Less Carries, Maybe Longer Career For Martin
June 5th, 2014
Joe has zero complaints about wanting to extend the career of Doug Martin with fewer carries.
Joe can just hear the whining now. Come the end of September, many Bucs fans will be irate with Bucs offensive coordinator Jeff Tedford. And it will have nothing to do with whatever record the Bucs may have.
No, these fans will be looking for their pitchforks because running back Doug Martin will have fewer carries. This will outrage a number of Bucs fans because it hurts their fantasy teams.
Why is Joe so sure of the pending outcries? Because one of the few things Tedford said this week when he met with the local pen and mic club was that it is almost a certain bet Martin will be on a pitch-count of sorts.
“I don’t believe that one back can carry the load,” Tedford said. “It’s just too physical. I think you need to have two to three guys that bring different things to the table. But I think you need to at least have two to be able to spell them here and there and keep them healthy. That’s the goal, to try to create some depth where there’s not a drop off.”
Joe just thinks this is damned smart. Pretty sure we can all agree that Martin is a good running back, no? Therefore, why run the guy into the ground and only have him around for three or four years when you can lighten the load and have him around, who knows, maybe eight years?
Meanwhile, the other running backs that you are using also wear less tread on the tires, extending their careers and capabilities. Joe doesn’t see the problem here.
Then again, Joe’s fantasies have nothing to do with football.
June 5th, 2014 at 4:34 pm
No problem with any of that….as long as backs can do anything, there is no telegraphing plays!!!
June 5th, 2014 at 4:44 pm
According to Schiano and his brilliant staff of 110 coaches running Martin into the ground was the best thing to do.
Idiot.
June 5th, 2014 at 4:46 pm
As long as there isn’t much of a talent drop-off between those backs and that we don’t tip off the defense to what kind of play we will run when we switch to a certain back – I totally agree!
June 5th, 2014 at 4:59 pm
Tedford is all knowing!
June 5th, 2014 at 5:02 pm
What Schiano did to Martin was pale compared to what Chucky did to Caddy.
June 5th, 2014 at 5:07 pm
Then don’t be dumb Bucs fans. Rule no.1 in fantasy sports. Don’t be a homer. Always draft away from yourself. It’s like using a knife.
If you’re going to draft a RB in the first take backs who have no help. The APs, Charles’, McCoys of the world. Not the Martins. He’s AT BEST a mid level no.2
June 5th, 2014 at 5:15 pm
I LOVE playing fantasy football every year. Just makes the season that much more interesting. Sometimes I get into it to where I get MAD when things don’t go my way. Whatever, I like the idea of a two back set. Usually when there is a full time committee one of the back is getting the majority of the carries while the other is catching passes with some changing it up every now and then to throw off the defense. Ill take my team winning over for FF team any day.
June 5th, 2014 at 5:24 pm
May I say that I completely understand why Joe’s fantasies are not related to football. Neither are mine!!!
June 5th, 2014 at 5:28 pm
Fantasy football might as well be ginger football since you don’t have a soul if you care about it. I play but I will never find any relief if the Bucs are playing and an opposing player is on my team. I want that player to put up a zero. I hate being at the game and seeing people around me paying more attention to stats around the league than the team they came to see. Check that crap when you get home it’s not like you can make any adjustments anyways.
June 5th, 2014 at 5:36 pm
Every morning when I arise, the first thing I do is worry about someone’s fantasy team.
June 5th, 2014 at 5:45 pm
Last year the jets said they were going to key on Martin as their defensive game plan. I’m not exactly sure of the the numbers, but at the end of the third quarter he had something like 15 yards on 20 carries, but shiano kept giving him the ball. I kept asking myself, why is the coach trying to end this kids career.
June 5th, 2014 at 6:06 pm
Spreading the carries around between backs makes good sense with the new upbeat and varied offense that we have in store for doubting defenses. The points scored by the Bucs will go up, and that’s no fantasy.
June 5th, 2014 at 6:12 pm
As a fan, I agree with this. I remember Cadillac Williams and wouldn’t want to see that again. But If I were Doug, I might not be so enthralled with the idea. Fewer carries probably means fewer yards. Fewer yards makes it hard to make all pro and the pro bowl. Not getting those year-end accolades could lessen the value of my next contract or the team picking up my 5th year option.
On the other hand, it means longer NFL life span. But is there any empirical data out there that says when a RB reaches 30 that fresher legs prolongs an NFL career? I don’t know.
I’ll let Doug decide! May be the best thing that could have happened for him, but then again………like I said I don’t know!
June 5th, 2014 at 6:51 pm
Smart
June 5th, 2014 at 6:52 pm
Tedford coached Marshawn Lynch in College, so I imagine he might know a thing or 2 about running backs.
I think Tampa is gonna blow some minds this year, and make the playoffs.
We are blessed to have so many good running backs on our roster.
June 5th, 2014 at 7:05 pm
I prefer real football to fantasty. Let’s do what is right for keeping Doug around and productive for as long as possible. Sounds like Tedford is being smart.
June 5th, 2014 at 7:36 pm
Because nobody, anywhere, ever has been able to play fantasy football and still be an intelligent football fan.
Always so curious why so much hate and so many insults are slung at bucs fans here for “whining” or being football retards who couldn’t fathom the most simple of concepts.
June 5th, 2014 at 7:39 pm
It’s not like Schiano is the only head coach that ever believed in a bell cow back. In fact, most of you fans wanted that in Martin before he got hurt.
You are all stating how wrong it was, using Tedford as an example…but we don’t really know if Tedfords will do a good job yet.
Even if he does, it doesn’t mean Schiano was wrong. It means the offensive line that was forced on him was not as good at run blocking as advertised.
I think some of you are determined to blame all things bad on Schiano. He was a defensive head coach. I think you should focus the offensive woes on Sullivan…the forgotten name.
Schiano was defensive minded, and guess what? The defense actually did get better.
June 5th, 2014 at 7:44 pm
I’ll never forgive a Giants fan friend of mine for telling me all the great things we had to look forward to with Sullivan as OC, what a bum
June 5th, 2014 at 9:01 pm
Here’s a problem with this line of thought. Say the Bucs only get Martin 200 touches (some combination of carries and catches) a year for the next two years, and he averages over 1000 all purpose yards per season (5yds per touch), when it comes time to resign him, there will likely be at least half a dozen teams ready to pay him like a bell cow back, and the Bucs will likely not want to commit those types of resources to a single running back, so he’ll only be around for a couple more years anyways.
I do like the idea of quality depth, but saving him to extend his career, while sounding nice, doesn’t necessarily mean his career with the Bucs.
June 5th, 2014 at 9:26 pm
I’m all for that, except if they get in the playoffs it might be best he is the bell cow.
June 5th, 2014 at 9:27 pm
Depends on how he is used. 2 scenarios go thru my head. 1) Martin is used on 1st and 2nd down then replaced with 3rd down back Sims, def now thinks pass. That’s why I always preferred martin to stay in ALL 3 downs. 2) martin plays 1-3 series, then replaced for 1-2 series, and neither Rb gets into a rhythm. Martin has played 1.5 yrs. Feed him the ball, feed him the ball again and keep giving it to him while our defense help us get lead. Then replace him later in the game with a fresh pair or legs(sims)
June 5th, 2014 at 9:59 pm
@ Dewey Selmon
That might actually work in our favor. If defenses see Sims in the game and go into nickel thinking pass, we can fool them by hitting them with the run on say 3rd and 4 or less. They’ll eventually catch on, but it might be good for a couple of conversions. Make no mistake about it, Sims is a very capable runner. Its a misnomer to think he is only a good receiver.
June 5th, 2014 at 10:12 pm
“T in Orlando Says:
June 5th, 2014 at 9:01 pm
Here’s a problem with this line of thought. Say the Bucs only get Martin 200 touches (some combination of carries and catches) a year for the next two years, and he averages over 1000 all purpose yards per season (5yds per touch), when it comes time to resign him, there will likely be at least half a dozen teams ready to pay him like a bell cow back, and the Bucs will likely not want to commit those types of resources to a single running back, so he’ll only be around for a couple more years anyways.
I do like the idea of quality depth, but saving him to extend his career, while sounding nice, doesn’t necessarily mean his career with the Bucs.”
Signed no free agent rb from this free agency or anybody that’s pays attention. Where have you been dude,backs aren’t being paid top dollar and teams aren’t using their top picks on them anymore,hell, AP may be taking a pay cut here soon I read not too long ago
June 5th, 2014 at 10:46 pm
Personally I think the bucs have big plans for Sims. Not only that, but I think they were targeting Sims all along and felt like they couldn’t wait any longer than the 3rd round. These are just theories of course, but you dont take a RB in the 3rd round with the RB position becoming this devalued, while already having a very good RB on the roster, unless you think that highly of said RB. I think they will ease him in slowly this season, but after this season… he is going to be a huge part of this team. I dont know what that means for Martin, but hopefully he’s going to stick around.
June 6th, 2014 at 1:02 am
Andrew 1 you are on the right track, but I predict Sims will out gain Martin this year and be our best back! Sims can take it all the way on any carry; Martin can’t. Sims is bigger than Martin and more durable and has better hands and is a better blocker! His only downside at W.Va. was his upright running style but our RB Coach has already corrected that, which will result in greater yards between the Tackles! Those who follow PR know I was critical of Schiano his first year for running Martin in the ground while his proven 1000 yard back rotted on the bench–possibly so he could justify making a gift to his Buddy in New England who promoted his hire to the Glazers in the first place. His failure to rotate his backs wore out Martin’s legs so bad his lower yardage the second half of that firrst year cost him any chance of the playoffs. Tedford isn’t stupid like Schiano, thank goodness, and will give us the best Bucs Offense this year!!!
June 6th, 2014 at 5:42 am
As John McKay once replied when questioned about his impressive stable of running backs at USC carrying the ball so many times. “It ain’t heavy.” I’ve always been a believer in utilizing as many players as possible since each does bring a little something different to the mix. Plus, I think it fosters team spirit when more are contributing and actually needing a shower after the game.