If it seems like years since Curtis Martin carried a football for the Jets, it's because it has been. He ran for 29 yards on 15 carries against the Patriots on Dec. 4, 2005. A lot has happened since then, and the Jets will continue to play games. But it's hard to believe anyone will ever again run the ball with the same determination and consistence as #28.
Sure, long before his career-ending injury I had grown weary of Martin's un-explosive, declining game. But that's only because I remember his earlier dominance. And even when he wasn't the best on the field, he was still great. He gained 1,000 yards in each of his first 10 years. He might be the most low-key of all sure Hall of Famers.
Though our new backfield looks solid with Thomas Jones and Leon Washington, I'm sure it won't be long until we're cursing ourselves and wishing for even a gimpy Curtis Martin.
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LETS LOOK AT THE NUMBERS:
1.) 56 100-yard rushing games, 43 as a Jet, in the regular season
2.) Pro Bowl in 1995, '96, '98, 2001, 2004
3.) Ran for more than 1,000 yards in each of first 10 seasons, a record he shares with Barry Sanders.
4.) Won 2004 rushing title with 1,697 yards, one more than Seattle's Shaun Alexander.
5.) Has a "perfect" passer rating of 158.3 with two TD completions on two career attempts (both to Wayne Chrebet) with an average of 18 yards per attempt.
6.) 14,101 rushing yards in 11 active seasons ranks fourth in NFL history, ranking behind only Emmitt Smith (18,355), Walter Payton (16,726) and Barry Sanders (15,269).
7.) 3,298 carries rank thrid in NFL history.
8.) 100 touchdowns (90 rushing, 10 receiving) tied with Franco Harris for 19th all-time.
9.) 90 rushing touchdowns rank him tied for 12th with Eric Dickerson.
10.) 484 receptions for 3,329 yards & 10 touchdowns.
11.) 17,430 yards from scrimmage
12.) 10,302 rushing yards and 2,560 carries are Jets records.
13.) Eligible for Hall of Fame in 2012.
14.) 1995 AP Offensive Rookie of the Year
15.) 1995 UPI AFL-AFC Rookie of the Year
16.) Ranks 7th all-time in yards from scrimmage
17.) Won the FedEx Ground Player of the Year Award in 2004.
18.) Win the Bart Starr Award in 2006.
19.) 7 Consecutive Years of 1100+ Yards Rushing
It can't be worse than losing Tiki Barber and having Brandon Jacobs/ Rueben Droughns as replacements.
Yeah, the Giants will surely miss Tiki, who has been their best offensive player for at least six years.
And I'll take Pennington's gimpy arm and accuracy over Eli's busted mechanics and floaters. Gonna be a long season if you're riding the Manning Express to every victory.
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