Goodbye, Curtis

One of my first stories as The Record's new Jets' beat writer was about Curtis Martin's retirement. But I consider myself fortunate, because I'm able to appreciate his career.

By coincidence, Martin's first home game as a Jet in 1998 (a loss to Baltimore on Sept. 13) was also my first Jets' home game after joining The Record earlier that year. I haven't missed a regular-season home game since. By no means am I comparing durability among writers to durability among players, just illustrating that I'm lucky enough to have witnessed many of Martin's greatest performances. In fact, Martin missed only one game with the Jets until a degenerative bone-on-bone condition in his right knee forced him out the lineup after the 12th game of the 2005 season.

But more important than all the impressive numbers (14,101 rushing yards---fourth all-time in the NFL, five Pro Bowl, 10 straight 1,000 yards seasons) was the decency Martin always showed. In a league that now seems to have been overrun by the Tank Johnsons, Pacman Joneses and Michael Vicks of the world, Martin was at the other end of that spectrum. As he put it Thursday, “When my name is mentioned, it's not necessarily [as an] amazingly talented athlete, as much as it's my character and what I stood for.”

Here are some of his thoughts on his career and on the NFL in general:

“I cannot say that I started out with the Hall of Fame being a goal. Now, I realize it's something that's an honor and I am appreciative that I am able to discuss. I understand what everyone tells me a first ballot Hall of Famer - but I’m not one to count his chickens before they hatch. I hope to get in there. It would be great for me and it would be an honor.”

When asked if not winning a Super Bowl left an emotional pain, he said “Not a pain, an unfulfilled desire. I make transitions based on my circumstances. Now my goal is to win a Super Bowl as an owner.” He indicated he expects soon to be part of an NFL ownership group. He didnt say which team it was or what teams it isn't, but it's not the Jets.

When asked if he regretted continuing to play in 2005 after injuring his right knee in the second and fourth games of the season, he said, “I don't have any regrets. I feel like I am leaving this game exactly how I would want to. I know I am stubborn when it comes to football. I knew that it would take something like this. And gratefully, it's not too bad that it's going to impact the rest of my life where I need a wheelchair or cane. From what I understand, had I gone back out there on the field, that might have been the outcome of it.”

When asked about so many NFL players being in trouble with the law, he said, “One thing that is a common denominator in the off-season problems are three of the most dangerous things in life. If I had an enemy, these are the three things I would give to him: fame, power and money. Those things are very dangerous and if they are not managed in a mature way, they usually become destructive. That's what we are seeing more so than anything - people having the ability to do things that normally they would not have the ability to do.

On one of his post-playing career objectives: “I have partnered with Mayor Bloomberg in New York City to start an initiative to decrease homelessness by two-thirds by 2009. We've taken some great steps and we're going to make this happen.”

The Jets’ media relations department got numerous quotes from current and former Jets’ players and coaches, as well as opponents and others who have crossed paths with Martin over the years. One of the ones that sums it up best is this one from Kevin Mawae, who also signed with the Jets as a free agent in 1998.

“No player wants to leave the game due to injury,” said the current Tennessee Titan, “but in his case, football didn’t define him as a person and this is more of a beginning than an ending for him.”

True to form, Martin not only thanked the reporters who had covered him, but also thanked Jets’ fans and the owners he played for with the Patriots and Jets. For a man who usually was called “Curt” by his teammates, Martin was anything but curt, almost always expansive on his answers to questions from the media, as opposed to spewing out the usual clichés.

My favorite of many Curtis Martin memories was the day in Dec. 2003 when he rushed for 174 yards on 30 carries on a snow-covered field in a win against the Steelers. In a meaningless game between two teams going nowhere that season, Martin, the consummate pro, had the fifth-highest single-game rushing total in his career.

It actually evoked a fond memory of Martin’s difficult childhood growing up in a rough area of Pittsburgh, where his mother kept him away from all of the potential bad influences. “My mom is my hero,” he said Thursday.

On that day in the snow, Martin broke a 56-yard run despite the conditions. “We used to play tackle football on the concrete when it snowed, because the snow was soft and cushioned,” he said. “In the childhood, on that long run, nobody would have caught me.”

And expect Martin to again set the pace in his new career.

Comments

[Jamaica McDaniel]

I miss your face good luck in life.

[Jamaica McDaniel]

I miss your face good luck in life.

[moncler jacket]

Now we have a great walkway that goes to the beach and to the canals that came from the partnership of community with government