[jwplayer sjzbfvXH-ThvAeFxT]
In Monday night’s season opener for the New York Giants, there was certainly plenty left to be desired. There was also plenty to feel good about following the 26-16 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
For instance, veteran linebacker Blake Martinez made an impressive debut with the team.
Martinez, of course, inked a three-year deal with the Giants in the offseason to come over from the Green Bay Packers. Considering the tackle total for Martinez over the last three years, some might argue that the Giants got a bargain when they got agreed to a deal worth roughly $10M annually.
After his impressive debut on Monday night, Martinez interacted with a Giants great via twitter.
Carl Banks is a member of the Giants’ Ring of Honor and won two Super Bowls with the Giants during his playing career. Now, Banks can be heard on the radio broadcasts of Giants games.
Martinez’s aspirations of trying to be as good as Banks aside, the beginning to his Giants career is off to an impressive start.
The Giants knew they were not only getting a good player when they agreed to the deal with Martinez, but a great person as well. Last year, Martinez represented the Packers as Green Bay’s candidate for Walter Payton Man of the Year, an extremely prestigious award.
A tackling-machine linebacker like Martinez is something the Giants have been lacking for years. If this is a sign of things to come for Martinez’s time with Big Blue, Giants fans should be very excited for their new captain.
[lawrence-related id=655847,655852,655843]