When Cutting 2-Time Pro Bowl Running Backs Makes Perfect Sense
SteemSports Presenter: @johnnypaycheck
SteemSports Editor: @theprophet0
2011… The Tampa Bay Buccaneers opponents outscore them by over 200 points and outrush them by over 1,000 yards on the season. They finish 4-12. Their feature back is LeGarrette Blunt.
2012… Enter Doug Martin… The Bucs finish the season +3 wins and outrush their opponents by +500 yards on the season after trading up to select Martin at the end of the First Round of the 2012 Draft.
I know that correlation is not causation. The Bucs also rushed the ball 50 more times AND improved their rush defense significantly that offseason and allowed 1200 fewer rushing yards in 2012. He only averaged 0.4 yards per carry more than his year earlier counterpart.
Stats are weird. I don’t mean to discount Doug Martin’s production… it was phenomenal… it was record breaking. Martin was electric in his rookie season… ripping off nearly 2,000 all-purpose yards and 12 TDs while tearing through rushing defenses for 4.6 yards per carry.
2013… A few weeks into the season, Martin suffered a torn labrum and was placed on season-ending injured reserve. To that point, he’d averaged an abysmal 3.6 YPC. Bucs finish 4-12 again.
2014… Martin, once again hampered by injury, averages 3.7 YPC and totals fewer than 500 yards rushing for the second year in a row. The Bucs finish 2-14.
This is a crossroads event. They’ve clearly tasted the potential of the still young athlete, but… What have you done for me lately? The Bucs decline to pick up the 5th year option on his rookie contract and roll the dice on Martin as a feature back again… and he goes HAM.
2015… 4.9 YPC… 1400 rushing yards… At 26, the Muscle Hamster showed that he was still capable of laying down elite numbers in a pro backfield. Bucs finish 6-10.
2016… In March, Martin signs a 5-year, $35.75 million contract extension… 9 months later, he is suspended 4 games for substance abuse, violating NFL policy. He averaged 2.9 YPC on 144 carries, totaling fewer than 500 yards yet again. Despite his absence, the Bucs finish 9-7.
2017… After serving his suspension, Martin returns to the field where he deals with injury again and averages 2.9 YPC yet again and totals 406 yards on 138 attempts… Career lows. February 20th, 2018, he is released. Bucs finish 5-11.
Even in the years that he was dominant, he was hardly MVP worthy on his team, let alone the league. In cutting Martin, the Bucs are rumored to save $6.75 million. Add to that the deluge of talented rookie backs entering the draft in April (something that has worked for Tampa Bay in the past,) and you can see why cutting Martin isn’t controversial. A true feast or famine player with behavioral red flags, Martin is (was?) a talented athlete, but at a position that gets younger and cheaper by the minute, $6.75 million can be much better spent in free agency.
Absolutely!!! The Bucs need to finally cut ties with Martin and move on. What they really need to do is plug some fresh beef into that OL. For any new back and Winston’s health.
They can do that in the first round of the draft by sliding down a little (teams anxious to get into the top heavy QB mix will want to deal) and grabbing Martin(best guard), Brown or McGlinchey(tackles) and an extra pick. From their spot in the second round (regardless of any trades) they will be in a great position to grab Derrius Guice (banger who’s perfect for Tampa), Nick Chubb or Ronald Jones. All of these guys would be an upgrade over the often injured and troubled Martin.
But unless that OL line is addressed...it won’t matter who they have in the backfield.
If they do decide to slide down....that extra pick could be used for an edge pass rusher or corner. Two more holes this team needs to fill. There will be some solid corners still available midway through the second round.
I know I got off the subject of RB. Just showing how this could be solved in the draft.
Guice is the perfect replacement for Martin. Check him out. : )
Love this... you're speaking my language! I wanted to dive into where to spend that money instead but it was too far away from my main topic, and I wanted to stay concise!
That's OK....I'd love to hear your ideas. That 7 mill (almost) can be used for a FA back. Which way are you leaning? Is there a RB you have on your radar?
I'm a Jets fan but always looking under the hood of the other teams in the league. : )
OH....And thanks for the upvote. Welcome to Steemit!
I honestly think I'd hunt a CB or a Pass Rusher with the surplus and aim for a Nick Chubb in the draft. My squad is Arizona, so I completely relate to looking under the hood of other teams. My LEAST favorite 'hood' of late is the Rams... I couldn't be less happy that they scored Marcus Peters from the Chiefs. AZ will be tracking QB and OL in the draft and will likely have a miss or two. The last thing they need 2 games a year is an Elite Ballhawk pressing half the field while a Rookie Passer bumbles around a poorly protected pocket.
Can't blame the Bucs at all, I think they made the right move. When it comes to football players, you don't always get what you pay for, huh? Reminds me of the Redskins and RG III. What a huge disappointment he turned out to be.
No doubt... and Martin was a much cheaper mistake than RG3 has been by far.