02-28-2014, 12:24 PM
How much of his "subpar" (I haven't really watched him play in the pros, so I don't want to pass judgement) was a product of his workplace environment?
While it's imperfect to compare collegiate performances to the pros, Jon Martin was an elite performer during his time at Stanford and was consistently in Kiper's top 5 throughout his final season -- whatever that means. His drop to the second round was often followed with whispers of "character" and "toughness" issues, which is a potentially fair assessment if front offices were trying to assess his fit into what we now know are horrible and barbaric work environments.
I haven't played a team sport competitively since high school, but from those limited experiences I can say that respect for one's teammates was a primary factor in my drive to compete. From all of the reports, Incognito, Pouncey, and Jolly were the main instigators, but Ryan Tannehill seemed to provide no leadership in rectify an overtly hostile environment and implicitly (or maybe even explicitly) contributed to that environment. I would have felt less motivated to protect his ass, too.
However, Jon Martin thrived in what I can assume is/was a fundamentally respectful and productive environment while at Stanford. It's fair to assume that Indy's locker room is similar. So if the cost is low, what's the risk? The payoff could mean a bookend tackle for a decade or more. And if that happens, then Miami and the greater dysfunctional workplace culture of the NFL are the ones looking stupid.
While it's imperfect to compare collegiate performances to the pros, Jon Martin was an elite performer during his time at Stanford and was consistently in Kiper's top 5 throughout his final season -- whatever that means. His drop to the second round was often followed with whispers of "character" and "toughness" issues, which is a potentially fair assessment if front offices were trying to assess his fit into what we now know are horrible and barbaric work environments.
I haven't played a team sport competitively since high school, but from those limited experiences I can say that respect for one's teammates was a primary factor in my drive to compete. From all of the reports, Incognito, Pouncey, and Jolly were the main instigators, but Ryan Tannehill seemed to provide no leadership in rectify an overtly hostile environment and implicitly (or maybe even explicitly) contributed to that environment. I would have felt less motivated to protect his ass, too.
However, Jon Martin thrived in what I can assume is/was a fundamentally respectful and productive environment while at Stanford. It's fair to assume that Indy's locker room is similar. So if the cost is low, what's the risk? The payoff could mean a bookend tackle for a decade or more. And if that happens, then Miami and the greater dysfunctional workplace culture of the NFL are the ones looking stupid.