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Parcells: Don't cry for Martin
Gary Myers
Curtis Martin never has to step on the field again to secure his place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame or in Bill Parcells' heart.
If Martin's damaged knee means he is done, and that's how it's looked since training camp in late July, Parcells said he won't be sad that it has to end this way for one of his all-time favorites. Martin has done so much in his career and Parcells says he is such a "very, very special, special, special guy," that he can't find a reason to have any remorse if Martin can't play anymore.
"He doesn't deserve a funeral," Parcells said. "He deserves a parade."
Parcells was in a good mood yesterday after the Cowboys' victory in Carolina on Sunday night saved their season. But he's always upbeat when he talks about Martin anyway.
"I can only tell you, he's one of those players who inspires you as a coach. He really does," he said from his office. "From the first day I ever met him, he wanted everything I ever had. I knew he was going to put it to use. He wanted to know what to do to be successful. 'Give me what you got, coach, I'm taking it,' he said. He's a great kid. He's a wonderful person. I can't tell you enough about him."
Martin's bone-on-bone condition in his right knee put him on the physically-unable-to-perform list when the Jets reported to camp. He hasn't practiced, other than very limited work in a mini-camp, since he had surgery last December. Martin is expected to announce today that he's abandoned his attempt to play this year, but he's not yet ready to retire. But that seems to be a formality that will come after the season.
Not everybody gets to walk away on their own terms like Tiki Barber plans to do after this season or Jim Brown and Barry Sanders did when they left, even though they had plenty of yards left in their legs. Martin has been so classy and not a moment of trouble for the Patriots and Jets, that he deserves to leave because he's had enough, not because his body stopped cooperating.
Martin should retire. The only thing missing from his career is a Super Bowl ring, which plenty of Hall of Famers don't have. There is no reason to risk injuring his knee any worse and affecting his quality of life.
He's the fourth-leading rusher in NFL history behind Emmitt Smith, Walter Payton and Sanders. Only Smith, Payton and Jerome Bettis carried the ball more in their career. Martin played in one Super Bowl with the Patriots and an AFC Championship Game with the Jets, and he and Sanders are the only players to rush for over 1,000 yards in each of their first 10 seasons. That's a pretty good career.
Parcells drafted Martin in the third round in 1995 and immediately put him to work. He enjoyed recalling the story of Martin's first preseason game.
"What I did to this kid?" Parcells laughed. "I didn't have anybody else (that season) and I knew he was going to have to play. I was jamming the gasoline in the tank. I was just force feeding him. I had been talking to him about stamina and telling him, 'You don't understand what it's like. You're going to be a target.' I gave it to him as many times as I could the first game. He was hyperventilating."
Parcells then looked at Martin and said, "I'm trying to teach you. You get it yet?"
Martin called Parcells before camp opened this summer and asked if they could get together. They usually do that in the offseason in New York, but didn't have the chance this year. So, Martin, who was in Florida, flew to Dallas and met with Parcells on July23. "He wasn't here to tell me anything," Parcells said. "He wasn't sure what was going to happen."
Parcells said the drive that makes guys like Martin great works "against them when they get older. They are are so competitive and so used to trying to prove people wrong...it's been ingrained in them to fight through mental barriers and the physical barriers that exist...A lot of them never lose that."
He signed Martin to a poison-pill loaded offer sheet in 1998 that the Patriots elected not to match and set Martin up financially for life. He always gave the Jets their money's worth. The Jets surrendered first- and third-round picks as compensation. Although it was controversial at the time, it turned out to be the best move Parcells made in his four years with the Jets. And Martin is right there, along with Lawrence Taylor, Phil Simms, Keyshawn Johnson, Mark Bavaro, Carl Banks, Jim Burt and Maurice Carthon, on Parcells' list of players who "inspired" him to keep on coaching.
There's no doubt Martin makes it to the Hall of Fame on the first ballot. "Are you kidding me?" Parcells said. "If he doesn't go in, who's going? Who would you want to put in there in front of him?"
Originally published on November 1, 2006
E-mail: gmyers@ edit.nydailynews.com
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/story/467138p-393137c.html
Gary Myers
Curtis Martin never has to step on the field again to secure his place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame or in Bill Parcells' heart.
If Martin's damaged knee means he is done, and that's how it's looked since training camp in late July, Parcells said he won't be sad that it has to end this way for one of his all-time favorites. Martin has done so much in his career and Parcells says he is such a "very, very special, special, special guy," that he can't find a reason to have any remorse if Martin can't play anymore.
"He doesn't deserve a funeral," Parcells said. "He deserves a parade."
Parcells was in a good mood yesterday after the Cowboys' victory in Carolina on Sunday night saved their season. But he's always upbeat when he talks about Martin anyway.
"I can only tell you, he's one of those players who inspires you as a coach. He really does," he said from his office. "From the first day I ever met him, he wanted everything I ever had. I knew he was going to put it to use. He wanted to know what to do to be successful. 'Give me what you got, coach, I'm taking it,' he said. He's a great kid. He's a wonderful person. I can't tell you enough about him."
Martin's bone-on-bone condition in his right knee put him on the physically-unable-to-perform list when the Jets reported to camp. He hasn't practiced, other than very limited work in a mini-camp, since he had surgery last December. Martin is expected to announce today that he's abandoned his attempt to play this year, but he's not yet ready to retire. But that seems to be a formality that will come after the season.
Not everybody gets to walk away on their own terms like Tiki Barber plans to do after this season or Jim Brown and Barry Sanders did when they left, even though they had plenty of yards left in their legs. Martin has been so classy and not a moment of trouble for the Patriots and Jets, that he deserves to leave because he's had enough, not because his body stopped cooperating.
Martin should retire. The only thing missing from his career is a Super Bowl ring, which plenty of Hall of Famers don't have. There is no reason to risk injuring his knee any worse and affecting his quality of life.
He's the fourth-leading rusher in NFL history behind Emmitt Smith, Walter Payton and Sanders. Only Smith, Payton and Jerome Bettis carried the ball more in their career. Martin played in one Super Bowl with the Patriots and an AFC Championship Game with the Jets, and he and Sanders are the only players to rush for over 1,000 yards in each of their first 10 seasons. That's a pretty good career.
Parcells drafted Martin in the third round in 1995 and immediately put him to work. He enjoyed recalling the story of Martin's first preseason game.
"What I did to this kid?" Parcells laughed. "I didn't have anybody else (that season) and I knew he was going to have to play. I was jamming the gasoline in the tank. I was just force feeding him. I had been talking to him about stamina and telling him, 'You don't understand what it's like. You're going to be a target.' I gave it to him as many times as I could the first game. He was hyperventilating."
Parcells then looked at Martin and said, "I'm trying to teach you. You get it yet?"
Martin called Parcells before camp opened this summer and asked if they could get together. They usually do that in the offseason in New York, but didn't have the chance this year. So, Martin, who was in Florida, flew to Dallas and met with Parcells on July23. "He wasn't here to tell me anything," Parcells said. "He wasn't sure what was going to happen."
Parcells said the drive that makes guys like Martin great works "against them when they get older. They are are so competitive and so used to trying to prove people wrong...it's been ingrained in them to fight through mental barriers and the physical barriers that exist...A lot of them never lose that."
He signed Martin to a poison-pill loaded offer sheet in 1998 that the Patriots elected not to match and set Martin up financially for life. He always gave the Jets their money's worth. The Jets surrendered first- and third-round picks as compensation. Although it was controversial at the time, it turned out to be the best move Parcells made in his four years with the Jets. And Martin is right there, along with Lawrence Taylor, Phil Simms, Keyshawn Johnson, Mark Bavaro, Carl Banks, Jim Burt and Maurice Carthon, on Parcells' list of players who "inspired" him to keep on coaching.
There's no doubt Martin makes it to the Hall of Fame on the first ballot. "Are you kidding me?" Parcells said. "If he doesn't go in, who's going? Who would you want to put in there in front of him?"
Originally published on November 1, 2006
E-mail: gmyers@ edit.nydailynews.com
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/story/467138p-393137c.html