What Is Doug Martin's Secret to Looking Young and Dominant Again?

There are no anti-aging secrets for NFL running backs. There’s no serum that can be applied liberally, and sesame oil doesn’t work either.

It’s a league that doesn’t consider Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Doug Martin old at 26, a still ripe age for the rest of us. But he’s not young either, especially after already suffering one serious injury (a torn labrum in 2013) and missing 15 of a possible 48 games over his first three seasons.

If mileage is the measuring stick you wish to use instead of his birthday, please recall that during a standout 2012 rookie season when he finished fifth in rushing (1,454 yards), Martin had to endure the punishment of 368 touches immediately.

But suddenly after two seasons of being injured and/or forgotten, Martin has journeyed back in time to 2012. The 26-year-old version of himself is even more effective than that spry though overused 23-year-old who was a Rookie of the Year finalist.

What anti-aging secret has he rolled out in 2015? I doubt serum of any kind is involved here, so let’s go with Martin’s determined approach to becoming a human joystick.

Running back	Missed tackles created
Carlos Hyde	25
Doug Martin	20
Melvin Gordon	19
Devonta Freeman	18
Jonathan Stewart	16

What Martin lacks in height at 5'9" is compensated for with muscle. So much of it that long ago the former first-round pick earned a nickname he passionately hates.

Using a 223-pound frame to ricochet off defenders and pinball through traffic isn’t exactly new for Martin, and neither is his quick cutting to evade enemy hands altogether. But it seems a healthy Martin has found another level of slipperiness.

After five games during his breakout rookie season, Martin had created 16 missed tackles overall as both a runner and receiver, according to Pro Football Focus. He’s far ahead of that mark now, which is only where Martin’s impressive boom begins when we put his 2015 season next to 2012 at the same point.

Year	Missed tackles	Rushing Yds	Total Yds	Yds/Carry	Yds/touch	TDs
2012	16	323	431	3.8	4.6	1
2015	24	405	499	4.5	4.9	4

As a runner in 2012, Martin had three games when he created six-plus missed tackles. He’s already recorded two such games this season, and we're only just past the quarter pole of 2015.

His bobbing, weaving and smashing have added up to two far more important numbers for the Buccaneers, a team thirsting for backfield support to ease rookie quarterback Jameis Winston’s NFL transition. Martin has accounted for nearly 30 percent of Tampa’s offense and four of the Bucs’ 12 total touchdowns.

His sudden surge and the re-emergence of 2012 Martin is rooted in a unique blend of speed and power at the point of contact.

During his 2012 scouting combine appearance, Martin ran the 40-yard dash in 4.55 seconds. That time is average at best when removed from the context of his height and weight. But with the pounds of hamster muscle he’s carrying around, his straight-line speed is more than sufficient.

Then when that quickness is combined with a tendency to actually throw other large humans, the result is a lot of long Sunday jogs.

Martin turned a would-be tackler into his own personal bean bag at the end of a 13-yard run Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars. And amazingly, his stiff-arm toss wasn't even the part of the play that makes you laugh uncontrollably even after multiple viewings.

A counter run was called, with the Buccaneers offensive line blocking to the right. Then, with the play flowing in that direction, Martin bounced left and was one-on-one in the open field against Jaguars cornerback Aaron Colvin. The play was designed to create that exact scenario, with Buccaneers offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter aiming to optimize Martin’s elusiveness.

Fundamentally, football can be reduced to winning a series of small battles during any single play. On this one, the two combatants squared each other up, with Colvin positioned perfectly while responsible for the backside:

Credit: NFL Game Rewind

There was roughly a two-yard buffer occupied by nothing more than air between him and Martin. With little space to work with, Martin had to rely on nuanced movement.

First he planted, dropped his shoulders and didn’t hint at his next direction. Instead, he waited for Colvin to commit:

Credit: NFL Game Rewind

When we talk about running backs who have patience, we’re often talking about those with the vision to wait as blocks develop. But patience can refer to freeze frames like the one above, too, and a running back who can diagnose what’s in front of him without rushing to act. That kind of runner can manipulate defenders, just as Martin did when Colvin charged ahead.

Martin leaned to his right, shifting his weight in that direction. But as Colvin followed to take away the inside lane, Martin’s feet remained planted, showing impressive body control.

He wasn’t off balance while executing that shift and quick weight transfer at a high speed:

Credit: NFL Game Rewind

But the defender certainly was, with Colvin left to do little more than sprawl and assume the classic karate kick desperation pose.

Credit: NFL Game Rewind

Martin finished with 158 yards from scrimmage and three touchdowns against the Jaguars. Much of his production came in chunk-yardage form, with six touches ending in gains of 10-plus yards.

“He’s a great back, and what Doug did today was amazing,’’ Bucs center Joe Hawley told the Tampa Tribune after the win over Jacksonville. “He was making guys miss and running guys over. I don’t think the first defender brought him down all day.’’

That followed a similar result in Week 4 against the Carolina Panthers and their sixth-ranked run defense. Martin recorded 143 total yards and had five touches that went for 10-plus yards.

He’s averaging 99.8 yards from scrimmage per game while motivated in a contract year. As Winston develops, the Buccaneers will need this new Martin to keep looking like an even better version of the old Martin. So far, his secret hasn’t been any added new skill wrinkle or a physical dimension that’s grown.

The secret has been simple: The Martin of 2015 is expanding on a deep talent foundation and experiencing a sophomore-like growth but in his fourth season.