Everything you need to know about TT's 4th Round Pick... ILB Blake Martinez

[George Cumby]

Me too. I just hope his instincts are better than Ryan's.

[pbmax]

I think Ryan stands a good chance of improvement. He got better after he got on the field and played several games. He misses became less obvious.

[wist43]

I think Martinez can be a poor man's Luke Kuechly...

I saw his 40 time listed at 4.62, but someone posted that he ran a 4.72?? Doesn't seem like much, but that could make a difference. Still, I think he has the smarts and instincts to avoid false steps and be much more effective in subpackages than either Barrington or Ryan.

One thing is for sure - if we have to live with Barrington and/or Ryan on the field in subpackages?? We're in for a very long season.

[woodbuck27]

This is a fairly decent article about how Martinez will fill the Packers needs at ILB:

http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/...-olb/83924910/

Unlike the typical fluff piece, this one goes into some detail about how he was actually used at Stanford and includes a lot of references matchups he had in games, etc..

Comment woodbuck27:

Edit from original source:

" ...Four days before the Pac-12 title game Blake Martinez was “very doubtful” to play.

Martinez wouldn’t hear it.....diagnosed with a high-ankle sprain, an injury that can keep some players out four to six weeks. Martinez was determined not to miss one.

Martinez wasn’t just on the field. He led Stanford with 11 tackles, four more than any teammate.

His blindside sack of USC quarterback Cody Kessler forced a fumble returned for touchdown.. Martinez didn’t test his ankle out until pregame drills and played all four quarters, making the “game-clinching” play that sent Stanford to their third Rose Bowl in four seasons.

“I don’t know how he did it,” Hansen said, “but to be able to play in that game based on what his ankle looked like the Tuesday of game week, it’s an all-time story for me. An instant favorite.” ....

[mraynrand]

I think Ryan stands a good chance of improvement. He got better after he got on the field and played several games. He misses became less obvious.

he had some nice plays with good recognition in both playoff games. Dude was a rookie.

[Patler]

Apparently he is a really bright kid too. While many of the Packers rookies will be prevented from any further team activities until their current semesters are done, including his Stanford team mate, Martinez can stay because he already has his degree, and not in basket weaving. Less than four years?

Blake Martinez, an inside linebacker from Stanford, is allowed to remain in Green Bay and participate in all workouts because he already earned his degree in management science and engineering.

[denverYooper]

https://msande.stanford.edu/about/welcome

Dear MS&E Community,

I am pleased and honored to have accepted the role of Department Chair as of January 1, with my colleague Margaret Brandeau as Associate Chair. I would like to take this opportunity to share some initial thoughts, as we embark on reshaping our Department and the field.

Under the leadership of the outgoing Chair, Peter Glynn, and his Associate Chair, Stephen Barley, as well as the former Chair, Elisabeth Pate-Cornell, the MS&E Department has risen to the top of its field internationally. In particular, in the last few years we have made spectacular young faculty hires, positioning us to capture key intellectual opportunities with broad social impact.

This change comes at a time when the School of Engineering, under the new leadership of Dean Persis S. Drell, is reimagining its future and how we can work across boundaries to have impact.

The uniquely broad and deep intellectual footprint of MS&E includes established excellence in a variety of diverse areas, ranging from computational social sciences to strategy and entrepreneurship studies, from decisions and risk to health policy, from economics and finance to energy systems, and from core analytics and operations research to organizational studies. We are well positioned to play a powerful role in solving the world’s biggest challenges.

We recently launched MS&E-2025, a process to generate a strategic vision for the Department and a transition path to where we want to be in ten years. It will range from identifying emerging intellectual opportunities with long-term practical impact, to reaffirming our commitment to increasing diversity and designing an implementation plan. It will involve the faculty and students, as well as our industry friends and our alumni. I look forward to working with all of you to extract the best ideas and distill a powerful vision.

Thank you so much for your invaluable contributions in the past, and we look forward to your continued participation and support, as we venture into the future!

[mraynrand]

Stanford is for losers

[pbmax]

Apparently he is a really bright kid too. While many of the Packers rookies will be prevented from any further team activities until their current semesters are done, including his Stanford team mate, Martinez can stay because he already has his degree, and not in basket weaving. Less than four years?

I thought that did not matter?

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2016/05/08/kenny-clark-dislikes-nfls-rule-forcing-him-to-leave-green-bay/

And, of course, just because the NFL’s rule keeps Clark from working with the Packers until UCLA’s school year is over, it doesn’t mean Clark is going to be at UCLA. The rule even applies to players who have already graduated, or to players who dropped out of school. The rule doesn’t make a lot of sense, but it’s a longstanding rule, and Clark is stuck with it.

[mraynrand]

Martinez, who wore No. 4 at Stanford, wasn't going to be able to wear his old number in the pros. Linebackers are only allowed to wear numbers 40 through 59 and 90 through 99.

Not knowing a ton about Packers history, Martinez was offered a dozen numbers from which to pick for his uniform.

He chose No. 50, previously worn by inside linebacker A.J. Hawk.

"They gave me like 12 options and I was just kind of going through it and not really thinking the No. 50 and I was like, ‘50’s a great number,'" Martinez said. "Then all of a sudden, everybody’s like, ‘Oh, you’ve got A.J. Hawk’s number.’ I was like, ‘Ohhhh, yep, here we go.’

"But it’s a great number and I’ll do everything I can to kind of live up to his legacy and all of what he’s done."

please don't

[Smidgeon]

Sounds like Hawk's reputation inside the locker room was greater than outside.

[Patler]

please don't

He did say "kind of live up to..."

[Fritz]

"Hey, look. Martinez was slow getting to the play, but he did tackle the guy - eight yards past the line of scrimmage. Just like AJ Hawk!"

"Hey, look, that tight end just ran by Martinez like he was a statue. Just like AJ Hawk!"

[mraynrand]

"Hey, look. Martinez was slow getting to the play, but he did tackle the guy - eight yards past the line of scrimmage. Just like AJ Hawk!"

"Hey, look, that tight end just ran by Martinez like he was a statue. Just like AJ Hawk!"

"Everyone was properly lined up on that play. Just like Hawk. Good job, Marty!"

[Patler]

"Martinez is starting again today, just as he has every game for the last 9 years, since game one of his rookie year."

It wasn't all bad with Hawk, was it?