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Doug Martin was in need of a new start after two straight subpar seasons led to his offseason release by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Getting the chance to do it near his boyhood home in Northern California [url=http://www.washingtonredskinsteamonline.com/art-monk-jersey]Art Monk Jersey[/url] , with an Oakland team featuring a strong offensive line and a coach in Jon Gruden eager to establish a powerful running attack, only made the decision to join the Raiders even easier.
Now Martin wants to prove he can get back to the form that made him a Pro Bowler twice in his first four seasons.
"My approach is just basically I'm a rookie again," Martin said. "I have to prove to the team and the players, coaches that I can be useful on this team. Like I said, I just act like a rookie and go out and play. Play the game that I love."
Martin has had a roller-coaster career since entering the league with Tampa Bay as a first-round pick out of Boise State in 2012. He is the only player currently on an NFL roster with two seasons of at least 1,400 yards rushing, reaching that mark as a rookie with the Bucs and then again three years later in Tampa Bay.
But he has failed to reach 500 yards rushing in his other four seasons in the NFL and is also the only active player with two seasons averaging fewer than 3 yards per carry with at least 100 attempts, doing that the past two years when he was hampered by injuries and a four-game suspension for violating the league policy on performance-enhancing drugs.
Martin also was suspended one game last year by the Bucs for a violation of team rules, all contributing to the decision by Tampa Bay to cut him this offseason.
"The past couple of years I just got in my own way," he said. "Being here and having my family around and old friends [url=http://www.buffalobillsteamonline.com/jordan-mills-jersey]Jordan Mills Jersey[/url] , it's definitely going to help me stay busy. I can always confide in them if I need something to talk about."
Martin, who grew up in nearby Stockton, fondly remembers his only other trip to the Bay Area as a professional when he ran for 251 yards on 25 carries in Oakland as a rookie in 2012 with about 50 friends and family members in the crowd.
Martin also said the opportunity to run Bay Area hills near his grandfather's house has helped get him in top condition that he hopes will benefit him once the season begins.
That work has shown up on the field.
"He finished a run to the end zone today and didn't stop until he got there and then he ran back to make sure he's getting even more in shape," quarterback Derek Carr said. "It's little things like that that show young guys, 'Hey man, that's how you do it.' That's been since Day 1. He's been one of the hardest workers since we got here in Phase 1, hands down. He's been one of the guys out there that just every day sticks out doing something where you see why he's a Pro Bowler."
The Raiders are hoping Martin will fit in well in a backfield led by Marshawn Lynch, who rushed for 524 yards and five TDs in his final eight games last season, ranking tied for third in that span in yards rushing per game.
Oakland didn't get much consistent help from backups Jalen Richard and DeAndre Washington a year ago, leading to the move to add Martin to the mix.
"Doug has really jumped out in this camp [url=http://www.dallascowboysteamonline.com/allen-hurns-jersey]http://www.dallascowboysteamonline.com/allen-hurns-jersey[/url] ," offensive coordinator Greg Olson said. "His quickness, his ability to pick up the offense and what we've given him. That's been very encouraging. He really has a fresh set of legs and that's probably been the most encouraging. When you watch him run out here in the drills that we've run and the strength and conditioning staff and the things that we've been doing there, it just looks like he's got a real fresh set of legs."
Former NFL star Clinton Portis has reached an agreement to repay $190,000 he owes a New Jersey casino.
The former running back with the Washington Redskins and Denver Broncos was given $200,000 in credit in 2011 to gamble at the Borgata casino in Atlantic City. But he didn't have sufficient funds to cover the debt, and six checks he signed to the casino bounced.
Portis retired in 2012 after rushing for just under 10,000 yards and scoring 75 touchdowns between 2002 and 2010.
Under a deal reached last week in Florida bankruptcy court, he will pay the Borgata 10 percent of any income he receives above $30,000 through August 2021.
During court proceedings, lawyers for Portis said he thought he had more than enough to cover the debt. He anticipated $8 million from his NFL contract [url=http://www.indianapoliscoltsteamonline.com/skai-moore-jersey]Skai Moore Jersey[/url] , but it ended when he was cut from the Redskins a month later.
"At that time, in January of 2011, my client was slated to make $8 million in the coming year," Steven Silton, a lawyer for Portis, testified. "He believed that his financial situation was very, very, very solid and that there was no question that he had more than enough financial capability."
Portis had difficult contract negotiations that resulted in him being cut by the Redskins, Silton said.
"He had no reason to believe that as of that time that he wasn't going to be playing for the Redskins, or he wasn't going to be making the money that he was contractually obligated to make [url=http://www.greenbaypackersteamonline.com/jason-spriggs-jersey]Jason Spriggs Jersey[/url] ," Silton said.
Portis has repaid $30,000 of the $200,000 he was fronted by the casino. The remaining $170,000 balance has grown to $190,000 with interest and attorney fees.
He will have to show his tax returns to casino officials each year to verify his income.
Portis' financial difficulties have been well-documented. In the court proceeding, his lawyer said an unnamed financial adviser "absconded with upwards of $8 million dollars" worth of the player's money.
Portis told Sports Illustrated last June that he contemplated killing one of his financial advisers but was talked out of it by a friend while parked outside his office with a gun.
Several of his advisers were barred from working in the financial services industry but were not convicted of a crime.
Silton did not return a message seeking comment Wednesday, and the Borgata declined to comment.
Follow Wayne Parry at ://WayneParryAC
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