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The Doug Martin hype train continues, as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers continue to rely on him as their main running back in training camp. He's set to be the starter, and should get the main share of the carries throughout the season. And now offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter is joining the long list of people who've praised his performance in training camp.
Dirk Koetter heaping praise on Doug Martin, who according to coach Koetter has lost 20 pounds this offseason. #Bucs
— WDAE 620 AM/95.3 FM (@620wdae) August 12, 2015
Doug Martin has been getting a ton of hype this offseason. But this is a very familiar refrain to anyone who's followed the NFL for a while. Every year, there's some running back who's in "the best shape of his life" and someone who either bulked up or lost a bunch of weight. Usually, this makes no difference to a player's performance when the season actually starts.
That's not to say that there's no reason for hope. The messages out of training camp are much more positive than they've been the past two years, and Martin did look a little better at the end of last season. But any optimism needs to be cautious: actual running back resurrection are too few and far between to count on.