Curtis Martin's career likely over... (1 Viewer)

[aposulli]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2644240

Jets head coach Eric Mangini said earlier Monday that the team would wait until next week to make a decision about activating running back Curtis Martin for practice or ending his season. But according to a newspaper report late Monday night, it seems the decision has already been made.

Martin, the leading rusher in Jets history, will not play this season because of the same bone-on-bone condition in his right knee that has kept him on the physically-unable-to-perform list for the first eight weeks of the season, the Newark Star-Ledger reported, citing several players and a team official.

The report also said that Martin's career is likely over.

"He told me he's done," said one player, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of Mangini's policy of keeping mum about injuries. "He said he has bone-on-bone and he can't cut. Besides, he's not in any type of shape to play. The only way he would play is by some type of miracle.

"I think he's going to concentrate on his business opportunities. He feels he can make more money off the field than on it."

According the report, Martin has slowed his rehab process considerably, has been spending increasingly less time at the team complex, and rarely attends evening team meetings.

Martin, who has rushed for 14,101 yards, was injured last season in Week 2, but played in 12 games before ending his year. He underwent surgery in December, but was slow to recover. He was placed on the PUP list before training camp so he could continue to rehabilitate the knee.

"That's a hard injury to come back from," a team official, who also requested anonymity, told the newspaper. "The only thing he has to play for is pride. He doesn't have anything to prove. I don't see him playing again."

According to NFL rules, a player on the PUP list can't be cleared to practice until after Week 6. Then, a team has three weeks to decide whether to allow that player to start practicing. The deadline for the Jets is Nov. 7.

 

[Phlash]

Its sad he has to leave the game like this but a celebration of his career is in order

 

[faux_bear]

are you saying I should drop him from my roster?

 

[cantrell]

One of the quietest future Hall of Famers I can think of for a running back. Great career.

 

[[scooter]]

Wonder if Priest is next?

 

[trader jake]

Good luck Curtis.

New York is watching two great running backs leave within the same year.

 

[The Jerk]

Its sad he has to leave the game like this but a celebration of his career is in order

I'll second that. Good career, great person, and led me to four different championships.

 

[TLEF316]

the very defintion of class. The guy was a warrior who played hard every week without creating a spectacle of himself. . The very model of what an NFL player should be. First ballot HOF'er without a doubt

 

[Sweetness_34]

So do Tiki and Cmart get into the HOF in same year as 1st ballot?

 

[cantrell]

So do Tiki and Cmart get into the HOF in same year as 1st ballot?

Curtis no question, Tiki is iffy on going in first ballot.

 

[zamboni]

the very defintion of class. The guy was a warrior who played hard every week without creating a spectacle of himself. . The very model of what an NFL player should be. First ballot HOF'er without a doubt

Very well said, TLEF.I figured he wouldn't come back, but it's still sad to see as a Jets fan. While the team incessantly broke fans' hearts, having a guy like Curtis to root for was the one constant that made the situation a bit better.I hope he sticks around in some capacity to continue to work with Leon Washington - it's clear he's already had some influence in that regard.

 

[Tau837]

So do Tiki and Cmart get into the HOF in same year as 1st ballot?

I would think if Martin doesn't play this year that this counts as his first year towards HOF eligibility, which puts him one year ahead of Tiki. Martin would become eligible in 2011, along with Bettis and Faulk, with Tiki not becoming eligible until 2012.Aside from his career not being truly HOF worthy, this is one of the other primary reasons Tiki won't make it.

 

[Bri]

So do Tiki and Cmart get into the HOF in same year as 1st ballot?

I would think if Martin doesn't play this year that this counts as his first year towards HOF eligibility, which puts him one year ahead of Tiki. Martin would become eligible in 2011, along with Bettis and Faulk, with Tiki not becoming eligible until 2012.Aside from his career not being truly HOF worthy, this is one of the other primary reasons Tiki won't make it.

nah, he's getting paid

 

[Bri]

FWIW my local TV station and a little blurb on MSN.com from Fox(home page forgot to change back) have Mangini still saying he may practice next week.

 

[dooziexx]

Jets insist decision on RB Martin has not been made

 

[zamboni]

Jets insist decision on RB Martin has not been made

I don't know - it sounds like the decision has been made and Mangini doing the right thing by letting Curtis announce it himself on his terms.

 

[Joe Bryant]

So do Tiki and Cmart get into the HOF in same year as 1st ballot?

Martin Yes. Barber No.I'm not certain Barber gets in at all. Leaving this early hurts his chances. Right or wrong, he's leaving a lot of stats on the table.And we'll have to see how he handles it the rest of the way. I imagine he's smart enough to tone down the calling Tom Jackson out by name and calling the group idiots but we'll see.J

 

[Tau837]

So do Tiki and Cmart get into the HOF in same year as 1st ballot?

Martin Yes. Barber No.

Agree.

I'm not certain Barber gets in at all. Leaving this early hurts his chances. Right or wrong, he's leaving a lot of stats on the table.

I wouldn't be so sure. He will already likely be top 10 in YFS, and playing longer than this year wouldn't be at all likely to close the gap in other areas (rushing yards, TDs). If he played longer, his statistics would probably only marginally improve, unless you assume he would sustain his current performance for a while longer.My impression is that he is retiring precisely because his body is telling him it's time. Which makes me believe he wouldn't be able to sustain his current level of performance for, say, two more years. It would start to fall off. And given the other holes in his resume, any statistical gain would potentially be offset by the lasting memory of him going out like Emmitt rather than like he plans to--still at the top of his game.

And we'll have to see how he handles it the rest of the way. I imagine he's smart enough to tone down the calling Tom Jackson out by name and calling the group idiots but we'll see.

Are you saying he shouldn't be calling them idiots because it hurts his cause to insult those who vote or may have influence on voters? Or are you disagreeing with his view that they were idiots to say what they did?IMO what they said was ridiculous. And that was backed up by Tiki's teammates, who were all apparently aware that Tiki had been contemplating retirement for over a year. To say that he can't be a leader for his team this year is flat wrong. Being a leader is in large part about having the respect of those you are leading, and there is no doubt that Tiki has his teammates' respect. Take a look at Bettis last year. While he may not have said during the season that it would be his last, I think that was the general expectation... his own teammates like Roethlisberger had to talk him into returning for last season rather than retiring. And he was clearly a leader for that team. For Irvin to sit there on ESPN and call Tiki out negatively when there was absolutely no basis was absurd. It just highlights what ESPN has become. As you can tell, I don't blame Tiki at all for calling them out.