Alan Dell: Bucs see good things to build on during bye week

TAMPA

As the Bucs enjoy their weekend off, they are sitting at the crossroads between a season that could end with a measure of respectability.

They are 2-3 coming off a victory, saved by a Jacksonville fumble that handed the Bucs enough points to get a win.

One play can change the psyche of an entire organization. If the Bucs lose that game and go into the bye at 1-4 head coach Lovie Smith would've spent the next two weeks trying to outrun the Grim Reaper.

The win puts a different spin on things and affords us all to take a look of some things the Bucs are doing well.

Smith has to be pleased with his trio of running backs -- Doug Martin, Charles Sims and return specialist Bobby Rainey -- who is doing a good Devin Hester impersonation.

After two subpar seasons, Martin is looking like his rookie self when he was one of the most electrifying runners in the league. Most impressive in his game is his blocking improvement, something that was never his strength.

"The thing what's most impressive to me ... and I don't know if this is different or not, because I didn't watch him that close before ... but he's breaking a lot of tackles," Bucs offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter said. "Yards after contact, he's doing a really nice job. He's one of the better backs in the league."

Koetter is excited about the tandem Martin and Sims have formed. They are among the top five duos in the league in combined yardage and their styles are different, which makes it rougher on defenses.

When Koetter was in Atlanta, he coached Sims in the Senior Bowl and is not surprised he has 225 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns so far this season.

"He's got speed, he's got hands, he can run routes, you can move him around," Koetter said. "We've seen his explosiveness, what he can do with the ball in the open field. Like I said, we've got a nice one-two punch going right now."

The running backs, along with Koetter's scheming, have helped the Bucs' maligned offensive line look better, too.

Martin is tied for third in the NFL in rushing (405 yards), and the Bucs are 11th as a team with an average of 122.4 yards per game. Martin has not allowed one QB pressure in 20 snaps, according to ProFootballFocus, and has caught all 11 passes thrown to him.

PFF has Martin ranked second in the league in yards after contact (236), just 14 behind Carlos Hyde, and rates Martin the fourth best blocker for a running back.

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The Bucs' secondary is still a work in progress, particularly at cornerback, but Mike Jenkins sees good things on the horizon.

Jenkins has a lot of reasons to feel optimistic. He is healthy after missing nearly all of last year and is back home playing where he earned All-American status at Southeast High and USF.

He says playing cornerback in Smith's defense isn't easy.

"You have to have brains for it. You have to know where guys are going to be and you have to know everybody's position," Jenkins said. "It's not one of those defenses where you can come in and just stand out. You definitely have to study and it takes time."

Jenkins has been showing improvement since returning and says he is especially motivated to win games for Smith.

"He is my guy. I absolutely love him as a coach and as a man. He is a great mentor, him and his whole staff," Jenkins said. "There were a lot of mistakes we left on the field (last week), but I think we are heading in the right direction. For me, it feels good to be healthy. But if I'm not playing, I'm just trying to push the guys in front of me, just using my eyes and knowledge from my eight years in the league."

Alterraun Verner has been getting playing time at nickel and Jenkins is holding down one cornerback spot. It's uncertain what will happen when Johnthan Banks returns. Tim Jennings, who has been starting, had his worst career game against Jacksonville, according to PFF, allowing seven of 10 targets thrown in his area to be caught, including two for touchdowns.

This story was originally published October 17, 2015 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Alan Dell: Bucs see good things to build on during bye week ."