NEW ORLEANS – Where would the Jets be without Curtis Martin?
Very possibly battling with the likes of the Lions, Panthers, Bills and Chiefs for rights to the No. 1 pick in the 2002 NFL Draft.
The 4-3 Jets ride the back of Martin and his NFL-leading 738 rushing yards into the Superdome for a pivotal game against the 4-2 Saints tonight.
That the game is being televised nationally by ESPN is of some significance with regard to Martin.
Despite the fact that Martin is the 17th all-time leading rusher in the NFL and the fact that only Barry Sanders and Eric Dickerson have rushed for 1,000 or more yards in their first seven seasons (something Martin is destined to do within a few of weeks), he’s too often overlooked as one of the league’s elite backs.
Because of his low-key personality and preference not to pump himself up, regardless of how many glowing words of praise are written about him in New York, Martin still seems to be overshadowed.
A vintage Martin performance that helps the Jets upset the favored Saints would go a long way toward opening the nation’s eyes to his Pro Bowl talents.
That, however, isn’t what Martin is after.
“The way it is is the way I prefer it to be,” Martin said. “I’d rather be known as the most underrated versus the most overrated. Something like that would get under my skin, to be overrated.
“I don’t seek accolades,” Martin went on. “All I care about is doing my job. As long as I do that, I can be the only person on earth doing it, and the only person on earth who sees it. I don’t carry myself in a way that demands attention. I’m the type of guy you might just find somewhere, the type of person you have to look for.”
It’s that very unselfish attitude that endears Martin to his coaches and teammates that keeps him from being atop everyone’s Pro Bowl voting list each winter.
“He doesn’t tell you what he’s going to do; he just goes out there and does it,” Jets receiver Wayne Chrebet said. “He doesn’t politic or anything. He just gets his job done and that’s it. He’s just a very, very humble player. He’s a great guy on and off the field, the kind of guy you want to block for any do anything you can for.”
When pressed, Martin revealed some of what he believes separates him from other NFL backs.
“I just think it’s more or less my vision and determination,” he said. “I feel like I play most of my game on pure ‘want to.’ If there’s a situation where I shouldn’t get anything, I’m determined to get something.
“Sometimes, those things turn into bigger runs instead of just one or two yards. Sometimes, they turn into that 30-yard gain. More than anything, it’s just pure desire.”
That desire keeps Martin on the field and thwarts coaches year after year from replacing him even for a series or two.
“You look at him, [Pittsburgh’s] Jerome Bettis, [Tennessee’s] Eddie George and they have had the most carries in the NFL [for the last several years],” Edwards said. “Curtis, stature wise, is not as big as those men, but his heart is. He’s a unique player.
“You try to get him out of games, but he looks at me like, ‘Coach, I missed one play,’ and I’ve got to get him back in there.”
The longer the Jets are able to keep Martin on the field and running downhill with positive yards tonight, the better the Jets’ chances will be to overcome this tough, aggressive Saints defense that’s ranked No. 6 in the NFL against the run.
“He’s all you want,” Edwards said. “He sets a great example for everyone on the football team. If you want to be better today, then watch how No. 28 does it.”
You could argue that if the Jets fielded 22 No. 28s on that Superdome field they’d be heavy favorites to win this game.