APEarlier this offseason, Buccaneers coach Greg Schiano said that he hoped the team’s first three draft picks would be starters as rookies.
Safety Mark Barron and linebacker Lavonte David have already gotten Schiano two-thirds of the way there and it looks like officially naming Doug Martin the starting running back is just a formality. Martin started on Friday night against the Patriots, gaining 53 yards on the ground and catching three passes in the latest illustration of the edge in versatility that he owns over LeGarrette Blount.
Schiano stopped short of stamping Martin as a starter after the game, but his comments left very little to the imagination about who will be on the field when the season kicks off two weeks from Sunday.
“That’s why he moved in and started the game; because he has shown me that much,” Schiano said, via Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. “And I don’t think he did anything (Friday) night that would say, ‘Oh, that wasn’t a good move.’ I thought he ran the ball well and did some things well. So right now, he’s got to continue on that course.”
Michael Smith, a seventh-round pick, also ran the ball well on Friday. If he continues on that course, Blount may find less playing time heading his way as the season unfolds.
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Offensive rookie of the year. You heard it here first
Go BSU. I always root for guys from boise becausee they never get any props because they said that its always an easy schedule or they one good opponent a year or whatever they say
I root for underdogs too but it’s not like BSU guys have done that well in the NFL.
“and catching three passes in the latest illustration of the edge in versatility that he owns over LeGarrette Blount.”
WOW, 3 catches at 4 yards per.
That’s really showing an edge in versatility over Blount considering Blount was averaging 9.9 yards a catch last year.
The only reason there is this “Blount can’t catch” idea out there is because the clowns who were previously working as Bucs coaches said so and refused to back up the claims, everytime I’ve seen him targetted during a game he’s no worse than the average back in the league, why is so much stock put in Morris and Olsons opinion when they proved they were beyond poor at their jobs?
It’s like the media has it in for Blount and want him to fail, they dredge up any old story they can whenever they can (like the year old “reports” from earlier this year about him being late for meeting, something that was already reported at the time so why the need to report again a year later?) and believe every little negative thing said about hm.
Michael Smith really intrigues me too. Has ridiculous speed for sure, hopefully he can develop into a Sproles-type back.
Tampa is a joke!