Curtis Martin: Ex-Pat Goes Home To Break Record

When the Patriots accepted the Jets 1st & 3rd round draft picks in exchange for Curtis Martin in 1998, they no doubt thought their assessment of him as an 'oft-injured, soft runner' was legit. Many pundits criticized Parcells for paying such a hefty price. Now Martin sits just 30-yards shy of leap-frogging one of the leagues greatest icons who set the benchmark for toughness and durability in his day, Jim Brown. It seems only fitting that Curtis Martin would return to New England to accomplish the feat. The Patriots haven't made many mistakes in recent years, but this Sunday, the franchise's worst gaffe, and the Jets most prolific acquisition, is coming to pay a visit to Foxboro. Both teams enter the game with untarnished records, and Martin enters this game with six 100-yard games notched on his belt against his former employer. Should be a dandy. If you are only watching one game this week, this should be it.

On approaching the game with a playoff mentality:

Herman Edwards: I think the atmosphere of it is somewhat that. You have two teams who are 5-0, so that's probably a good approach to be taking. The atmosphere alone has created that, it's a division game, it's on the road, it's against the best team in football. There's going to be some of that because of the intensity the players will have, that mindset on both sides of the football. The mental anguish you will go through, the anxiety you will have in your gut, you're going to go through that. We all will. That's good.

On the accomplishment of Curtis Martin passing Jim Brown this week:

Herman Edwards: It's very big. I think a lot of people look at Jim Brown, especially the older guys, that Jim Brown was the guy. Growing up, when I watched football, number 32-Jim Brown-oh yea-Jim Brown. He's seventh on the list at this point in time, but I think that any guy who knows a little bit on the history of football, Jim Brown was the mark. He was the mark. I think it's kind of ironic, Curtis had a conversation-he was out in California with Jim and now he has a chance to surpass him. I think it's a neat deal. Jim is the kind of great player, and I think everyone knows this, when you set a record, you're setting a goal for other guys to try and achieve. They know eventually someone will get it. But the fact that you set the mark, everyone else has to follow it if they want any kind of greatness, if they want to have a great career. That's what's great about sports/athletics. Someone sets it and then you go okay, here's the goal. Here's what this team did, here's what this player did individually, so you have a mark. You try and obviously establish it and hopefully one day you can pass that.

On Martin surpassing this record against a team who is said to have not believed in his longevity:

Herman Edwards: I don't know what happened. I wasn't in that conversation and I don't want to get into he/she/they said. Curtis Martin is a Jet. He's getting ready to surpass Jim Brown's record, that's fine with me. We'll leave it at that. All that other stuff, I don't do that. I don't gossip. - Herman Edwards: Press Point

Football: Jets Head Coach Herman Edwards 10/22/04 [Press Point]
Photo: [Getty Images]

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