Doug Martin embracing versatility for Tampa Bay Buccaneers
By Cory Buck
Doug Martin had a brutal sophomore year after tallying over 1,400 rushing yards as a rookie for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. One of the underrated aspects from that sparkling first year was Martin’s 49 receptions for 472 yards. He only managed 12 receptions in the following season, in which he played a mere six games. Now healthy once more, Martin is hoping to bring that versatility back to the Tampa offense.
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“From watching practice, you’ve seen Doug has caught the ball a lot better,’’ head coach Lovie Smith said per ESPN. “As I’ve said all along, Doug is a good football player.’’
Martin has worked overtime to improve his pass catching abilities and now it appears to have put him firmly back in the RB1 spot after his place was in doubt following the team’s third round selection of running back Charles Sims.
“Every day at practice during special teams, I had an assistant coach throw me balls and go through different situations and I’ve done a good job catching the ball,’’ Martin said. He also credited new offensive coordinator Jeff Tedford’s system for his renewed confidence.
“That’s another reason why I like Jeff Tedford’s play book because it has the running back running all types of routes out of the backfield,’’ Martin said. “It’s definitely going to help me as a player at my position and what I do. You have to be a versatile running back in the league. You can’t just run the ball. You have to be able to run the ball, pass block and catch the ball out of the backfield.’’
Martin and the Buccaneers will play their third preseason game on Saturday against the Buffalo Bills.