Doug Martin, Logan Mankins Injury Updates

Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Doug Martin is the focal point of the team’s offense, especially since new head coach Lovie Smith is a big fan of the running game. Offensive coordinator Jeff Tedford is, thankfully, getting back to health and is expected to run a fast, exciting, and unpredictable offense. But Martin is an all-purpose bellcow back who can do it all without wearing down, though injuries might start to be a worry even though the man formerly called the “Muscle Hamster” has excellent stamina.

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Martin suffered a knee injury in last week’s loss to the Carolina Panthers, and details were incredibly scant throughout the week. However, he was able to return to practice yesterday and was a full-go today, thus making him a near-lock to start against the St. Louis Rams, who placed Chris Long on the short-term IR and might not have QB Shaun Hill. The Rams defense is still a formidable foe up front without Long, but Martin can have a solid day against them.

The Tampa Bay Times’s Rick Stroud reports that Martin is expected to play, and it will be interesting to see if the Buccaneers list him as questionable or probable. Either way, he’s playing, barring an unexpected setback.

Star guard Logan Mankins also suffered an injury last week, but he, too, will play this week after quickly rounding into health. Mankins returned to practice yesterday after hyperextending his knee, and while he has plenty of knee issues, he’s also one of the toughest players in the league. He’s a lock to play against the Rams excellent defensive line, so his status was always crucial. According to 620 WDAE’s Tom Krasniqi, Smith stated that Mankins “looked pretty good” today at practice, so that seals his fate as a starter this week.

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