National Football League

Bucs showing no frustration with RB Doug Martin's slow start

Published Oct. 8, 2014 7:30 p.m. ET

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TAMPA, Fla. -- His answer was short. His message was pointed.

There was little else for quarterbacks coach Marcus Arroyo to add, when asked if he sensed any frustration from running back Doug Martin with a difficult start to the season. Martin, who's 5-foot-9, 215 pounds but runs like a pinball shot from a chute when effective, has been far from the firecracker out of the backfield he resembled as a rookie.

There were the 9 yards on nine carries in Week 1 against the Carolina Panthers. There was the knee injury that sidelined him in Weeks 2 and 3. There were the combined 85 yards on 28 carries in Weeks 4 and 5 against the Pittsburgh Steelers and New Orleans Saints.

Frustration?

Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans feel it. Fantasy owners feel it.

Not Arroyo.

"Nope, zero," Arroyo said Wednesday. "Yeah, zero frustration."

For weeks, the Martin issue has simmered in the background. The Bucs' offense has juggled many other balls lately -- coordinator Jeff Tedford's medical leave of absence, Arroyo's acceptance of a larger role, quarterback Josh McCown's right thumb injury, the transition to Mike Glennon Era 2.0 -- but Martin's lack of production hasn't been lost on those who continue to wait and wonder.

Are Martin's best days behind him? Will he ever exceed the 1,454 yards rushing and 11 touchdowns he produced when he burst onto the scene in 2012 as the Boise State surprise? Will he ever be a Pro Bowl player again?

It's too soon to say Martin is trapped in permanent decline. He's in his third NFL season, and though the lifespan for running backs at this level can be wicked brief, it would be unfair to close the door on him.

Still, Martin should approach his career with urgency. He gained just 456 yards on 127 carries in six games last season, one that was abbreviated because of a torn labrum in his left shoulder. Some assumed he would treat the current year as a stage for rebirth, with last season's frustrations buried in the past, the struggles a mere blip.

Not quite. In fact, questions have followed him this fall, the doubts creeping closer to becoming part of his career's narrative.

On Sept. 25, they were there. He was asked if he feels the need to prove himself again.

"That's how it is every year," Martin said. "It's a business of 'what have you done for me lately,' and I just want to go out there and just prove that I'm the same back that I was my rookie year."

Last Wednesday, they were there. He was asked if a running game that's supposed to feature him as coach Lovie Smith's "bell cow" must improve.

"We definitely do need to get better in the running game," Martin said. "We watched film, and we've actually dissected what we need to do to have a better running game."

No other Bucs player has more to gain from a big offensive output against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday than Martin. Glennon has fared well in two starts since McCown's injury, so Martin shares the hot spotlight of intrigue alone. The Bucs rank 24th in the NFL by averaging 90.4 rushing yards per game. Given how Martin was expected to be the centerpiece of Tampa Bay's ground attack, the output is reflective of how little the 25-year-old has contributed so far.

The good news for Martin is that little about his standing with the Bucs likely will change soon. He has improved as a blocker in blitz pickup, and with Bobby Rainey's three fumbles, it's wise for Smith to stay the course with Martin as Tampa Bay's top back.

So Martin will be given time to gain comfort. So, too, will an offensive line attempting to improve its communication on blocking assignments.

That's why it's hard to gauge how much of Martin's decline as a runner is fully his fault. A running back's success or failure is never a solo act. All parts contribute to a verdict.

Martin suffered from a poor offensive line last season when healthy, and even someone of LeSean McCoy's caliber would have been far less of a terror if placed in the same environment then. The current group knows it must be better.

"The past couple weeks, assignment-wise, we haven't been great in the run game, and that's really hurt us," Bucs center Evan Dietrich-Smith said. "We've been doing some good things here and there, but it takes the entire eight, 10 guys blocking in the blocking unit to make it happen for the running back. Once we get that done, then the running back is going to have free range to do what he wants, and then you'll start seeing the big runs."

Martin could use a few big runs Sunday, though it's hard to see them coming. The Ravens rank eighth in the NFL by allowing just 89.4 rushing yards per game, and if Martin could only squeeze out 40 yards against Pittsburgh (11th against the run) and 45 against New Orleans (14th), then it's difficult to predict a eureka moment happening in Week 6.

Still, his clock is ticking.

Some time soon, Martin must have a flashback to 2012. Some time soon, he must regain the burst that made him a fascination as a rookie. Some time soon, he must reward the trust that made Smith declare him the Bucs' "bell cow" to begin.

Otherwise, Smith could take a closer look at Rainey, who gashed the St. Louis Rams for 144 yards rushing in Week 2. Anything seems possible.

"We're 1-4 right now," Smith said. "Doug is a part of that. He'll tell you he can play better."

Arroyo is witness to that fact, too. Still, Martin has support in high places.

"He has zero flinch," Arroyo said. "He's a team guy. I like those things."

Now it's time to add, "He flips hardship to a reborn career" to the list.

You can follow Andrew Astleford on Twitter @aastleford or email him at aastleford@gmail.com.

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