Zack Martin interviewing on Mike & Mike this morning

[guag]

So, what did you like about the 6ft, running 1st QB, who has a drug problem?

In fairness (not defending Manziel at all, don't like him) I think the "rolled $20 bill" photo came out after he was drafted. Unless his drug use was known previously?

 

[CashMan]

In fairness (not defending Manziel at all, don't like him) I think the "rolled $20 bill" photo came out after he was drafted. Unless his drug use was known previously?

Him partying all the time, did not suggest to you, that there probably was more than just alcohol intake with him?

 

[guag]

Him partying all the time, did not suggest to you, that there probably was more than just alcohol intake with him?

I guess the thought crossed my mind. I don't usually like to make assumptions like that though.

 

[Carolina Cowboy]

Always wanted Martin - Before the draft it just felt like he was going to be there. I just wasn't very enamored by any of the D guys in front of him and he was graded beyond safe by all the "experts". What I didn't realize is the immediate impact he would have and that JFF would be there. My head was spinning saying "No, Jerry, NOOOOOOO!!! Don't do it!!!!!" and then we picked and life was good.

 

[AsthmaField]

Wanted Aaron Donald more on draft day (and some of you will remember how much I was saying Dallas needed him)... Now, I wouldn't trade Zack Martin straight up for him.

I rarely say this about any player, but if you consider Martin's physical ability, his mental approach and his love of the game and how excited he gets playing the game, I think he is truly a special player. You get guys like him every great once-in-a-while.

 

[BAT]

Wanted Aaron Donald more on draft day (and some of you will remember how much I was saying Dallas needed him)... Now, I wouldn't trade Zack Martin straight up for him.

I rarely say this about any player, but if you consider Martin's physical ability, his mental approach and his love of the game and how excited he gets playing the game, I think he is truly a special player. You get guys like him every great once-in-a-while.

I gotta tell, you and me were probably Donald's biggest sunshine pushers here, and I am just coming around on Martin over Donald too. I do not believe he is the the reason why the OL is so dominant but he is definitely a contributing piece that is improving game by game. But his attitude, physicality and versatility have won me over big time. I thought we could find just as good an OG after the first round, in any draft, to help improve our rushing and pass protection, still feel that way. But Zack is part of the nastiest OL in the game right now, and I would not trade our results (which Zack has helped us achieve) for ANY player in that draft. This kid, like Fred, is special and the historic rushing pace is just icing on the cake right now.

 

[AsthmaField]

I gotta tell, you and me were probably Donald's biggest sunshine pushers here, and I am just coming around on Martin over Donald too. I do not believe he is the the reason why the OL is so dominant but he is definitely a contributing piece that is improving game by game. But his attitude, physicality and versatility have won me over big time. I thought we could find just as good an OG after the first round, in any draft, to help improve our rushing and pass protection, still feel that way. But Zack is part of the nastiest OL in the game right now, and I would not trade our results (which Zack has helped us achieve) for ANY player in that draft. This kid, like Fred, is special and the historic rushing pace is just icing on the cake right now.

Agreed. And just think, Martin is better now than he was in game 1, and by the last few games of the season, he will be much better than he is now. The guy is literally improving week-by-week and Seattle was his best game yet.

Heck, for that matter Martin, Frederick and Leary are all probably going to be better by the last half of the season because they're all 3 still learning. Not only are they going to continue to improve individually... but all three will also improve as they work beside each other more and more.

It is exciting to think that they can improve a good bit over what we're seeing now.

Back to Martin though... almost never do you have an offensive lineman come in as a rookie and fit in as seamlessly as Martin did. It is a testimony to his maturity, physical ability, and willingness to learn. From that video above you can see that he was as special for ND as he is for Dallas. Just an impressive individual. No wonder the guy was the team leader and won MVP of their bowl game.

 

[BrAinPaiNt]

I remember wanting Donald but was also saying in threads that would be more than happy with Martin because I figured some of the defensive guys the team wanted would be gone (Barr and Donald).

What scared me was when Manziel was still there.

I loved the Martin Pick...Loved it.

With that said I think this o line has surpassed what I thought it could be and in such a quick amount of time. Martin is not all of that but he is a key factor to it and I like him on here even more than when we drafted him.

It is funny as we have not hit on many Olinemen in the draft for some time. Free was about the only drafted Olinemen we could hang our hat on for a long time so many of us were clamoring for first round picks to be used for the Olinemen. And we have been VERY lucky so far that all three have panned out thus far. Many teams take first round Olinemen and they just don't pan out.

A random thought...

Fred pick now kind of reminds me of when the Pats took Logan Mankins. Many kind of panned that pick when it was announced. It was basically said that Mankins was a good player but he was a reach at that spot. Some said the same thing for Fred. Not going to get into the silly reach or not argument again, the point I mean is that both panned out and have helped there teams...although the Pats let him go now but I am sure you can get the gist of my point.

A Question.

I have Heard that Joel Bitonio has done well with the Browns but other than He and Martin I have not heard much about the other top linemen taken in the draft. Yes I know Joel was a 3rd rounder but that is the only other guy I have heard good things about.
Has anyone heard about the other top Linemen taken in the draft?

 

[ConstantReboot]

I gotta tell, you and me were probably Donald's biggest sunshine pushers here, and I am just coming around on Martin over Donald too. I do not believe he is the the reason why the OL is so dominant but he is definitely a contributing piece that is improving game by game. But his attitude, physicality and versatility have won me over big time. I thought we could find just as good an OG after the first round, in any draft, to help improve our rushing and pass protection, still feel that way. But Zack is part of the nastiest OL in the game right now, and I would not trade our results (which Zack has helped us achieve) for ANY player in that draft. This kid, like Fred, is special and the historic rushing pace is just icing on the cake right now.

Hey count me in as part of the club. Heck, I was all in with Donald too even to the point that we should have traded up to get him. I think Donald would have been great with Marinelli. However, Martin just solidified our oline from just being good to dominant. Now looking back, Im sooo glad Martin fell to us and we picked him.

 

[BAT]

I remember wanting Donald but was also saying in threads that would be more than happy with Martin because I figured some of the defensive guys the team wanted would be gone (Barr and Donald).

What scared me was when Manziel was still there.

I loved the Martin Pick...Loved it.

With that said I think this o line has surpassed what I thought it could be and in such a quick amount of time. Martin is not all of that but he is a key factor to it and I like him on here even more than when we drafted him.

It is funny as we have not hit on many Olinemen in the draft for some time. Free was about the only drafted Olinemen we could hang our hat on for a long time so many of us were clamoring for first round picks to be used for the Olinemen. And we have been VERY lucky so far that all three have panned out thus far. Many teams take first round Olinemen and they just don't pan out.

A random thought...

Fred pick now kind of reminds me of when the Pats took Logan Mankins. Many kind of panned that pick when it was announced. It was basically said that Mankins was a good player but he was a reach at that spot. Some said the same thing for Fred. Not going to get into the silly reach or not argument again, the point I mean is that both panned out and have helped there teams...although the Pats let him go now but I am sure you can get the gist of my point.

A Question.

I have Heard that Joel Bitonio has done well with the Browns but other than He and Martin I have not heard much about the other top linemen taken in the draft. Yes I know Joel was a 3rd rounder but that is the only other guy I have heard good things about.
Has anyone heard about the other top Linemen taken in the draft?

Browns have one of the better OLs in the game and also have a very good rushing attack, this without a workhorse back like Murray (they have 2 really good rooks though). I am sure Bitonio is a good part for that team's success, along with other OL studs like Joe Thomas and Alex Mack (pre-injury). But I think the guys who have really stepped up were previous no names: Greco and Swartz. Greco even took over for the injured Mack at C and Browns did not lose a beat.

 

[BAT]

Hey count me in as part of the club. Heck, I was all in with Donald too even to the point that we should have traded up to get him. I think Donald would have been great with Marinelli. However, Martin just solidified our oline from just being good to dominant. Now looking back, Im sooo glad Martin fell to us and we picked him.

LOL. How could I have forgotten Constant, we were like 3 broken records on Donald.

 

[DogFace]

I wanted Donald, then Martin.

What in Manziel's game did you like? IMO, running QBs are not successful, yes there are outliers, but I do not think they specifically will lead you to a SB. In SF and Seattle's case, it was 100% those Defenses. So, what did you like about the 6ft, running 1st QB, who has a drug problem?

I saw him kill Alabama with pinpoint passes. The only games I watctched were against top teams and he was the best player on the field. His running was over shadowed by perfect passing. He also seemed to never take a big hit. A talent IMO.

I still think he will be very a good QB.
Martin, however puts us over the top and gives us the no. 1 line in the NFL.

 

[DandyDon1722]

Man, every time I see one of the guys on the line not in uniform I think I've seen them a hundred times checking out at Walmart. Just one of the boys, jeans, work boots, dirty ole hat and flannel shirt -- and I say to myself - that's a big dude, I wonder if he played football.

And correct me if I'm wrong but Parnell is the biggest, isn't he.

 

[Sage3030]

Man, every time I see one of the guys on the line not in uniform I think I've seen them a hundred times checking out at Walmart. Just one of the boys, jeans, work boots, dirty ole hat and flannel shirt -- and I say to myself - that's a big dude, I wonder if he played football.

And correct me if I'm wrong but Parnell is the biggest, isn't he.

I saw Bradie James at Costco the other day begging his woman to let him get the three-ply toilet paper. It was awesome.

"It's my ***! Let's get these!" That was the line I heard.

 

[AsthmaField]

I remember wanting Donald but was also saying in threads that would be more than happy with Martin because I figured some of the defensive guys the team wanted would be gone (Barr and Donald).

What scared me was when Manziel was still there.

I loved the Martin Pick...Loved it.

It seems like I do remember you saying Martin would be good if Donald was gone. I also liked Martin, but I can't take any credit for that because I was so focused on Donald that I didn't spend much time looking at other options.

With that said I think this o line has surpassed what I thought it could be and in such a quick amount of time. Martin is not all of that but he is a key factor to it and I like him on here even more than when we drafted him.

Well, I know Martin isn't the sole reason for the lines superb line play but he really is playing very, very well... especially for a rookie. He routinely gets to the second and third level and is almost making zero mistakes. He has solidified the entire unit IMO.

It is funny as we have not hit on many Olinemen in the draft for some time. Free was about the only drafted Olinemen we could hang our hat on for a long time so many of us were clamoring for first round picks to be used for the Olinemen. And we have been VERY lucky so far that all three have panned out thus far. Many teams take first round Olinemen and they just don't pan out.

Lucky indeed. If anyone tries to copy what we did along the line, they better be ready to gamble almost half a decade's worth of first round picks... and if they miss, they're going to be screwed. A lot of OL aren't what they're cracked up to be in the pre-draft process.

Somebody has been going one hell of a job judging talent in Dallas for the last few years.

A random thought...

Fred pick now kind of reminds me of when the Pats took Logan Mankins. Many kind of panned that pick when it was announced. It was basically said that Mankins was a good player but he was a reach at that spot. Some said the same thing for Fred. Not going to get into the silly reach or not argument again, the point I mean is that both panned out and have helped there teams...although the Pats let him go now but I am sure you can get the gist of my point.

Ha! I thought of that exact thing after we picked Frederick. I might have even written it here at the zone in the melee that broke out after that choice, but I can't remember. Yes, it is very much like Mankins being picked "too soon" and then turning into an indispensable part of New England's OL. I actually think Frederick is the key to the whole unit, and I'm not so sure that center isn't the most vital position along the line. I certainly believe that intelligence is a huge part of what you want in a center, that's for sure.

A Question.

I have Heard that Joel Bitonio has done well with the Browns but other than He and Martin I have not heard much about the other top linemen taken in the draft. Yes I know Joel was a 3rd rounder but that is the only other guy I have heard good things about.
Has anyone heard about the other top Linemen taken in the draft?

I have sort of been following the other OL taken in round 1 because we took an OL:

#2 overall pick Greg Robinson (who I thought would be really good) has been a disappointment in St. Louis. They're now trying him at guard but he isn't setting the world on fire there either.
#6 overall pick Jake Matthews isn't doing that great either, but he's a Matthews, so he'll probably be just fine. Not nearly as good as Martin though.
#11 overall pick Taylor Lewan (who I thought would be good) isn't doing very well in Tenn. Last I heard, he wasn't even starting for them and the coaches were disappointed.
#19 overall pick Ja'Waun James has done ok in Miami. He has won the starting spot but has only been playing so-so.

So Martin is playing better than any other first round pick in this year's draft, by a good measure. Nobody has even been good... much less extremely impressive like Martin.

That was a pick for the record books. Nice job by Dallas.

 

[Macnalty]

#2 overall pick Greg Robinson (who I thought would be really good) has been a disappointment in St. Louis. They're now trying him at guard but he isn't setting the world on fire there either.
#6 overall pick Jake Matthews isn't doing that great either, but he's a Matthews, so he'll probably be just fine. Not nearly as good as Martin though.
#11 overall pick Taylor Lewan (who I thought would be good) isn't doing very well in Tenn. Last I heard, he wasn't even starting for them and the coaches were disappointed.
#19 overall pick Ja'Waun James has done ok in Miami. He has won the starting spot but has only been playing so-so.

So Martin is playing better than any other first round pick in this year's draft, by a good measure. Nobody has even been good... much less extremely impressive like Martin.

That was a pick for the record books. Nice job by Dallas.[/quote]

Joel Bitonio Guard Cleveland is outplaying Martin at this point in time, he was drafted 2nd rd 3rd pick. Martin has been coming on strong these last couple of games, he has a chance at offensive rookie of the year if none of the highly drafted WR's step up.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...onio-quietly-standing-out-as-nfls-best-rookie

 

[CashMan]

#2 overall pick Greg Robinson (who I thought would be really good) has been a disappointment in St. Louis. They're now trying him at guard but he isn't setting the world on fire there either.
#6 overall pick Jake Matthews isn't doing that great either, but he's a Matthews, so he'll probably be just fine. Not nearly as good as Martin though.
#11 overall pick Taylor Lewan (who I thought would be good) isn't doing very well in Tenn. Last I heard, he wasn't even starting for them and the coaches were disappointed.
#19 overall pick Ja'Waun James has done ok in Miami. He has won the starting spot but has only been playing so-so.

So Martin is playing better than any other first round pick in this year's draft, by a good measure. Nobody has even been good... much less extremely impressive like Martin.

That was a pick for the record books. Nice job by Dallas.

Joel Bitonio Guard Cleveland is outplaying Martin at this point in time, he was drafted 2nd rd 3rd pick. Martin has been coming on strong these last couple of games, he has a chance at offensive rookie of the year if none of the highly drafted WR's step up.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...onio-quietly-standing-out-as-nfls-best-rookie[/quote]

I thought Robinson was the bust, Mathews was the stud, and Lewan was the solid starter.

 

[ConstantReboot]

#2 overall pick Greg Robinson (who I thought would be really good) has been a disappointment in St. Louis. They're now trying him at guard but he isn't setting the world on fire there either.
#6 overall pick Jake Matthews isn't doing that great either, but he's a Matthews, so he'll probably be just fine. Not nearly as good as Martin though.
#11 overall pick Taylor Lewan (who I thought would be good) isn't doing very well in Tenn. Last I heard, he wasn't even starting for them and the coaches were disappointed.
#19 overall pick Ja'Waun James has done ok in Miami. He has won the starting spot but has only been playing so-so.

So Martin is playing better than any other first round pick in this year's draft, by a good measure. Nobody has even been good... much less extremely impressive like Martin.

That was a pick for the record books. Nice job by Dallas.

Joel Bitonio Guard Cleveland is outplaying Martin at this point in time, he was drafted 2nd rd 3rd pick. Martin has been coming on strong these last couple of games, he has a chance at offensive rookie of the year if none of the highly drafted WR's step up.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...onio-quietly-standing-out-as-nfls-best-rookie[/quote]

I would take bleacher report with a massive grain of salt. Sure Bitonio is playing well. But so has Martin.

I don't take things seriously when he says he's the best guard but didn't give us his based on what criteria. Then picks out a few select photos which tries to prove his point.

Whats even worst is that he didn't even mention anything about Zach as another rookie guard and gave no comparison. Yet he mentions something about Robinson. This is nothing more than a puff piece article and nothing more. Like I said, take it with a grain of salt.

 

[AsthmaField]

Joel Bitonio Guard Cleveland is outplaying Martin at this point in time, he was drafted 2nd rd 3rd pick. Martin has been coming on strong these last couple of games, he has a chance at offensive rookie of the year if none of the highly drafted WR's step up.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...onio-quietly-standing-out-as-nfls-best-rookie

I thought Robinson was the bust, Mathews was the stud, and Lewan was the solid starter.[/quote]

Is Mathews playing really well? I had heard something after the first couple of games that made me think he wasn't doing as well as expected. I can't remember where I read it, but it wasn't a glowing report of him. However, if you've heard differently, then you could be correct.

Lewan I know was not starting when the season started and Tenn fans weren't thrilled with him, but again, if you've heard otherwise, then I'm not going to argue with you. I was basically going off of what I've picked up here and there since camp began.

The one thing I'm sure of is that Robinson is a massive disappointment to this point.

 

[AsthmaField]

Joel Bitonio Guard Cleveland is outplaying Martin at this point in time, he was drafted 2nd rd 3rd pick. Martin has been coming on strong these last couple of games, he has a chance at offensive rookie of the year if none of the highly drafted WR's step up.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...onio-quietly-standing-out-as-nfls-best-rookie

I would take bleacher report with a massive grain of salt. Sure Bitonio is playing well. But so has Martin.

I don't take things seriously when he says he's the best guard but didn't give us his based on what criteria. Then picks out a few select photos which tries to prove his point.

Whats even worst is that he didn't even mention anything about Zach as another rookie guard and gave no comparison. Yet he mentions something about Robinson. This is nothing more than a puff piece article and nothing more. Like I said, take it with a grain of salt.[/quote]

Yeah, I wouldn't put any stock in a BR article. Bitonio is playing well, but I seriously doubt he's playing any better than Martin... and would be surprised to see him doing the same things Martin is.

I have read a few places myself about Martin possibly winning offensive rookie of the year. For the author to not even mention Martin as competition shows a bias, IMO.

Anyway, it doesn't really matter. I wouldn't trade Martin for anyone else at this point.