The Facts: Last year, as Martin was on his way to finishing second in the NFL in rushing, then-OC Dirk Koetter said some of his motivation had to be that Martin was in a contract year, knowing a big season could help him land a big contract in free agency. But after signing a five-year, $35.8 million contract to stay with the Bucs, Martin said he has plenty of other motivations, not the least of which is getting Tampa Bay to the playoffs for the first time in his career. "What's missing? Super Bowl. Going to the playoffs," Martin said Wednesday. "I want to win games, get to the playoffs, get to the Super Bowl and win it. … I came back because I love this team. We have great potential."
Diehards Line:
Martin said others may have thought he was motivated by a contract last year, but he said other factors were more involved in his success, especially his health after missing parts of the two previous seasons. "There were a lot of things that happened to me. We got Dirk in. We got the two rookies (Donovan Smith and Ali Marpet) on the offensive line. The whole line got better. We got Jameis (Winston)," Martin said. "All those intangibles helped me to my success." Martin made it to the Pro Bowl, finishing behind the Vikings' Adrian Peterson for the rushing title, but he said it's easy to find ways he can improve this year. "I would like to have more yards than I had last year, than my rookie year," Martin said. "More touchdowns. Being able to finish more. I'd get caught at the 5, so I can get more touchdowns."