About:
It is no secret that I love sports, and as such this space will be for my personal take on some of the greater sports stories happening recently.
The Reality Of...
Doug Martin and Setting Records For the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
This isn't how it's supposed to go.
272 total yards (220 of which came in the second half) and four touchdowns?
That kind of performance doesn't happen for the Bucs; it happens to them.
- When the franchise started, they lost 27 games in a row - a feat that has only been matched in America's major leagues, never beaten.
- The offense was so bad that is provoked one of the greatest coaching quips: When asked about the offense's execution, then-Coach John McKay replied "I'm all for it," a reply that has become etched in Buccaneer lore.
- Once Tony Dungy arrived in town and built a team that could compete, a horrible refereeing decision cost them the chance to play in 2000's Super Bowl. With a Super Bowl win two years later, one can argue that call robbed Tampa of a possible dynasty.
- Speaking of Super Bowls, after they finally won, they followed it up by becoming the first championship team to post a sub-.500 record the following year.
- They allowed Peyton Manning to lead the Indianapolis Colts to a 38-35 win in 2003, after leading by 21 points with four minutes to go on Monday Night Football.
There are many more instances of mediocrity, and they help make Martin's game even greater. That it happened 10 years after the Bucs' lone Super Bowl win - against the team, even - makes Martin's game even greater.
It didn't hurt that his 51 fantasy points (standard scoring) propelled my fantasy team to a win, either.
Past "Reality Of..." segments:
October 8, 2012
October 16, 2012
November 6, 2012
November 27, 2012