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Last month, Buccaneers coach Lovie Smith said he was excited to coach the fastest guy in the NFL.

Smith was referring to running back Jeff Demps and his previous coaches never got much of a chance to actually coach him because Demps was splitting his time between football and track. Demps’ choice paid off with a silver medal in the 2012 Summer Olympics, but his track focus didn’t leave much time for football. Demps played two games for the Bucs last year and didn’t play for the Patriots in the 2012 regular season, which makes him largely an unknown on the gridiron at the professional level.

Smith and the Bucs will get Demps’ full attention this year, though. Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune reports that Demps said that he is putting his track career on hold for the foreseeable future and concentrate only on his football career.

Kick returns are one obvious spot to look for Demps to make a contribution to the Bucs in what will be his first real shot at turning his speed into a regular role at the professional level.