Tag Archives: sage hit 2012

NFL

Martin, Doug ‘Muscle Hamster’

sage12 dmartin

Card: Sage HIT 2012
Acquired: Sage Twitter Promotion 2016

The diminutive Doug Martin is aptly nicknamed Muscle Hamster, clocking in at 5’9″ and 223.  A versatile back, Martin tore it up at Boise State.  He finished his college career with 4146 yards from scrimmage, 47 receptions, and 47 TDs.  Martin had back to back 1,200+ yard seasons, including a whopping 6.3 yards per carry in 2010.  Martin was selected with the 31st pick of the 1st round in the 2012 draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He was considered the second best RB behind Trent Richardson.

Martin reminds many Buc fans of former Tampa runningback Warrick Dunn, both in size and playing style.  Doug charged out of the gates his rookie year starting all 16 games  and put together a 1454 yard 11 TD effort, to go along with 49 receptions. He finished with 1926 yards from scrimmage and earned a Pro Bowl appearance.

In 2013, Martin took a bad fall jumping on a ball and landed on his shoulder. He tore his labrum and was placed on IR ending his season with only 456 yards rushing. In 2014, Doug sprained his ankle, and injured his knee, holding him out of 4 and a half games. He’d finish with 494 yards.

Most fans wrote off Doug Martin going into 2015, but he rebounded to form and had another solid season with 1,402 yards on 288 carries, and 33 receptions for 271 yards.  He’d total 1,673 yards from scrimmage and earn a Pro Bowl and his first All Pro nomination, after finishing second in the league behind Adrian Peterson in rushing.

Going into 2016, Martin was considered the marquee available runningback available in free agency. He tested the waters but decided to remain close to home, inking a new contract with the Buccaneers.  He’s broken many of the records held by Buccaneer greats such as James Wilder and Warrick Dunn.

CFL, NFL

Rodgers, Jordan

sage12 jrodgersCard: Leaf Rookies 2012, Sage Hit 2012.
Acquired: 2013, 2014 Box Breaker

The first thing you’re going to say is, “Wait a minute…” when you see the all too famous last name. Yes, Jordan is the younger brother of Green Pay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, and much like Aaron, Jordan is trying to forge his own path in the face of a lot of adversity. Following a similar path as Aaron, Jordan split time at JuCo for 2 years before heading off to Vanderbilt. (In fact he’d go to the same JC (Butte) and shatter his brother’s passing records.) The SEC has always been a real difficult conference for the Commodores to excel in, but he was a winner for the team, and led Vandy to two surprising consecutive bowl appearances- the first in the history of the college. In his senior season he threw for a respectable 2,500+ yards and 15 touchdowns, putting together one of the best seasons since Jay Culter played there. As he quietly crept into the back of some sleeper experts’ draft boards, Rodgers pulled a groin muscle before the combine. Jordan was able to throw it at a pro day that Vanderbilt and Tennessee State hosted together.

leaf12 jrodgersHis good showing helped put him back on the map for many teams that attended.  After the 2012 draft Jordan was signed as a camp arm by the Jacksonville Jaguars, but was out on the street by July.  Chicago next kicked the tires on Jordan, but did not sign him. In the end, the Buccaneers looking for a new scout quarterback signed Jordan in October, after releasing Josh Freeman from their active roster. With head coach Greg Schiano bounced by ownership after the 2013 season, a new coaching staff was put in place led by Lovie Smith and Jeff Tedford. Although Tedford was Aaron Rodgers offensive coordinator in college at Cal, in February of 2014, the Bucs cut Jordan.

He went North to the CFL and landed with the British Columbia Lions.  Placed on their practice roster, he decided to go ahead and retire in 2015.

 

NFL

Gerhart, Garth

Card: Sage Hit Low 2012
Acquired: 2012, Box Breaker

One of the younger brothers of Minnesota Vikings runningback and Stanford graduate Tony Gerhart, in 2011, Garth garnered Second Team All-PAC 10 honors for his blocking at center for Brock Osweiler and the Arizona Sun Devils. A 4 year letterman that played in 39 games with 35 career starts, Garth played all the interior positions of the line for the squad, and also appeared in the 2012 East-West Shrine Game, and the 2012 Senior Bowl.

At 6-2, 302, Garth was invited to the combine, ran a 5.29 40, and bench pressed 225 lbs 25 times. A big-motor guy, who puts in good effort, and finishes blocks strong, Gerhart is considered a leader among his peers.  Garth was viewed as a late round prospect, but ended up going unselected in the 2012 draft. The Cleveland Browns signed him to a free agent contract shortly after the draft concluded. Since that time Garth has bounced around the league splitting time with the Packers and Panthers. He was promoted from the practice squad and signed to the active roster of the Packers before the beginning of the 2014 season and played in 2 contests.