BYH
Active Member
YGBFKM said:BYH said:
Seriously, Martin deserves to get in, at some point, and I wouldn't argue if he got in this year. But please explain how Martin is, in your view, a slam dunk. Good player for a long time who put together an amazing season late in his career, but he was the kind of back that put fear into defenses. Please, explain yourself, baseball fan.
Because he left Pittsburgh and became a star in NYC. DUH.
Seriously, b/c he was one of the best--and probably the toughest and most durable--RB in the NFL for 11 years. He had six seasons w/1600 total yards and had more than 1400 yards in each of his first 10 seasons. The six 1,600-total yard seasons and 10 1,400-total yard seasons equal the number produced by Faulk. Martin had less than 300 carries just twice in his first 10 seasons and fell below 4.0 YPC just three times.
This is in no way saying Martin should be in and Faulk shouldn't (Faulk was a true dual threat and his four 2,000-total yard seasons are, umm, four more than Martin). But Martin ended up six yards shy (in 2002) of opening his career with 10 straight 1,100-yard seasons, which would have tied him for most all-time with Barry Sanders. And he made 88 straight starts from age 26 thru his career-ending knee injury at 32 (thank you very much, Fraud Herm Edwards), which is utterly remarkable.
Among Martin's comps (at ProFootballReference.com) after 10 seasons: Tony Dorsett, Franco Harris, Lenny Moore, Walter Payton, Jim Brown. The guy is the common link in how the Jets turned from the worst franchise in football into one of its regular playoff contenders. He was tough, he was a winner, he is a Hall of Famer. So let it be stated so let it be done.
:
