25 best Offensive Rookie of the Year winners ranked by playing career
By Nick Villano
25 best Offensive Rookie of the Year winners ranked by playing career: 9. Curtis Martin – New England Patriots
It happens all the time. Time passes by, and the greatness of certain players just doesn’t hold the same candle as others. When Curtis Martin was in the league, he seemed to be constantly underrated. He was a 1,000-yard rusher for 10 straight seasons to start his career. Again, for the first 10 seasons of Curtis Martin’s career, he NEVER had under 1,000 yards.
His rookie year was special. He had 1,487 yards and 14 rushing touchdowns. He added 287 yards receiving and another touchdown for good measure. He was so good for so long. His consistency is unmatched. He led the league in rushing in his 10th season on the field. That’s just something that doesn’t happen in any era of the NFL. To get north of 1,900 total yards and more than 400 total touches in your age 31 season is phenomenal.
He rushed for 93 first downs that season. When the New York Jets needed a play, Martin made it. He had been in the league long enough to know exactly what he had to do exactly when he had to do it.
Martin didn’t get a lot of chances to show out in the playoffs, but one time he was part of the Patriots’ run to the Super Bowl, and he scored five touchdowns in three games. That’s very impressive for a young player. He even took an 18-yard run to the house to get the Patriots back in it. You may not remember that, and it’s unfortunate because a lot of this career is really special.