Curtis Martin on NFL last night

[Rob0729]

Grier offered Curtis a contract long before the Broncos offered Terrell Davis a contract. Both Curtis and Terrell came out of the same draft as lower round picks. If anything, Davis deserved to be redone sooner because he was a 6th rounder. But what happened? A year later, Terrell got his contract and stayed in Denver.

If I remember correctly, Grier never offered Martin a contract until he became an RFA. Grier incorrectly assumed that he could let him play the 1997 under his rookie deal and then they could get him for the RFA tender in 1998 assuming they couldn't get a deal done since no one would give up a first and a third for Martin and then sign him to a long term deal in 1999 if he hadn't been used up. Then he proceeded how great a deal it was to be in that position while Martin wanted a new deal all along.

As for Terrell Davis, you definitely got that wrong because TD got a new deal after his rookie season. The Broncos tore up his deal and gave him a five year $6.8 million deal at the end of the 1995 season. No way did the Pats offer Martin a new contract during his rookie season.

 

[RayClay]

If he didn't want to become the traitor that he is he should have respected the fans of the team he was an instrumental part of and not conspired with the hated Jets and knowingly signed that poison pill contract offer.



The decision of validity of said contract was indeed up to the league but the league didn't force the "righteous" and "ethical" Martin to sign it.



So Martin gets a free ride because of a legal technicality? The fact that Martin gave us all the big F You finger as he left us for the hated Jets doesn't matter in my opinion of him because legally he was allowed to do so?

Legality issues aside, what BB did was for the benefit of this team. What Parcells, and by extension Martin, did was for the benefit of a hated rival and to the detriment of the tam that we cheer for. Of course, we're gonna side with the guy who does something for the benefit of this team and not the guy who chose to knowingly shaft us.

He wanted to stay with the same coach who wanted him as opposed to the organization (Grier) that didn't.

I never took it personally. It was a bad decision by Grier, but so were many many others (did he ever make a good one?)

At the time (Belichick was a Parcells coach, remember?) He had to judge what was the best deal, best organization and the best future.

Given the evidence he had to work with, I would have done the same.

Remember, he had great loyalty to Parcells and Grier was bragging how smart he was being not signing him long term.

 

[RayClay]

I certainly enjoyed watching the traitorous Randy Moss, Wes Welker and Adalius Thomas last Sunday.

 

[sebman2112]

I loved him when he was on the Pats and for awhile I really disliked him for leaving, and the way in which he left. I wouldn't go so far as to say he can kiss my ass now because frankly I'm over it, but at the same time I'm never going to look at him the same as I did prior to his defection.

 

[RobertWeathers]

Martin left because the guy who he was loyal to left (Parcells) and the Pats back then showed him zero loyalty by giving him a lowball BS offer. Grier and Waczen-suck tried to lock Martin up with a short money deal and told him that they were concerned about his long-term durability. He got pissed, Tuna swooped in, poisoned the contract and off he went. Anybody that says, "oh he wasnt loyal to the fans" is kidding themslves. If I recall, Martin went on a 5 yr 36m 6m sb. Grier offered a 4 yr 12m 2m sb. C'mon now.

I don't blame Martin. I blame Grier. He ran the team Parcells built into the ground and f'ed up the negotiations with Martin by low-balling him and challenging his heath and durability. Martin is a proud man. Hes also financially smart by telling Grier to go f himself.

 

[TruthSeeker]

Oh, he left the Pats so he was a traitor. On the other hand, when someone leaves another team to come to the Pats, they're just being smart. Pretend to have some objectivity, people.

Objectivity is in short supply in most football fan sites, this one included.

It's not Curtis' fault that the Patriots refused to pay him what his former coach and new team were willing to pay him. The Patriots blew it by not resigning him earlier and then by not matching the offer. The "poisin pill" wasn't a difference in the money that he'd earn, it had to do more with salary cap implications (and guaranteeing later years on the contract) as I remember - money that he eventually earned as a Jet. In other words, the Patriots could have had Curtis for the same money the Jets had him for.

Curtis Martin remains my favorite Patriot.

 

[Gwedd]

Fellers,

And none of us would have been half as upset later on if Robert Edwards had NOT blown out his knee at the Pro Bowl.

Edwards would have been a real difference maker here, same way as Martin, but his knee went and so did our chance for a great running back for several years.

 

[Bobs My Uncle]

He wanted to stay with the same coach who wanted him as opposed to the organization (Grier) that didn't.

I never took it personally. It was a bad decision by Grier, but so were many many others (did he ever make a good one?)

At the time (Belichick was a Parcells coach, remember?) He had to judge what was the best deal, best organization and the best future.

Given the evidence he had to work with, I would have done the same.

Remember, he had great loyalty to Parcells and Grier was bragging how smart he was being not signing him long term.

Parcells can kiss my arse too. He's even a bigger traitor than Martin is.

Grier operated as most any GM in his position would; he tried to maximize the teams value in Martin by making him play under his rookie contract and figured he could control him with the protection of Martin's restricted free agent status followed by franchise tag option. Beoli do this all the time with players and are thought of to be sal cap wizards. The only thing Grier was guilty of was not predicting that Parcells and Martin would conspire together to F with the Pats and that the league would allow it.

 

[Terry Glenn is a cowgirl]

You cannot worry and wonder what if about the past, because the past is how today is possible.

I'm happy the past made today possible.

Belichick is the here and now. And the future (at least for awhile anyways).

 

[Bobs My Uncle]

Objectivity is in short supply in most football fan sites, this one included.

It's not Curtis' fault that the Patriots refused to pay him what his former coach and new team were willing to pay him. The Patriots blew it by not resigning him earlier and then by not matching the offer. The "poisin pill" wasn't a difference in the money that he'd earn, it had to do more with salary cap implications (and guaranteeing later years on the contract) as I remember - money that he eventually earned as a Jet. In other words, the Patriots could have had Curtis for the same money the Jets had him for.

If you are going to argue your point you should at least get the facts straight. The Pats had no choice in not matching the contract terms the Jets offered.

The "pill" that was poisoned in the offering that Martin signed was as folows:

The Jets signed Martin to an offer sheet, a 6 year deal worth $36 million that included a 1 year option for $4 million and a clause that would make Martin an unrestricted free agent after the following season. Martin was adament that he'd sign the 1 year deal and become an UFA the following year, if the Pats matched the offer. The jackarse also made it well known that he was going to signoff on the 6 year / $36M deal if the Pats didn't exercise their right to match and be happy playing with the Jets.

It was a contract that the Pats were forced to not match as doing so would not allow them to control, via franchise tag, where Martin played the following season.

Martin basically said F You to us Pats fans. I can't stand the SOB.

 

[biffman]

If you are going to argue your point you should at least get the facts straight. The Pats had no choice in not matching the contract terms the Jets offered.

The "pill" that was poisoned in the offering that Martin signed was as folows:

The Jets signed Martin to an offer sheet, a 6 year deal worth $36 million that included a 1 year option for $4 million and a clause that would make Martin an unrestricted free agent after the following season. Martin was adament that he'd sign the 1 year deal and become an UFA the following year, if the Pats matched the offer. The jackarse also made it well known that he was going to signoff on the 6 year / $36M deal if the Pats didn't exercise their right to match and be happy playing with the Jets.

It was a contract that the Pats were forced to not match as doing so would not allow them to control, via franchise tag, where Martin played the following season.

Martin basically said F You to us Pats fans. I can't stand the SOB.

Exactly. If people don't have a problem with what he did, that's certainly their perogative. However, the "curtis martin is such a classy guy" talk is BS. The guy absolutely screwed the Pats and wouldn't even return a call to Kraft. He has no class, IMO, and I'm glad we won SBs while he was sitting on his @$$ at home.

 

[Bobs My Uncle]

Exactly. If people don't have a problem with what he did, that's certainly their perogative. However, the "curtis martin is such a classy guy" talk is BS. The guy absolutely screwed the Pats and wouldn't even return a call to Kraft. He has no class, IMO, and I'm glad we won SBs while he was sitting on his @$$ at home.

Exactly. And I can't get over all of this "but Martin is righteous and highly ethical and has great morals" talk crap. BS, the guy's a weasel of the highest order.