Buccaneers head coach says Doug Martin is the lead back right now
Yesterday the Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Lovie Smith announced that Doug Martin will be his featured back. Martin ran the ball 319 times for 1,454 yards and 11 touchdowns as a rookie in 2012, but injuries and ineffectiveness have limited him to just 261 carries over the last two seasons, but Lovie feels confident in the former Boise State runner.
“Definitely a key for us,” Lovie Smith said, via the Tampa Bay Times. “We talked about being able to establish the run. Doug will be the lead guy doing that, so it’s very important that we open up some holes and let him do his thing. I don’t know about 2012 and, last year, none of us performed the way we needed to. I just know Doug has been great through the offseason program. Seems like he is running hard out there right now. No complaints. Again, he, like the rest of us, plans on performing a lot better this year and he’ll get an opportunity to.”
The Buccaneers also have Charles Sims whom they drafted last year from West Virginia. Sims could be a great late round fantasy guy just in case Martin does not produce.
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