The amount of hyperbole in this thread is unbelievable, both AGAINST Blount and FOR Martin.
This forum is host to some members/posters who are supposed to be some of the finest minds in the hobby. It's a shame when personal interests and unfounded opinions get in the way of thoughtful and considerate fact-based analysis. At times there seems to be a need for some threads to refocus on what IS, rather than what we wish WAS.
Up until the point that Doug Martin lines up behind Josh Freeman sometime after 4:25 PM on Sunday, September 9th vs the Panthers, in a game that actually means something and counts in the Regular Season standings, comparing Blount to Martin is akin to comparing apples to oranges. Blount has a verifiable developing NFL body of work, at least.
It IS kind of amusing that Martin is a Boise State alumnus, considering the issues Blount had stemming from the unfortunate incident which occured during the Oregon U. game against that very team...
Say what you will about Blount, Doug Martin has done neither of these things...yet.
As a high school and college football player, Martin & Blount are fairly comparable RB's, and this is verifiable, looking at their pre-draft bios readily available online to anyone who wants to look at them. Based on those, they both have earned a deserved opportunity to showcase their skills at football's highest level, the NFL, albeit by different channels.
Blount is one of several NFL players who have had behavioral issues. Plenty of them have had plenty of success in the NFL, and logged plenty of fantasy points.
Everyone taking an anti-Blount stance ought to read his wikipedia page, and some of the associated links to gain some insight on him, rather than just making generalizations based on opinions. To me, he looks like a kid who's been confronted by some pretty big hurdles his entire football career, and has done pretty well for himself, and appears to respond pretty well to structure, discipline and positional competition when it's been imposed on him. From that, one safe assumption that I'm going to make about Blount and his current situation with the Bucs under new Coach Schiano, is that the likelihood of responding well to the situation he now finds himself in is favorable. His history alludes to the idea that when the pressure is on him to deliver, and he's kept on a tight leash with his position in jeopardy as it is now, he responds well. He appears to be doing just that.
Some other facts to consider. Outside of Blount, the RB cupboard was pretty bare in TB going into this Draft. To say they were compelled to add some RB depth to the roster is putting it mildly, no matter what Blount was/is capable of, and given the predilection of the new Coaching Staff to build their team around a strong running game, which comes with attrition costs to personnel. Regardless, it's just as important when building an RB stable to have skill-similar backups, as it is to have complimentary players, 'change of pace' type guys, if you will. If one wants to pick nits, I suppose one could technically argue that Martin actually FELL to the bottom of the 1st Round, and the Bucs moved up to take him when he was surprisingly still available. I scanned some of the pre-draft biographies available to anyone on line, and saw references to Martin also actually having issues with pass protection as well, for what it's worth. Certainly Martin's abilities as a receiver out of the backfield are acknowledged, but I don't seem to be finding much of anything analytical from folks who are paid professionals working with/for the NCAA and/or NFL that says that Blount is any tremendous liability as a receiver, outside of opinions from fantasy footballers. Martin has quality receiving skills on the collegiate level, and if those skills translate to the NFL level, he and Blount make for a nice tandem that we've seen plenty of Teams, who's primary concern is winning actual NFL games vs generating fantasy football statistics, employ effectively. That should mean good things for both backs.
The entire situation in TB has changed since last year, from the top down in the direction of discipline, accountability and competition. Based on historical data attributable to Blount, this should actually play in his favor.
It's very easy to spend a high Rookie Draft Pick on Doug Martin. At some point, it's absolutely compelling, just as the Bucs were likely compelled to make the move they did to acquire Martin. Once that investment has been made, it's tremendously important to many folks to be right. I think that feeds into some of what's going on in this thread. Plenty of folks likely expected a different outcome than the one that seems to be playing itself out in reality in Bucs camp right now. It happens every season. Of course, the Bucs have both guys on their Roster, so it's likely they're pleased as punch that the added competition seems to be bringing out the best in Blount at this time. Running the ball effectively is the cornerstone on which this offense is being built. It's conceivable that both RB's might have solid seasons.
When confronted with reality, it's helpful to be malleable and accept a developing situation for what it is, work with it, and find ways to use them to one's advantage, rather than steadfastly holding to a previous position that is no longer substantiated by what's actually going on. I think one of the best skills anyone can develop when it comes to fantasy sports is to be able to adjust on the fly. Maybe what's going on in Bucs camp right now is a tremendous opportunity to develop that skill?
I own Blount as a flex/bench player in a mid-stakes Dynasty League ($300/16 Teams), so I have an investment there...but I'm basing my optimism for him based on what he's accomplished in the past when confronted with similar circumstance/situation nore than anything else. So far, as far as I'm concerned, he's living right up to expectations.
The next set of facts up for evaluation will be available after 11 PM on Friday, August 10th. See you then!
I'm really not sure why so many people are trying to write off Blount so quickly here. Part of me thinks it's because they dont like him due to his ##### personality and actions. The other part just thinks they drafted Martin and want to see Martin get all the touches. Well I drafted Martin too and would ve for that to be the case. Here's the problem, I too have seen Blount runin the NFL. Guess what, he can get the job done done. Call him lazy, call him a jerk, call him an immature overpaid baby. All of those things would be true. But it's undeniable that the guy can run the football at a high enough level to start in the NFL. I just can't see ant way he goes away. On top of that, I see him as an ideal handcuff to Martin if the lprice is right. So I recently traded a 3rd in dynasty for Blount. It helps me insure my Martin investment and not stress out over who will be starting.
