Tag: Nick Martin

ChatGPT ranks top 10 offensive linemen in Notre Dame history

How many of these players do you remember?

Talk to any back who’s had a great football game, and they almost always will give credit to their offensive linemen. Those are the guys who make every explosive offensive play possible. They will do whatever it takes to hold off the attacking defense. They seldom get any glory compared to those backs and receivers, but no offense can function without them.

While every college football blocker is good, some are just so much better than others. So in light of that, we’ve asked AI writing tool ChatGPT to list what it believes are the 10 best to ever block for Notre Dame offenses. It doesn’t matter which position they played. They just have to have excelled at whatever it was.

This concludes us putting ChatGPT to work ranking Notre Dame players by offensive position. We’ve already ranked ChatGPT’s 10 best quarterbacks, running backs, receivers and tight ends. Now, we look at the offense’s unsung heroes. Here they are with the entries edited for accuracy:

Notre Dame’s top 25 3-star recruits since 2010

Just because someone is a three-star doesn’t mean they can’t be great.

In the world of recruiting, rankings clearly matter. It’s no shock that when you look at the best teams nationally, they’re the ones who usually ranked the highest in team recruiting rankings during the previous three or four years.  Maybe the top team doesn’t always have the top class, but you can bet they’re in or right there with the top-five nationally.

Another key part of recruiting comes to finding those diamonds in the rough.  That isn’t to knock three-star talents, but the hype around them clearly isn’t the same when a five-star prospect visits campus or commits to a program.

We decided to go back and rank the top three-star players Notre Dame brought to campus dating to the start of Brian Kelly’s run at Notre Dame that began with the 2010 recruiting class. Here are the top 25 of those such players in the last roughly dozen years.

The 247Sports composite was used in each player’s star rating for this piece. 

All of Harry Hiestand’s NFL draft picks at Notre Dame

A legend at his craft.

I’d be curious to know when talking to maybe a slightly above average fan from each Power Five college football program, how many could name their school’s offensive line coach.  I know there are passionate fans everywhere that can name the last preferred walk-on from a class that passed through a decade ago, but I’m talking the more average fans.

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I’m not saying it’s better or worse but Notre Dame is clearly different.  But I suppose that’s what happens when you produce offensive linemen like the Irish have.  And you produce that number of star NFL linemen because of coaching – and having Joe Moore and Harry Hiestand for as long as the program did formed quite the haul of offensive line talent.

Hiestand announced his retirement Sunday in a press release that came out literal moments before the ball was kicked off for Super Bowl LVII.  That means he retires with nine former players at Notre Dame being drafted, a number that will certainly rise with Jarrett Patterson, Joe Alt and Blake Fisher, if not more in the next couple of years.

Here are all nine offensive lineman to play for Hiestand at Notre Dame who had their names called at the NFL draft.  He averaged more than one a season for the time he spent under the Golden Dome.

Commanders coach Travelle Wharton talks offensive line

The assistant offensive line coach sees progress despite the rocky start to the season.

Travelle Wharton is a name most Commanders fans will not recognize, but the assistant offensive line coach is in his fifth season in NFL coaching.

Wharton played at South Carolina, grabbing the attention of enough scouts that he was drafted in the third round (94th) of the 2004 NFL draft by the Carolina Panthers. Wharton who played in the NFL for nine seasons (2004-2013), met with the media Friday.

The team has suffered so many offensive line injuries early in the season.
A huge loss was losing center Chase Roullier and Wharton addressed this.
“Chase is not just a good player, but just a leader on our line and in the locker room. So losing him was a big hit for us. His confidence and getting us in protections and things like that. You can hear it with other players when he talks, everybody listens. Guys have been really stepping up, so it just shows everyone, Hey, be ready.”

After losing two centers, Nick Martin was signed and had to start immediately.

“I thought Nick stepped in last week and has done really well for just coming in and picking up what we were doing. For everybody else on the line, it’s really staying fine-tuned and understanding those calls cause we rehearse it so much during the course of the week and meetings and stuff like that, or what you’ll call here on different looks.”

The offensive line has at times gotten beaten badly. But Wharton sees progress.

“We are consistently getting better every time we step out there. We gotta continue to work; that’s the big thing. You lose a couple guys here and there, and the next guys step up, but we gotta continue to go. That’s what you have to do as offensive line, play hard together.”

Saahdiq Charles replaced Trai Turner at right guard and made some plays last week.

“He’s been in a few times, a few snaps. He’s getting the opportunity to play, and that’s the biggest thing when you get an opportunity to play in NFL games; you have to take advantage of it. I think mentally he’s prepared.”

“He’s always been explosive, from year one to year two is a big jump, man. He’s really grown overall as a football player mentally and physically of what he needs to do. He played multiple positions. He’s one of those guys that can play multiple and you have to be a pretty smart player to do all that and have the athletic skill set to do it also.”

“Andrew Norwell came in and has been physical. Let me start by saying that, he’s a great teammate that plays great football and he’s been physical. The continuity of those guys and Andrew being in there has been really well because he can make the blocks on the front side and the back side and do a good job in pass pro.”

Ron Rivera has no concerns about new center Nick Martin

Nick Martin is Washington’s third center already in 2022.

The Washington Commanders will start their third center of the season on Sunday against the Cowboys in four games. Starting center Chase Roullier was injured at the end of Washington’s Week 2 loss to the Detroit Lions, and backup Wes Schweitzer is out Sunday with a concussion.

Roullier’s injury led Washington to look for a veteran on the free-agent market, and it led them to 29-year-old Nick Martin. A former second-round pick out of Notre Dame in 2016, Martin spent his first five NFL seasons with the Houston Texans, starting 62 games.

He signed with the Las Vegas Raiders in 2021, appearing in all 17 games, but did not start. Martin signed with the New Orleans Saints in July but was released during final cuts.

With Martin scheduled to make his first start since 2020, Washington head coach Ron Rivera is confident in the veteran lineman.

“Smart football player,” Rivera said of Martin. “He’s done a nice job of picking up what we do. He’s had over 60 starts in this league, so there is no concern there. He understands the game. He is very athletic. Great hand placement, and like I said, he’s picked up what we do very quickly.”

Martin’s first start is against a good Dallas defensive front, led by DeMarcus Lawrence and Micah Parsons.

“More so than anything else, just really getting the calls out and playing what they see,” Rivera said when asked about the challenge of facing the Cowboys’ front.

The Commanders hope Martin proves to be the guy for the remainder of the season with Roullier presumably sidelined. Schweitzer is best suited to play guard, where he could slide over and replace Trai Turner once he’s cleared to return.

Commanders sign veteran center Nick Martin

Nick Martin is a seven-year NFL veteran.

The Washington Commanders placed starting center Chase Roullier on injured reserve Tuesday and signed veteran center Nick Martin to replace him on the roster.

Martin is a seven-year NFL veteran who spent the first five seasons of his career with the Houston Texans. A second-round pick from Notre Dame in 2016, Martin missed his rookie season after undergoing ankle surgery.

Over the next four years, Martin started all but two games for the Texans at center. The Texans released him in Feb. 2021, and he signed with the Las Vegas Raiders. Martin appeared in all 17 games with the Raiders but did not record a start.

If healthy, Wes Schweitzer should start at center for Washingon. Schweitzer has started games at center and both guard spots in his three seasons with the Commanders. He injured his hamstring in the Week 1 win vs. Jacksonville but missed the Week 2 game in Detroit.

Martin provides Washington with veteran insurance behind Schweitzer.

Commanders sign former Saints backup center Nick Martin

The Washington Commanders signed former New Orleans Saints backup center Nick Martin, who was let go from the practice squad on Sept. 10:

Nick Martin will be snapping the ball for a new team soon. The veteran center signed with the New Orleans Saints during the offseason and competed throughout training camp for a spot as Erik McCoy’s backup; the team initially signed both him and his competition, Josh Andrews, to their practice squad at the start of the season.

But Martin was released back on Sept. 10 and, after waiting in free agency for a few weeks, he’s got a new home: NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports that Martin is joining the Washington Commanders after they lost some depth to injuries. Because Martin was a free agent, he can suit up for Washington right away, and the Saints will not receive any sort of compensation. As a former second round draft pick and multiyear starter with the Houston Texans (and later a backup with the Las Vegas Raiders), Martin was one of the more-coveted options available.

Thankfully for New Orleans, things have been fine at center. Erik McCoy responded to his landmark contract extension with two impressive performances in the Saints’ first two games, and Andrews has continued to wait in the wings should the team decide to call his number. They’ve also slid Cesar Ruiz over from right guard to his college position in the past, but they’ll hope that isn’t necessary moving forward.

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Saints announce a flurry of roster moves before training camp, sign RB Malcolm Brown

The Saints announced 6 roster moves, including the signing of free agent running back Malcolm Brown and former Texans starting center Nick Martin:

When it rains, it pours. The New Orleans Saints filed a quick list of roster moves on Tuesday’s update to the daily NFL transactions wire — signing three new players and waiving three others to make room for them. Let’s dig into each transaction and what it means moving forwards:

Free agent centers still available for Cardinals

The Arizona Cardinals lost out on Corey Linsley. Here are some other centers they might target.

The Arizona Cardinals were supposedly in on center Corey Linsley in free agency. However, he agreed to a record-setting deal with the Los Angeles Chargers.

If the Cardinals are still prioritizing the center position in free agency, there are still a number of solid options available.

Who could still be targets?


Free agent centers still available for Cardinals

The Arizona Cardinals lost out on Corey Linsley. Here are some other centers they might target.

The Arizona Cardinals were supposedly in on center Corey Linsley in free agency. However, he agreed to a record-setting deal with the Los Angeles Chargers.

If the Cardinals are still prioritizing the center position in free agency, there are still a number of solid options available.

Who could still be targets?