Doug Martin was a huge part of the Buccaneers offense last season, and a big part of Jameis Winston’s rookie success. However, the fact that they will be without their star running back for a few weeks, does not deter them from thinking they will still win.
Doug Martin injured his right hamstring in the first half of last Sunday’s beat down by Arizona and is expected to be out for at least the next three weeks. Charles Sims and newly acquired running back Jacquizz Rodgers will be tasked with filling in for the injured Doug Martin, and either can be expected to take on the heavier workload.
Sims has proven to be an ample counterpart to Doug Martin and in 2015 recorded 529 yards out of the backfield to accompany his 56 yards in receiving. However, considering his role, last season, many fans believe he isn’t capable of being a featured back. Jacquizz Rodgers has only started a handful of games in his career, but if last week’s game is any indication of what he is capable of, he may just compliment the playmaking of Charles Sims, just fine.
There are two sides to Sims being the featured back, and of course, they are the up and downsides. An upside is the fact that Sims is a strong, skillful runner, especially in the open field, and he is hard to tackle and has great hands that is one of the many reasons why he is so dangerous catching passes coming out of the backfield. A huge downside to him being a featured back is the fact that Sims has not had more than 13 touches in any game during his three years as a pro, calling into question his ability to handle the brunt of the running game.
