Curtis Martin knee injured... career over

euphoria18

Martin hints career may be over



BY RICH CIMINI
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER


Curtis Martin is eligible to return to practice but ailing knee has put star running back's career in jeopardy.

Curtis Martin is supposed to start practicing in two or three weeks, but he may never step on the field again.
In a 10-minute interview yesterday at his locker, Martin seemed conflicted on whether to resume his career. At one point, the Jets' injured running back talked about returning to practice and winning the scout-team player-of-the-week award, but he also acknowledged for the first time that he's mulling retirement because of his surgically repaired right knee.

Martin was eligible to begin practicing this week, but friends say he wanted to take an extra two weeks to weigh his options. He confirmed that he's soliciting advice from others because "sometimes you need eyes outside your own," and it's believed people in his inner circle are urging him to retire.

The future Hall of Famer, 33, sounded like he knows the end is approaching.

"The hardest part about this deal is that I can't just will myself to do things right now," Martin said. "I have to be smart and that's what I'm trying to do."

Martin admitted he hasn't tested his knee by cutting on it. That, he said, is a concern - ominous words from a player who never has revealed vulnerability. He also said it's not a given he will return to practice during the three-week window for players on the physically-unable-to-perform list.

"'Definitely' is not a word I'm going to use," he said. "'Hopefully' is the word that I will use. You can't have anything etched in stone in this situation."

Martin is expected to start practicing Nov. 1 at the earliest (the Jets' bye week), according to Eric Mangini. If he doesn't start by Nov. 8, Martin is ineligible to play for the rest of the season.

Once he begins practice, the Jets will have another three weeks to make the decision (if Martin hasn't made it by then). They can add him to the roster or place him on injured reserve, ending his season - and, in all likelihood, his career.

Out of respect for Martin, the club appears willing to give him the opportunity to practice. Why the two-week delay? After 10 months of rehab, it's hard to imagine that another two weeks will make a difference.

"I think another two weeks will help us make a wiser decision," Martin said.

Martin's trademark bravado was missing. In past seasons, he used mind games to help him overcome injuries, convincing himself to block out pain. His longstanding philosophy with injuries is to play until he crosses the "stupidity" line.

"I'm probably on that borderline of stupidity," said Martin, 10 months removed from surgery. "I have to be honest with myself."

Martin claimed he's "running a little better," but apparently not at full speed. He admitted "the one thing I was concerned about was making the cuts. Once you get out there, instincts take over, and I haven't been put in that situation, so I don't know how it will turn out."

Martin conceded he may never play again.

"If that ends up being the situation, I'm sure I'll make peace with it," he said. "But until that is a reality, my mind won't make peace with it."

Martin's crosstown counterpart, Tiki Barber, appears intent on retiring on his own terms, healthy and still productive. Martin supported Barber's decision.

"I think every NFL player's dream is to go out on your own terms," Martin said. "But sometimes it doesn't happen like that."

When Martin returns to the practice field - if he returns - he intends to make quite a statement.

"My No. 1 goal," he said, "is getting the scout player of the week."

It would be a humble, yet poignant start to his comeback - if it gets that far.

ziggy29

He's only 33? It seems like he's been in the league for 33 years.

Boopotts

<< <i>He's only 33? It seems like he's been in the league for 33 years. >>



It's also weird to see that he spent all but three years of his career with the Jets. I've always thought of him as a Patriot who just went to the Jets maybe three or four years ago. I had no idea he'd been in NY since 1998.

ToppsCo1lector

Definite HOF'er, one of the most underappreciated backs of this era.

lawnmowerman

I like him. I wonder if there will be some demand for his cards on ebay?

Boopotts

<< <i>I like him. I wonder if there will be some demand for his cards on ebay? >>



One thing I've always found strange is how little demand there is for modern, graded non-RC cards of all but the most elite players. In football, for instance, you have Elway, Marino, Emmitt, Barry Sanders, Montana, Jerry Rice and Favre, and that's really it. And in baseball you have maybe 10 modern players who are actively and aggressively being collected by people involved in graded set registries. I would have thought that as the set registry idea matured you'd find more people building sets of 'hometown hero' type athletes ( e.g. Joe Dumars) and second tier HOFers, but to date that hasn't really happened.

lawnmowerman

<< <i>

<< <i>I like him. I wonder if there will be some demand for his cards on ebay? >>



One thing I've always found strange is how little demand there is for modern, graded non-RC cards of all but the most elite players. In football, for instance, you have Elway, Marino, Emmitt, Barry Sanders, Montana, Jerry Rice and Favre, and that's really it. And in baseball you have maybe 10 modern players who are actively and aggressively being collected by people involved in graded set registries. I would have thought that as the set registry idea matured you'd find more people building sets of 'hometown hero' type athletes ( e.g. Joe Dumars) and second tier HOFers, but to date that hasn't really happened. >>



Good call!

I was browsing the player list last night and found it hard to believe there was no Michael Irvin set.

Matt

softparade

Cutis was great! HOF'er

Boopotts

<< <i>

<< <i>

<< <i>I like him. I wonder if there will be some demand for his cards on ebay? >>



One thing I've always found strange is how little demand there is for modern, graded non-RC cards of all but the most elite players. In football, for instance, you have Elway, Marino, Emmitt, Barry Sanders, Montana, Jerry Rice and Favre, and that's really it. And in baseball you have maybe 10 modern players who are actively and aggressively being collected by people involved in graded set registries. I would have thought that as the set registry idea matured you'd find more people building sets of 'hometown hero' type athletes ( e.g. Joe Dumars) and second tier HOFers, but to date that hasn't really happened. >>



Good call!

I was browsing the player list last night and found it hard to believe there was no Michael Irvin set.

Matt >>



In addition to that, nobody is seriously collecting Aikman, Steve Young, Eric Dickerson, Jim Kelly (or Thurman Thomas)....

Or, I should say that nobody is buying their stuff on Ebay. Maybe people are putting stuff together via their own submissions, but the market for graded cards of player like these is essentially dead. And these aren't 'lesser lights' either-- they're guys who have pretty big fan bases, and left a sizeable impact on the NFL when they played.

lawnmowerman

<< <i>

<< <i>

<< <i>

<< <i>I like him. I wonder if there will be some demand for his cards on ebay? >>



One thing I've always found strange is how little demand there is for modern, graded non-RC cards of all but the most elite players. In football, for instance, you have Elway, Marino, Emmitt, Barry Sanders, Montana, Jerry Rice and Favre, and that's really it. And in baseball you have maybe 10 modern players who are actively and aggressively being collected by people involved in graded set registries. I would have thought that as the set registry idea matured you'd find more people building sets of 'hometown hero' type athletes ( e.g. Joe Dumars) and second tier HOFers, but to date that hasn't really happened. >>



Good call!

I was browsing the player list last night and found it hard to believe there was no Michael Irvin set.

Matt >>



In addition to that, nobody is seriously collecting Aikman, Steve Young, Eric Dickerson, Jim Kelly (or Thurman Thomas)....

Or, I should say that nobody is buying their stuff on Ebay. Maybe people are putting stuff together via their own submissions, but the market for graded cards of player like these is essentially dead. And these aren't 'lesser lights' either-- they're guys who have pretty big fan bases, and left a sizeable impact on the NFL when they played. >>

Again, Right on!
I started my Troy Set last night and was surprised to see I was in second place with two cards. There is only one other guy doing the set

Boopotts

<< <i>

<< <i>

<< <i>

<< <i>

<< <i>I like him. I wonder if there will be some demand for his cards on ebay? >>



One thing I've always found strange is how little demand there is for modern, graded non-RC cards of all but the most elite players. In football, for instance, you have Elway, Marino, Emmitt, Barry Sanders, Montana, Jerry Rice and Favre, and that's really it. And in baseball you have maybe 10 modern players who are actively and aggressively being collected by people involved in graded set registries. I would have thought that as the set registry idea matured you'd find more people building sets of 'hometown hero' type athletes ( e.g. Joe Dumars) and second tier HOFers, but to date that hasn't really happened. >>



Good call!

I was browsing the player list last night and found it hard to believe there was no Michael Irvin set.

Matt >>



In addition to that, nobody is seriously collecting Aikman, Steve Young, Eric Dickerson, Jim Kelly (or Thurman Thomas)....

Or, I should say that nobody is buying their stuff on Ebay. Maybe people are putting stuff together via their own submissions, but the market for graded cards of player like these is essentially dead. And these aren't 'lesser lights' either-- they're guys who have pretty big fan bases, and left a sizeable impact on the NFL when they played. >>

Again, Right on!
I started my Troy Set last night and was surprised to see I was in second place with two cards. There is only one other guy doing the set >>




Isn't that funny? While it's true that the set registry concept has really taken off in the past 7 years or so, what's really surprising to me is how much more potential growth there is in it. I think the reason you don't see more guys doing something like an Aikman set (or Griffey in baseball, or Koby in baskeball, and so on) is because people are reluctant to sink 5K or more into grading fees/Ebay purchases for these cards. But I do think there would be a demand for registered sets of more modern players if a grading company changed the graded set paradigm. Maybe something like a Topps Basic/Topps Master, or UD Basic/UD Master, in addition to the more comprehensive Basic/Master sets? If PSA (or BGS, for that matter) decide to construct the sets in such a way that completing them actually seems possible I think it will attract more collectors-- in addition to keeping the interest of fanatical weirdos like yourself

WinPitcher

Boo

Are people doing the players/sets raw? I know I do almost 6 type sets a year and all are done raw. I do a few Psa sets but most sets
are done raw. I think many people may be doing these but doing them raw.


steve

edited to add Curtis has been the mainstay for years.

Axtell

I'd have to think that perhaps the lack of interest in modern player set registries stems directly by the overwhelming number of issues...in addition, the amount of work needed to sort through what would be a basic set entry, let alone the master set registry.

Boopotts

<< <i>Boo

Are people doing the players/sets raw? I know I do almost 6 type sets a year and all are done raw. I do a few Psa sets but most sets
are done raw. I think many people may be doing these but doing them raw.


steve

edited to add Curtis has been the mainstay for years. >>




Oh yeah-- I think there's definite interest in these kinds of cards, but just no real market for them slabbed. But, if completing a modern player set was made to feel a little less daunting then I think there would be more interested. For instance, I'd probably take the plunge on a graded Topps Basic (or maybe Topps Master) Barry Sanders set, but there's just no way I'm going to sink thousands of dollars into a basic/master set of Barry as things currently stand.

Boopotts

<< <i>I'd have to think that perhaps the lack of interest in modern player set registries stems directly by the overwhelming number of issues...in addition, the amount of work needed to sort through what would be a basic set entry, let alone the master set registry. >>



I think this is a real big part of it. There's ways to make the project a little less 'resource intensive', but so far no major grading company has stepped up and done anything to that effect.