The Tampa Bay Buccaneers had a bye last week, and so after a few days off over the weekend, they returned to practice on Monday. The team welcomed back wide receivers Louis Murphy and Cecil Shorts, but they were missing running back Doug Martin.
Martin suffered a hamstring back in Week 2, and has been sidelined ever since. Charles Sims took over as the team’s starting running back during Martin’s absence. However, Sims suffered a knee injury and was placed on injured reserve. Jacquizz Rodgers took over after Sims was injured.
I spoke with Sander from Bucs Nation to get his thoughts on Martin’s status for this week.
While his missing practice today isn't a good sign, it's still early in the week, and Dirk Koetter noted that he was being extra cautious with injured players given that this is an 'extra' day of practice after the bye week. If he's still out on Wednesday I'd expect him to be out on Sunday as well, though.
The 49ers run defense is a train wreck right now. Injuries decimated the inside linebacker depth, and the replacements have been ineffective. Chip Kelly said the team is considering some alternatives, potentially moving Gerald Hodges and/or Shayne Skov into the mix.
I really don’t know if it will make a difference, but it can’t get a whole lot worse. Whether or not Martin plays might not matter. Rodgers rushed 30 times for 101 yards, and had five receptions for 28 yards in his first start before the bye. The 49ers could face problems either way.