Besides a solid offensive line, a dependable running game may be a quarterback’s best friend. Good running attacks take some pressure off them, establishes rhythm and tempo, provides for a convincing play-action pass and the list goes on and on. With new No. 1 overall pick Jameis Winston and his ridiculous potential now under center for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the top priority for them has to be setting Winston up for success. For that to happen, the team will need one of their running backs to step up in a big way, and that back is Doug Martin.

Martin showed the league what he was capable of in 2012, ripping off over 1,900 total yards and 11 touchdowns. Fantasy owners may remember all too well the complete massacre Martin laid on the Raiders, where he looked unstoppable and the future of the franchise’s ground game. But the next two years proved to be disastrous for Martin, as he appeared in only 17 games and amassed only 1,100 total yards. Injuries were clearly a factor, but also Martin’s rookie year was inflated by the big home-run play. Some think Martin’s regression isn’t a regression at all, that what you see now is what Martin actually is. Others think Martin just spends too much time looking for those home runs he lived off of in 2012.

Whatever the case may be, the Buccaneers need Martin to figure it out quickly. As much as Bobby Rainey and Charles Sims looked like viable replacements, the truth of the matter is neither of them have the every-down potential of Martin. Rainey is best suited to be a complementary, change-of-pace back. He’s shown flashes but ultimately he’s just too inconsistent. And Sims is really a Darren Sproles-type player who can be a nightmare in the passing game with space to work with. Martin is easily the most reliable back the Bucs have, and reliability is what Winston and the team need more than anything.

Martin doesn’t need to be a world-beater in 2015 like he was his rookie year; I think that’s raising the bar a little too much. But what Martin does need to do is step his game up back into some level of respectability. If he can grind out something close to 900 or 1,000 yards this season, Rainey and Sims can go back to working in the roles they’re meant for. But all of that revolves around Martin, and that’s what makes him the biggest x-factor to this offense.

Winston was turnover-prone in college, and the NFL is certainly not going to make him turn that around any easier. If Martin can lock up the backfield some for him, the turnaround in Tampa could be quicker than expected. And in that soft division which is up for grabs, it’s fair to believe that anything is possible.

Doug Green is a Featured Writer for www.RantSports.com covering the Philadelphia Eagles and the NFL.  Follow him on Twitter @DGreenNFL. 

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