this, he would have to respect it and understand. It’s a shame that the Doug Martin of the two very successful seasons wasn’t ALWAYS that Doug Martin… remember that Raider game? Thanks for some good memories, Doug!
February 20th, 2018 at 12:26 pm
He should be forced to give back the money he stole last year.
Pathetic.
Good riddance.
February 20th, 2018 at 12:26 pm
This is interesting Since the end of the season, Tampa has signed multiple players.
Jeff Knox, ILB
Eric Nzeocha, OLB
Drew Ferris, LS
Austin Johnson, FB (was here last year)
Maurice Fleming, CB
Brad Seaton, T
Avery Young, T
Givens Price, T
Devin Lucien, WR
Jake Lampman, WR
All are futures, but I hadn’t heard anything about them.
February 20th, 2018 at 12:37 pm
a year too late but I aint complaining…..
so we’re definitely drafting a RB high this year….im all for guice in round2….or Michel round3
#NOEXCUSESIN2018!!!!!….GO BUCS!!!!
February 20th, 2018 at 12:47 pm
Big Martin fan. Enjoyed watching him while he was here except 2017. Not the greatest rusher ever drafted but about 5k yards wasn’t too bad.
His better years were a lot of fun.
February 20th, 2018 at 12:56 pm
He will probably go to the Patriots, win a super bowl and become mvp of it, lol
February 20th, 2018 at 12:59 pm
One year too late.
February 20th, 2018 at 1:03 pm
The only truth I gather from this blog is that our O-Line is the worst in the league…let’s see how long the next RB can last getting consistently piped behind the line of scrimmage!! CONTINUE TO BUILD A WALL ON BOTH SIDES OF THE LINE…
February 20th, 2018 at 1:05 pm
Thank you Front Office. We all knew it was coming. Good Luck on your life Martin.
February 20th, 2018 at 1:11 pm
He will go to another team and win a SB prolly
February 20th, 2018 at 1:12 pm
I’m sure “The Joe’s” will still find a way to complain about Martin on every podcast for the next month.
February 20th, 2018 at 1:17 pm
If this guy goes to NY and runs for 1200 yards…
February 20th, 2018 at 1:28 pm
Finally, I no longer have to read:
Doug Martin the worst ever, but truly a nice guy…
February 20th, 2018 at 1:31 pm
Wrong site.
February 20th, 2018 at 1:34 pm
Don’t be silly. There isn’t one article ever published on this site you had to read. You choose to read what you wish. Unless you have someone pointing a gun at your head.
February 20th, 2018 at 1:35 pm
This is good because it means that the team isn’t telling itself that it’s set at RB with him anymore. I don’t get the vitriol towards him because the team was the ones that put themselves in a position to have to rely on him when they knew they couldn’t. He was just doing his thing. It was the team’s job to see that his thing wasn’t good enough and have a plan to improve.
If it makes you all feel better to kick him on his way out the door, that’s on you and it’s up to you to deal with what that says about you as a person. I’m just glad that the team is set on improvement and not trying to convince themselves that they can make what we had work differently.
Interested to see what improvements this offseason brings, but it’ll be a long time before they get me to be excited about the team the way I was this past offseason. They’ve sheared this sheep for over a decade, but this offseason I was finally skinned.
February 20th, 2018 at 1:47 pm
When Stu(pid) Sternberg found out Doug Martin was making 6.75 mil and it could be saved by cutting him he immediately called the Glazers and demanded his release!
February 20th, 2018 at 2:46 pm
Finally …. but the damage done by sticking with him too long is going to be hard to recover from . Sadly this management team has put themselves in between a rock and a hard place . Only a ten win season will be acceptable next year . To much losing and ……. goodness words fail me ….?
February 20th, 2018 at 2:56 pm
Damn shame, he had some spectacular moments in red and pewter but this had to happen. Now we can bring in a new RB and try to become a balanced offense. Hope Martin lands somewhere and succeeds because despite his troubles I think he’s a good dude.
February 20th, 2018 at 3:07 pm
All of the Bucs problems are over now JOE!
February 20th, 2018 at 3:35 pm
@Joe
No gun, thank God! This is one of several sites I regularly visit for Buc stories, and while I don’t agree with much of what you write, I keep coming back because I want to. I would like to think that makes me a good “customer”.
But, “the worst ever, nice guy” refrain is old, worn, and unnecessary.
I am allowed to have opinions on your writing, am I not? Or is that being silly too?
February 20th, 2018 at 5:10 pm
Howard apologizes again for ever defending Martin and doubting Joe’s wisdom.
February 20th, 2018 at 7:30 pm
Sure lost the burst he showed earlier in his career as well as his ability to get yards after contact. I got the impression that he was one of those players that worked hard for his big contract and after he signed it the passion to be great was gone. Truly wasted an opportunity to be great through various off field decisions he made. Sad because he did have talent at one time.
February 21st, 2018 at 9:28 am
His going has been a long time coming.