Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Doug Martin touched the ball 28 times in the team's 16-10 win over the Carolina Panthers in Week 1. Although he is just a rookie, Martin is expected to continue to be a major part of Tampa Bay's offense. Bucs head coach Greg Schiano told the Tampa Bay Times' Rick Stroud that the team plans to carefully monitor how Martin's health is affected by the high workload.
"I do think it's a feel thing game to game," Schiano said. "But 28 touches ... that's a lot of touches. Now, has it been done? Sure. Has it been done by rookies? So it's not unheard of. But we'll go one game at a time, and then you've just got to keep an eye on him as the season rolls on.
Related: Daily Bucs Links 9/13/12 - Blount had a stinger, cleared for practice
Fellow running back LeGarrette Blount suffered a stinger in the second quarter of the opener, which left more of the carries for Martin. Blount has been cleared to return to practice and should be ready to contribute in Week 2.
For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation Tampa Bay. For more in-depth coverage, visit Buccaneers blog Bucs Nation. And for more news, notes and analysis from around the league, head over to SB Nation's NFL hub.