OT: Curtis Martin, A Football Life

[PatsFanInVa]

I am sure this is an old show, but watching it now.

I especially loved hearing about Bob & Myra (I know I know you guys hate Bob) having him over for the Jewish holidays, and how much Curtis loved chicken soup with matzo balls. Myra would send Bob in to put chicken soup in his locker.

Man, I wish the business wasn't what it is. He couldn't take Drew's signing bonus being equal to his six-year deal. But I believe in some convoluted way the JEST moving on Martin was involved in our acquiring BB, so, well what can I say.

 

[PatsWSB47]

Yeah I watched it. No way Pats knew BB would wind up here over not paying Martin or how great a career he would have. I can't blame him for going to the Jets. In retrospect the offer was more than insulting. Funny how things work out.

 

[NYPatsFan]

Curtis Martin lost out on 3 rings because of money. He obviously couldn't have known that at the time but it must bother him in retrospect.

 

[Pat the Pats Fan]

Interesting that they glossed over the poison pill contract, and that the pats couldn't handle it due to the cap. The issue was the player 2nd year option out. The NFL made that illegal right after....goodell would have looked the other way....

 

[PatsFanInVa]

Interesting that they glossed over the poison pill contract, and that the pats couldn't handle it due to the cap. The issue was the player 2nd year option out. The NFL made that illegal right after....goodell would have looked the other way....

They mentioned a "poison pill" in the contract but with no context.

Also ironic that the Pats went out and drafted a stud replacement, Robert Edwards.... and that one concern for Martin was injuries... Edwards had a FREAK injury playing touch football on the beach at the pro bowl. Nobody could have predicted that, so it's not a commentary, more of a karma-tary. Meanwhile Martin goes on to have one of the most productive careers of any running back of his era.

By the way... Edwards is another story entirely and I wish he had made it back to the NFL in any uniform. He had one great game as a dolphin after years of trying to rehab (and NE kept him on payroll as long as they could)... before Ricky Williams came back and made him expendable. I don't remember where else he played prior to ending up in Canada with the Alouettes. That became my favorite CFL team for that reason back in the two thousandsies.

 

[demerit]

I wish that Curtis Martin had at least been a Patriot in 2001 (if not longer than that.) He would have destroyed the Raiders in the snow that year in the playoffs and would have got okay yardage against the Steelers in the AFCCG. Finally, he would have been huge in the Super Bowl. He could have kept Kurt Warner off the field after each one of the Rams' turnovers in the game. Would have resulted in a time of possession ratio similar to the Falcons Super Bowl (Patriots 40 minutes, Rams 20 minutes)

 

[IndianPat]

I think Curtis Martin's path was always tied to Bill Parcells (for whatever reasons).
I remember reading a newspaper report about Curtis telling another Pats player - "Bill is going to come for me" after Parcells was gone.

 

[zoostation]

I think Curtis Martin's path was always tied to Bill Parcells (for whatever reasons).
I remember reading a newspaper report about Curtis telling another Pats player - "Bill is going to come for me" after Parcells was gone.

I'm a Parcels fan, but that obviously smells like tampering. Oh wait..... it was the Jets. Never mind.

 

[MitchKumstein]

Interesting that they glossed over the poison pill contract, and that the pats couldn't handle it due to the cap. The issue was the player 2nd year option out. The NFL made that illegal right after....goodell would have looked the other way....

You're definitely correct that goodell would've let this slide. Thinking about this really makes me miss the days when the jets (and Giants, Steelers etc) were held just as accountable as every other team in the league

 

[scott99]

I loved Curtis Martin, not only a great Hall of Fame player, he's an extremely classy guy. That episode of A Football Life is probably my favorite one besides the Belichick one. Martin overcame so much in his life to become a great person.

As a player, he was a warrior. One of the slickest backs of all time. Great cuts and jukes. Maybe top 5 all time as far as his shiftiness. Lots of guys got juked out of their jocks with some of his jukes. Very tough for his size too. Great player and great episode.

 

[Thelonious]

I don't watch ESPN, or listen to their radio, or visit their website, ever.

 

[scott99]

I don't watch ESPN, or listen to their radio, or visit their website, ever.

It's on The NFL Network

 

[PatsFanInVa]

I don't know if top 5 for his moves. He wasn't the fastest back ever. Yeah he was shifty, but come on. Watch old Barry Sanders tape. I guess he might be top 5 but I very much doubt that.

My thing with Martin was exactly that: he was tough, not the toughest. He was shifty, not the shiftiest. He was fast, not the fastest. But you show me one other back with his heart. (Except Edwards, god bless his ill-starred soul.)

 

[SHOWTIME15]

Parcells screwed us with Martin, but he got what he deserved. No super bowls for him after he left NE.