Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 3 impressive moments from preseason Week 2

Aug 24, 2015; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Doug Martin (22) runs with the ball as Cincinnati Bengals outside linebacker Vincent Rey (57) attempted to defend during the first quarter at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

The Doug Martin redemption tour continues

We’ve told you time and time again, Doug Martin has been repeatedly showing flashes of his rookie form. Of course, the box score doesn’t tell the entire story. In their preseason opener, the Muscle Hamster passed the eye test, even if 19 rushing yards on five carries is far from impressive.

In the Buccaneers’ first two games, Martin has shown nice quickness, good agility and exceptional vision. But, the most striking thing has been his ability to finish runs strong.

Early in the first quarter, Martin showed that rookie season form once again with a 30-yard run.

There’s so much to like about this run. Where do we start? Right from the beginning, this stretch call looks like a disaster waiting to happen. The Bengals are pushing the entire offensive line towards the sidelines, creating limited space for Martin to work with.

However, Martin shows great patience, waiting for an opening and quickly exploding through for the big gain. At 5-foot-9, the fourth-year back is also able to stay low to the ground, making him difficult to tackle. While small in stature, Martin is still a tank and showed that it will take more than an arm tackle to bring him down.

As he entered the next level, Martin’s 20-pound lighter frame was on full display. With two defenders standing in his way, he was smoothly weaving left and right and came oh so close to putting six points on the board.

Are you a Muscle Hamster believer now?