Booger Says Doug Martin Is Struggling
September 24th, 2012_t607.JPG)
Anthony McFarland, the man known as “Booger” who patrolled the Bucs’ defensive line alongside Warren Sapp when Tampa Bay won the Super Bowl, says Doug Martin looks like a rookie on the field and his game needs work.
Speaking on The Todd and Booger Show on 98.7 FM today, Booger said game film reveals Martin is lacking patience and vision.
“He’s missing a lot of cutback runs and he’s not letting his blocking develop,” Booger said of Martin.
Martin, as Joe noted yesterday, is averaging 3.4 yards per carry over 63 attempts. Something isn’t working. And while Joe can’t say with certainty that Booger is on the money with his assessment, it doesn’t surprise Joe to learn that a true expert sees that Martin needs polishing.
Not every back can burst onto the scene as a rookie and run for 1,007 yards on 201 carries in 13 games behind a patchwork offensive line. Those guys are rare and very special.
September 24th, 2012 at 4:14 pm
Well played Joe!!
September 24th, 2012 at 4:17 pm
+1
September 24th, 2012 at 4:18 pm
It’s not just Martin! It’s Martin, the use or non-use of Blount, the absence of Smith, the use of the FB in offensive sets, the addition of Nicks, et al. The whole run game in general is not working. I honestly thought this would be a strong point going into the season.
September 24th, 2012 at 4:21 pm
Touche’ Joe. Checkmate lol.
September 24th, 2012 at 4:22 pm
I disagree and the defenses stacking the box may disagree as well.
September 24th, 2012 at 4:24 pm
WE need to unshackle the offense and unshackle Blount..
September 24th, 2012 at 4:25 pm
Blount did that! Wait! That was who you were referring to. Get a clue Coach Kneeldown!!!!
September 24th, 2012 at 4:28 pm
I commented to everyone when we drafted martin that i was worried about him because when i went back and looked at his runs at Boise NOT ONE OF HIS GREAT RUNS CAME FROM IN BETWEEN THE TACKLES, which led me to believe that he struggles when it comes to inside runs, which i then got ridiculed from almost all the commenters saying i was wrong. well look who ended up being right. go back and look at the film and you will see that almost all of his runs in college came from tosses, sweeps, and even pitches. in the long run i was ended up proven right all along.
September 24th, 2012 at 4:29 pm
I truly believe Schiano is too stubborn at admit that his evaluation of Blount was wrong. Blount has proven to be an effective back, yet Schiano and Dom must make themselves look smart by any means necessary. Darn it anyway Martin will rush for 1,000 yards his rookie season, even if Blount could’ve ran for 1,250 behind the same line and scheme.
September 24th, 2012 at 4:33 pm
“He’s missing a lot of cutback runs and he’s not letting his blocking develop,” Booger said of Martin.
I have to disagree with that. You can only have one or the other to judge on martin. If your going to say his not leting the blocking develop which I think he is speaking about the O-ling play than were is the cutback line.
September 24th, 2012 at 4:35 pm
but in the end i believe he will end up being a good running back. he will be a similar running back to Matt Forte. a jack of all trades. Now, whether you believe Forte is an elite running back or not is debatable, but my point is in the mean time wen need to use Blount to gauge the d up the gut. we got 1 guy who is a good outsider runner and we got 1 guy who is a good insider runner. use them both.
September 24th, 2012 at 4:41 pm
Love that last paragraph Joe. I just wondering who you referencing in those couple of lines…..somehow I get the feeling he wears and 2 and a 7 on the front of his jersey.
September 24th, 2012 at 4:42 pm
you cant pin this on martin, how can any back run when every defense know come first and more than likely second down we will be running. as bucsfanjeff said if the defense stacks the box knowing the run is coming and the run still comes maybe we have the wrong leaders in place.
September 24th, 2012 at 4:43 pm
Joe:
I’ve agreed with you since day one regarding Blount. martin is struggling.
Just can’t understand the coaching right now.
September 24th, 2012 at 4:50 pm
“Not every back can burst onto the scene as a rookie and run for 1,007 yards on 201 carries in 13 games behind a patchwork offensive line. Those guys are rare and very special.”
Did Blount pee in coach’s cornflakes or what?
Having Blount on the field will open up the play action regardless if he touches the ball. You know those safeties are peaking in the backfield a little longer when he is in there. I just find it hard to believe the coaching staff is still trying to find a way to use him in the offense. I think any other coaching staff would be drooling to give the guy the rock.
September 24th, 2012 at 4:51 pm
Maybe we start the game with 27 next week. Try to wear down the D and then utilize Martin! Maybe all the critical articles from the local media will firce the coaching staff to make a change! A fan can hope…..
September 24th, 2012 at 4:51 pm
*force
September 24th, 2012 at 4:52 pm
Ha! Good one Joe. Well played.
Im not sure Martin has the tools to be “elite” but he could be solid, a move the chains kind of guy. Running backs are sorta are who they are, so many have burst on the scene right away, because the position is so instinctually oriented.
But, our line may not be putting him in a position to be all he can be. The highest paid line in the league needs to step it up several notches. Where are the big holes Nicks was gonna be opening up?
September 24th, 2012 at 4:55 pm
i hope Schiano is right though and he can be that ray rice kind of player. HOW AWESOME WOULD THAT BE. as of right not i just dont see it. but who knows if he works really hard at his craft he could get to that point.
September 24th, 2012 at 4:57 pm
Andrew, I feel the same way about Martin. He eventually will be a good back in this league IMO. To say Blount is any better? I don’t know…but he is a different style of back. What makes a coach great is being able to utilyze the talent on your team to it’s fullest. They have not. It almost looks at times like players are over coached, to a point they don’t even look natural. Ex: Freeman and Martin and McCoy (until this game) etc. These players are the <1% and you have to coach their natural ability. If you don't have that as a player I don't care how much you study the playbook, live in the weightroom or practice you never get here.
September 24th, 2012 at 4:59 pm
He is stuggling . ALso he is probaly tired and he is not going to have a long carrer with all the carries Schinoa is given him He needs spelled this team reminds me so much of a Tressel coached team. Not wanting to win the game but keep close
September 24th, 2012 at 5:12 pm
I still say it falls on the lack of creativity in the running game, as Carlson said earlier. No offense to Booger, but I side with Carlson on this one. The lack of running game falls squarely on Sullivan. It doesn’t matter who is the RB, they aren’t going to be successful running the same play over and over.
September 24th, 2012 at 5:33 pm
My take is we don’t know, but history may have shown that if you give LGB that many carries as Martin has had I could see this team at 3-0 with LGB being in the top five rushing and a fantasy steal
September 24th, 2012 at 5:48 pm
Chuck Darby would have something to say about how Booger patrolled the defensive line in 2002, probably that he didnt, he was on IR.
September 24th, 2012 at 5:52 pm
What scares me a bit is Schiano is hesitant to call the offense bad and conservative. Thats what it was plain and simple. It can definitely improve but on sunday it was terrible.
He says if they had of won people would have said it was Bucs Ball. Yeah Buccaneers have a history of lack luster offenses and stout defenses but we have too many good players on offense to be that terrible. As Belechick said last night in his presser “you put the offense on the field to move the ball and put points up”. I hope Schiano understands this basic principle. Sloppy, stale, conservative offense will not win you games no matter how great your defense is. Open it up and attempt to score or continue to lose.
September 24th, 2012 at 6:04 pm
Hey geniuses…he’s still avg the same as Trent Richardson per carry so I guess they both suck huh? Give him time. Most of all give him a little bit more creative offensive scheme where the defense doesn’t know he’s going to run it every first down. I’m amazed he has the yards he has.
September 24th, 2012 at 6:09 pm
Good one Joe!
I can’t for the life of me figure this one out. If Blount did something so terrible, it would have certainly leaked out by now. Whatever reason, they aren’t playing him and it makes no sense at all.
Also, I m not saying Martin is a bad running back… For all we know, he’s executing the play exactly as he is told. Currently, the only metric we have to evaluate him is the same exact play over and over again. I d like to see a few different plays 60 + times or so before I jump to any conclusions. 😀
September 24th, 2012 at 6:20 pm
I’ve re- watched the games a couple of times, paused, rewound and watched several running plays over and over. This million dollar O-Line is not making a lot of holes to run through. His lone NFL TD was a spin out to the opposite side because there was no hole. Once he gets a little space he makes the most of it. May be Joseph’s absence has had more impact than meets the eye, but I’m not seeing the road grading I expected!
September 24th, 2012 at 6:53 pm
That’s exactly what I see when I rewatch the game too Macabee. There’s just nothing there, not even a crease. He ends up having to put his head down and fall forward for 3 or 4 yards, which in itself is pretty impressive. A taller back like Blount won’t be able to do that. Blount is probably a bigger homerun threat because of his size and power, but he is not going to be able to get that tough yardage. That’s why the two of them would be perfect together, IF we could open up some holes, or if we would actually run the ball outside every now and then. Until we do that, Barry Sanders wouldn’t be able to get anywhere.
September 24th, 2012 at 6:56 pm
Andrew , I really liked Martin before the draft & talked him up in a couple places. Having said that, I never considered that he was more than a third or fourth rounder, in a pretty deep draft for HBs (not that I am any expert). I was pretty surprised when the Bucs dealt up to take him in the first. But, there is a lot of ball left to play.
September 24th, 2012 at 7:16 pm
Way to many complainers out there. So we played our first three games against projected playoff teams and went 1-2 with a point dif of -7. If anyone would’ve predicted that before the season they would’ve been laughed off the message board. We weren’t seamless in Dungy’s first year. It took until like week 10 until we started to put it together. Our defense just shut down Carolina and Dallas! We had a bad defensive game against DEFENDING SUPER BOWL CHAMPIONS, and the offense kept us in it and we only lost by 7 points. Give the team time and let it all come together. Those of you bashing Schiano, Freeman, and the rest of the team need to get a life. If you are truly from Tampa, then that is why fannation looks down on us. If this is who we are I am truly ashamed of ourselves.
September 24th, 2012 at 7:19 pm
Martin’s problem is he always hits the hole too hard. Which is a great thing in short yardage situations but he never Not once lets his blocks develop. Like on the screen pass that he only got 9 he out ran his blockers and went striaght into a defender. I do not like it when Rbs dance but you shouldn’t go full speed into the arms of a defender EACH TIME sometime he needs to try and find a better option.
September 24th, 2012 at 7:25 pm
I agree with that assessment Gavster. There were a couple opportunities yesterday where he could have possibly cut back and picked up some yardage. I think that will develop for him as he gains experience in the NFL. He certainly has the quickness and speed to make those type runs, whereas many RB’s don’t. It’s funny we have one back who hits the hole too hard, and another who doesn’t hit it hard enough.
September 24th, 2012 at 8:24 pm
This interview doesn’t sound like someone with attitude problems.
“At the end of the day, if they tell me to go in, I’m going to be ready,” said Blount, the team’s leading rusher in each of the past two seasons. “I might not play as much, but I stand there and listen and do everything that everybody else does. My time will come. And I’ll be ready.”
Schiano “coaches by (doing) what he thinks is going to work at that time,” Blount said, “and if he feels like it’s not my time to play or I’m not able to help the team at that point, what happened these last couple of weeks is going to continue to happen.”
September 24th, 2012 at 9:00 pm
I left my feelings out there on 620 today when I asked Nicks what he thought. We need a true two back system to succeed IMO. I personally am not impressed with Ware either.
September 24th, 2012 at 10:15 pm
@Mike J….you’re right, your not an expert. All the experts had Martin ranked the #2 RB in the draft.
September 24th, 2012 at 11:39 pm
Super bowl winning coaches are even rarer….
September 25th, 2012 at 12:44 am
I think Martin will b fine. However, we all bashed Greg Olsen for the under utilization of Blount. We have 2 start questioning Sully and Schiano for the same crime. I know they drafted “their guy”, but Blount should b getting double digit touches. We r gonna end up losing him in FA, then watch him rush for 1400+ yds on another team.
September 25th, 2012 at 1:11 am
“There were a couple opportunities yesterday where he could have possibly cut back and picked up some yardage. I think that will develop for him as he gains experience in the NFL.”
I’m sorry, but that’s not something that RB’s wait until they are in the NFL to develop. That’s called instincts and field vision, and if a RB doesn’t have that by the time he’s in the NFL he’ll probably never have it.
I called this after the very first game, Martin either has very little patience or someone on the coaching staff is telling him to just get what is readily available and that’s good enough. I don’t blame it all on Martin, there’s only so much wiggle room on straight up the gut iso’s with a fullback clogging the hole constantly. Lorig works his ass off, but there’s no reason for him to be in the game on nearly every offensive snap. Our personnel groupings and formations are awful, we never spread the defense out with three and four WR’s and run the ball.
I can only base Martin’s skills off of what I’ve seen so far, but what I’ve seen is a guy that should really only be used outside the tackles. He should be getting 5 or 6 targets a game in the passing game and probably 5-10 carries. He’s a 3rd down back right now, which there’s nothing wrong with that, besides the fact that we used a 1st round pick on him.
I don’t think I can make it through another game of Martin up the gut and Blount with a baseball cap on his head standing on the sideline.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TClRXTk4Yio It does not take a rocket scientist to figure out who should be getting the early work in this offense.
September 25th, 2012 at 1:29 am
LB’s and DB’s across the NFL thank God every night before they go to bed that our staff is too stubborn to let Blount have 25 carries a game.
You give Blount most of Martin’s 1st and 2nd down carries so far this season and I would almost guarantee you that we would be 3-0 and Freeman would be killing defenses with play action.
September 25th, 2012 at 7:45 am
I’ve seen no lanes to be missed. It’s either charge ahead and get 3 or 4 yards….or dance in the backfield and take a loss. Our lack of a pass game combined with unimaginative play calling is why Martin has 3.4 yards per carry.
September 25th, 2012 at 7:36 pm
Dancing in the backfield is why Blount isn’t getting the carries. When he starts to consistently hit the line quick and hard he’ll get the rock more. Also, when he learns how to block. With Martin they don’t know whether it’s pass or run. With Blount in they have to guess run because they know he wouldn’t be in on a passing down. Martin isn’t just better than Blount, he’s MUCH better. You have to be a complete moron to believe that Schiano is being stubborn by not playing Blount. This guy will kick a player to the curb quicker than any coach I’ve ever seen for screwing up and replace him with another so why would he not play Blount if Blount were the better back? I guess the entire coaching staff are idiots and once again you’re the geniuses….’sigh’. Everybody is a coach on Monday….
September 25th, 2012 at 9:49 pm
@ Bobby
Is that how you felt about Blount the two years previous to this when he was running wild? I’m still curious to find out when exactly Blount went from being one of the most promising young running backs in the NFL to a washed up pile of crap. Oh, and that combination of Blount handling 1st and 2nd downs and Caddy Williams taking care of 3rd downs really had a negative effect on Freeman in 2010 didn’t it? Pffft, give me a break.
September 26th, 2012 at 9:03 am
I was thinking about following this team, but this fan base is a bunch of whiney bitches. You folks from Tampa are just like the ones from San Diego. Whine whine whine. When you actually fill the stands and support your team, then tell me something. Appreciate that you aren’t from Dallas, unable to afford tickets to a stadium that you don’t want to be in anyway because it’s full of turned up corporate noses, princess players and Jerry “Moron” Jones. Get behind your team and support the change. Your team sure as hell needed it.