Will Martin be the next Buccaneer to fall short of his potential and promise?

[1sparkybuc]

I appreciate everyone's optimism, but a full eight games of Doug's rookie season was made up of some really mediocre rushing performances.  Martin played like an on/off switch in 2012; he was either one of the best backs in the league (Minnesota, at Atlanta, at Carolina, Oakland), or he struggled for every yard (Dallas, Denver, New York, St. Louis).

As a whole, his season was a blast to watch, and he showed some really special qualities for any runner -- much less a rookie missing the two best run blockers on his offensive line.  But, when you study the fine strokes, he was a bit too bipolar for my comfort.  I definitely hope we see a repeat performance in 2013, but with this team's history, I'm not going to commit to definitives on either side of the coin.

Bipolar as the team was.

No one on the team besides vj, or maybe barber were as consistant as hamster.

I don't have the memory recall for each and every game, but there were times when the Bucs were so far behind running the ball was not an option. Some teams defended him very well but I always thought he just didn't get enough opportunities. He has the ability to score at any distance against any team in the league. IMO he IS the best all around RB in Buccaneer history. My only concern is more about Schiano depending on him too much. Doug's numbers might suffer some in a rotation, but I'm sure it would extend his career several years. RBs really take a beating. I don't want to see him on IR.

On a side note, what a great young man Doug appears to be. He's just plain likable and very humble. The Bucs struck gold when they moved up to draft him.

[The Anti-Java]

I think after Dougie had a couple big games, defenses starting keying on him.  They were intent on stopping him and daring Freeman to beat them. And we all know how that turned out.

[JDouble]

As a rookie he averaged 125 yards per game....but people still aren't happy. He touched the ball 368 times with zero fumbles. (I know they said he fumbled once, but it wasn't a fumble. It was a TD.) He was an excellent blocker in pass protection, and a dependable receiver....but some people still aren't happy. He didn't have 100 yards rushing every single game....so he isn't really legit...haters gonna hate. Folks with common sense know Martin is the the real deal.

[The Anti-Java]

The best thing for Dougie,  is for #5 to have an outstanding season.  Hopefully it all comes together for him in 2013

[DEBUCSOWN]

Having Joseph & nicks healthy will only help him

[Hate]

Having Joseph & nicks healthy will only help him

If you listen to some on here, you'd be led to believe that Joseph is a liability. A notion that i don't buy for one second.

[lyronmewis]

Having Joseph & nicks healthy will only help him

If you listen to some on here, you'd be led to believe that Joseph is a liability. A notion that i don't buy for one second.

yeah I don't understand the hate either, he's overrated and his salary is a bit too high, but he's an above average player

[DEBUCSOWN]

Having Joseph & nicks healthy will only help him

If you listen to some on here, you'd be led to believe that Joseph is a liability. A notion that i don't buy for one second.

yeah I don't understand the hate either, he's overrated and his salary is a bit too high, but he's an above average player

Yeah he's above average for sure certainly not an all pro like nicks tho. They just both need to stay healthy

[jerseybucsfan]

The best thing for Dougie,  is for #5 to have an outstanding season.  Hopefully it all comes together for him in 2013

That and simply don't overuse him. If 5 is playing poorly, you might as well underuse 22 because all you're doing is wasting a good resource.

[jerseybucsfan]

As a rookie he averaged 125 yards per game....but people still aren't happy. He touched the ball 368 times with zero fumbles. (I know they said he fumbled once, but it wasn't a fumble. It was a TD.) He was an excellent blocker in pass protection, and a dependable receiver....but some people still aren't happy. He didn't have 100 yards rushing every single game....so he isn't really legit...haters gonna hate. Folks with common sense know Martin is the the real deal.

+1

[Dolorous Jason]

Only Chace is stupid enough to think Joseph is a liability.

[BucNY]

As a rookie he averaged 125 yards per game....but people still aren't happy. He touched the ball 368 times with zero fumbles. (I know they said he fumbled once, but it wasn't a fumble. It was a TD.) He was an excellent blocker in pass protection, and a dependable receiver....but some people still aren't happy. He didn't have 100 yards rushing every single game....so he isn't really legit...haters gonna hate. Folks with common sense know Martin is the the real deal.

Agreed. Some Tampa fans seem to be happier when the Bucs fail. Very confusing.

As far as I've seen, many of these guys who underachieved last year did much much better this year.

[JDouble]

I think Buc fans are still traumatized by Mike Clayton...and to some, Cadillac. And now Freeman appears to have pulled the same stunt to a degree. Now there is this concern that every great rookie we have will be a one year wonder. Now some folks rather just right off early success to luck or something, rather than give credit where it is due...so they don't look stupid later on if the guy does turn out to be a one year wonder. So many fans seem hesitant to show support because they are worried about looking foolish if the Bucs suck. Kinda sad.

[DEBUCSOWN]

As well as caddy did his rookie year martin did much better. Especially blocking & receiving. Even without their best 2 lineman

[JDouble]

Martin outplayed Cadillac's entire rookie year in his first 8 games. Not even close.