Chapter 79

My cell phone rang a minute after I hung up with Max Solomon. "May I invite Marshon Wilkins to come over to your room, Kyle?" Max asked. "I need to give you my PR 201 lecture, and it would be easier for me if Trevor and Marshon got the lecture at the same time."

"That would be fine, Max," I agreed. Marshon arrived a couple minutes before Max.

"Malo and I were watching Sport Center," Marshon said as I welcomed him to my room. "You stepped into some shit tonight, didn't you, Kyle?"

"Yes, I did," I agreed. Trevor, Marshon and I talked for the couple minutes it took Max to arrive. Marshon and his roommate and ex-USC teammate Malo Kaapana were playing for the South Team this week.

I let Max in when he knocked at the door. He sat in the one chair in our room. Trevor, Marshon and I sat on the beds.

"I knew I would be having this lecture with the three of you eventually," Max began. "The media needs to be fed. This vexation is not unusual. Brief me in full detail what questions Brown asked you and how you responded during your interview, Kyle."

I explained how the interview went, blow by blow. I protested the cuts Brown made in my answers but Max cut me off.

"Brown has a job to do," Max explained, waving off my objections. "You wouldn't fault a cat for catching a mouse. Why would you fault a reporter for doing what he perceives as his job? How long was the interview he did with you?"

"Probably fifteen or twenty minutes," I answered.

"His report lasted thirty seconds," Max said. "Do you three see how a reporter, any broadcast reporter, will have to cut your answers down to fit the time and space available?" Trevor, Marshon and I nodded yes. "Kyle, you gave Brown long, nuanced answers when he needed short answers."

"But he edited them in a way to make me look bad," I protested.

"He edited them to fit the time he had and to make the story attract viewers," Max countered. "Attracting viewers is his job. Contention attracts viewers. You need to understand the reporter's motivation when you talk with him."

"OK, I guess I see," I admitted.

Max looked around at all three of us. "Have any of you taken a journalism course?" He got three head shakes no.

"I dated a journalism major for two years," I added.

"Did she ever talk about how to write a news story?" Max asked. She hadn't. "You always start with the most important point at the beginning of the story. You three need to do the same thing when you do broadcast interviews. Give the reporter his short, sound bite answer up front. It is fine to expound on that answer. The reporter may or may not use the rest of your answer, but you put the most important part out first."

"I understand what you're saying, Max," I replied. "What do we do now about this hatchet job report that's out for the world to see?"

"I hope he asks me for an interview," Trevor bristled. "I'll rip the dick a new asshole!"

"No, that would not be good," Max countered. "Never get in a shouting match with someone with a microphone. You will lose."

"We can't ignore this, Max," Marshon said. "I can talk with the west coast players I know. This Brown turkey shouldn't get any interviews at all this week."

"We need to be more subtle," Max said. "If Brown comes to you directly for an interview, be polite but be busy. 'I am sorry, ' you say. 'I am needed over here.' As you turn and walk off, add this, 'Give Max Solomon, my agent, a call. You can set up an interview time with me through him.' Walk off and get clear of this reporter."

"OK, I can do that," I agreed. Trevor and Marshon agreed too. "What do I say tomorrow when other reporters question me about Brown's interview?"

"What do you see as the biggest issues arising from the interview, Kyle?" Max asked.

"I see two problems," I responded. "The first is him calling me a prima-donna. The second is the idea that I might not play in the NFL."

"How about disrespecting a Pro-Bowl cornerback?" Max added.

"Disrespecting Aaron?" I replied. "Good grief! I would never disrespect Aaron. He's a close friend. He's been my mentor for the past four years. He inspired me to study football properly and turn myself into more than a speed receiver."

"That is exactly the correct answer if any reporter questions you about your comments on competing with Aaron," Max said. "What are you going to say WHEN you get questioned about your intent to play in the NFL?"

"I got that answer covered," I said confidently. "I am looking forward to playing in the NFL. I wouldn't come to play in the Senior Bowl if I didn't plan to go into the NFL. I wouldn't have scheduled days off from my student teaching so I could go to the NFL Combine. I certainly wouldn't have picked my wedding date to miss the NFL mini-camps, off season training activities and the Rookie Symposium if I didn't plan to play in the NFL."

"That is not a bad answer," Max allowed. "Put the answers in the positive. 'I am at the Senior Bowl because I plan to play in the NFL' and 'I scheduled days off from student teaching so I can go to the NFL Combine next month.' Does that make sense?"

"Positive answers ... I got it, Max," I agreed. "What do I do with the prima donna question?"

"I do not expect the reporters to be that direct with you, Kyle," Max explained. "How would they ask the question? I believe that question is more than likely to go to one of your teammates. How would you answer that question, Trevor?"

"Kyle is the farthest thing from a prima donna," Trevor answered. "No one on the Nittany Lions is more team oriented than Coach. I've watched from the sidelines after he successfully caught a pass and go back to the huddle and chew out the quarterback for throwing him the ball when someone else could have done more with the ball. Coach is all about playing football the right way, whether that means he gets the ball or some other receiver does."

"That will do," Max agreed. "What WILL the other Penn State players say who are here? Do you have any enemies among these men, Kyle?"

"Shawn and Josh are close friends," I answered. "I've known Mitch for almost four years. We're not close buddies, but we get along fine. I don't see him running me down if the press asks about me."

"That is positive," Max said. We spent a couple more minutes going over pointers to help the three of us handle press questions better. Max wished us a good night and headed back down the street to his hotel. Marshon told me not to worry. He'd watch my back too.

--oooOooo--

My friends were supportive at breakfast. All of them saw Brown's report last night. Jeremy's attitude summed up the feelings of the rest of the group. "That SOB Brown better not show his face anywhere near me. I'm going to clock him if he does." I suspected somewhere between a quarter and a half of the North Team planned to shun interviews with the guy.

The North Team was assigned to the morning practice session at Ladd-Peebles. The first half of practice went much the same as yesterday. We wrapped up practicing all the plays in our playbook. The last forty minutes of practice was dedicated to special teams practice. Coach Kovacevic had Jalil Hoge, Titus Locke, D. J. Wright and me handle the punt and kick returns.

I handled a couple kickoff returns and a couple punt returns during practice. I also found out what Coach Kovacevic was talking about on Sunday night. He assigned me to be one of the gunners for the kick and punt cover teams.

I was in for two punt returns that afternoon. I managed to blow up D. J. Wright on the second one, holding him to a two yard return. It was fun getting to hit somebody instead of always being on the receiving end of the hits.

Half a dozen reporters hit me with questions at the end of practice. Max's tutorial the night before was spot on. I assured all the questioners that I intended to play in the NFL. I got the "dissing Pro Bowler Aaron Morano" question too. I gave them the answers Max helped me prepare last night. No one had the nerve to ask me, even indirectly, about Brown's question whether I was a prima donna or not.

Three teams sought me out and asked for interviews after practice. Scouts from the Rams and Ravens lined up interviews with me. I would meet with the Rams at 4:00 pm and the Ravens at 8:30 that evening. I was walking back towards the locker room, thinking I was finished, when another gentleman stopped me.

"Do you have a minute, Kyle?" someone asked. I turned and found 49ers head coach, Jim Harbaugh, standing behind me smiling.

"Sure, Coach. When would be good?" I answered. We talked for a bit. We couldn't find common time that day. We agreed to meet at 3:30 tomorrow afternoon, after my position meeting.

Meeting one of Harbaugh brothers was way cool. I had heard about both John and Jim growing up; John from his association with my favorite team, the Eagles, and Jim through his work at Stanford and then at the 49ers. Aaron spoke highly of his coach.

Trevor, Shawn, Josh, Mitch, Jeremy, Hal and Dylan joined my table at lunch time. The Michigan contingent sat down at the table beside ours. We were talking about who interviewed us after practice.

"I couldn't believe how many questions I got about Kyle this morning," Jeremy commented. "I got ten variations on the question, 'Is Kyle a diva?' Can you believe it?"

"I got it too," Shawn replied. "What bullshit! Coach is the most team oriented player on the Lions. He's always helping other guys improve their techniques. Why do you think everyone calls him 'Coach'?"

"I've only known Kyle since New Year's Eve, but I've never seen any sign of him being a me-first egotist," Dylan added. "This week when Kyle wanted to work out with the QBs, he suggested everyone would benefit. If Brown were right, Kyle would have been trying to get Danny, Nick and me to practice with just him, not the whole receiving corps."

"You're right, Dylan," Garrett Bradford agreed. "I know the session Sunday morning is helping me when I'm with you and Danny. We've had more time together on Sunday morning than both our practices together. Kyle pushing all of us to prep together was good for everyone. There is nothing self-serving about it."

"If that bastard Brown gets away with pulling this shit on Kyle," Dylan added, "he can get away with pulling it on any of us. I don't think that SOB should get an interview from anybody."

"Damn straight!" Nick agreed. "We all stick together!"

"I appreciate the support, guys," I responded.

"Don't worry, Coach," Shawn added. "We got your back."

"Thanks, guys. I appreciate that," I replied.

Conversation turned to the topic of rookie hazing. We all knew the veterans on whatever team we joined would be putting us new guys in our place. That led to stories from our introduction four or five years ago to college football. Trevor told about J. T. Hill hoisting me by my collar and screaming at me during a freshman year practice when he thought I wasn't paying enough attention.

The other guys had stories about episodes when they were starting out with their college teams. The other guys' experiences were much like those of my teammates. It reminded me of our similarities, even though we played for teams from all across the country.

The North Team offense met after lunch to review our plans for the game on Saturday before breaking up for position meetings. Coach Frank went over video of the first two days practices. He spent most of the time discussing and correcting techniques as he reviewed our practices. I enjoyed learning about receiving from a different perspective.

Don't misunderstand, I loved working with Coach Caffrey the past year, but I hadn't gotten any fresh ideas about being a wide receiver since he came to Penn State. It was time for me to move on and learn some fresh things from different coaches.

I met Russ Evans, the scout from the Rams, on the second floor mezzanine level. He brought Bill Devaney, the general manager, along to interview me. We found a quiet area and talked for about twenty minutes. I enjoyed the talk. They asked about my high school knee injury and my arrest when I was a junior. They seemed satisfied with my explanations on both matters. When they asked me if I had questions, I hit them with the 'When can I get a playbook?' question. That drew a smile from Mr. Devaney.

It was a good interview. I could see myself playing with Sam Bradford. He was turning into a pretty good NFL quarterback in spite of the protection problems they had last year. Mr. Devaney indicated they were very interested in me if their free agent signing plans came through the way they hoped. They planned to pick up one of the available free agent offensive linemen to solidify their offensive line. They wanted to add a receiver like me to the team to increase Sam's effectiveness.

Trevor was excited at dinner. He had an excellent interview with Mike Tannenbaum and Rex Ryan. The sting from what Tom Brady did to their team three days ago in the conference championship game was still quite fresh. The Jets were looking for a high motor, athletic defensive end to pressure opposing quarterbacks.

Trevor felt he had exactly the skills they were looking for. The draft pundits were expecting him to be taken in the mid to late first round of the draft. The Jets had a weaker record than Chicago, who lost to the Vikings Sunday evening, so they would be picking 29th in the draft. Maybe he could end up on that very solid team with an aggressive coach who loved rushing the passer.

After dinner I met with Nick, Dylan, Danny and about half the offensive skill players. We spent most of the evening reviewing the playbook and getting familiar with the plays we would be running. People came and went from the informal meeting as they had interviews with the teams or with the media.

I took off at 8:25 for my meeting with Mr. Tasko from the Baltimore Ravens. He found me in the hallway.

"Let's go upstairs, Kyle," Mr. Tasko said when we met. "We have a suite. It will be a more comfortable place for the interview."

"Sure, no problem," I agreed. We headed up to the twenty-sixth floor. Mr. Tasko ushered me into Suite 2602.

"Thank you for coming, Kyle," a tall man, nearly my height said in greeting. He walked to me and gave me a big smile as we shook hands. I did a double take.

"Coach Harbaugh ... I wasn't expecting to meet with you tonight," I stammered.

"I like to look potential first round draft picks in the eye before I consider drafting them," Coach Harbaugh said. "Have a seat, Kyle. Get comfortable while we get to know each other."

"Thank you, Coach," I replied as I took a seat on the couch opposite the chair where the coach sat.

"I see you grew up in Lancaster County," Coach Harbaugh said. "Were you a Ravens fan as a boy? I know our broadcasts cover central Pennsylvania."

"Sorry, Coach, I wasn't," I replied. "The Eagles and Steelers have more fans in Lancaster County than the Ravens. I did grow up watching you work on the sidelines, but back when you coached special teams for the Eagles. My dad, brothers and I are confirmed Eagles fans."

"Those were good times," Coach Harbaugh confirmed. Mr. Tasko and Coach Harbaugh got down to the meat of the interview. We talked about my experiences at Penn State. We talked about my high school knee injury. We discussed this year's Nebraska and BCS Championship games at some length. Coach Harbaugh asked me about my favorite play at Penn State. I gave him the answer Max and I rehearsed the previous week.

The whole interview lasted about half an hour. I got an excellent vibe from the interview. Coach Harbaugh and the Ravens seemed really interested in me. As we were wrapping up the interview Coach Harbaugh asked, "Are you related to the Andrew Martin that plays at the University of Delaware?" He chuckled. "My QB has been raving about this wide receiver at his old school. You know Joe played there."

"I knew that," I agreed. "Andy is my younger brother. He has had a very good season this year."

"Is Andrew a year behind you?" Coach asked.

"Two school years," I answered. "We're actually exactly eighteen months apart ... to the day."

"Really?" Coach Harbaugh replied, chuckling. "I am fifteen months older than Jim, to the day. I was born September 23rd. Jim was born December 23rd of the next year."

"That is funny," I said. "I was born July 9, 1991. Andy was born January 9, 1993."

"You and I have one other connection," Coach said. "Have you kept in touch with John Schroeder?"

"Unfortunately no," I responded. "I've been a little busy trying to take my team to a national championship. Coach Schroeder has been pretty busy resurrecting Miami of Ohio."

"My alma mater," Coach said. "John Schroeder has done an excellent job getting my old team back to winning football."

"I'm not surprised," I said. "Coach Schroeder was excellent when he was with us. I was sorry to see him go but I'm glad he got a promotion and his own program. He deserves it."

"Yes, John does," Coach Harbaugh agreed. "John and I go back a long way, since I helped recruit him to play at Miami. I expect him to join the NFL coaching ranks one of these years."

"That wouldn't surprise me either," I responded.

"Thank you for taking time to talk with me, Kyle," Coach Harbaugh said. "It's been a delight. Maybe we will talk again before the draft." He gave me a wink. "Assuming we can figure out how to jump high enough in the draft to have a shot at getting you."

"Thank you for the talk," I said. "I enjoyed it."

I headed back down to rejoin my teammates who were studying our playbook. I was pleased with the way the interview went with Coach Harbaugh. I certainly could see myself playing for his team. They had a fantastic defense. They had an excellent, strong armed quarterback in Joe Flacco. They had a good running game. They needed another good receiver to take pressure off Anquan Boldin. That was a role that was perfect for me.

Playing for the Baltimore Ravens was exciting for another reason. Penny and I might be able to live together year round if they picked me. We could find some spot on the Eastern Shore that wasn't too far from Philly or Baltimore. That would be sweet. It might be hard for the Ravens to accomplish though. The Patriots beat them in the divisional playoff round. They were going to be drafting late in the first round.

Max Solomon checked in with Trevor and me later Tuesday night to make sure things were going OK. He was pleased that I had managed not to put my foot in my mouth again. The Ravens' interest in me pleased Max. He said they were a well-run team that fit my skill set and needs nicely.

--oooOooo--

Coach Baldwin worked us hard at Wednesday morning's practice. We had one more full pads practice before our game on Saturday. The last forty minutes were spent on special teams. I managed to break a punt return for a touchdown. Coach Kovacevic seemed pleased with my work.

Todd Landry's aw-shucks cowboy act drew attention from the Brown story. I talked with half a dozen reporters but no one asked if I planned to play in the NFL. Max had predicted the furor would abate quickly. He was right.

Eric Williamson, from the Dallas Cowboys, talked with me after practice was over. He arranged for me to meet with Jerry Jones, Coach Jason Garrett and him later that evening. In some way, I felt like I was treating with the enemy. I guess I need to let my boyish allegiances go now. Eagles fans are trained from inception to hate all things Dallas.

Coach Wilkins had a short team meeting after lunch, followed by position meetings. I got a double dose. The receiver meeting came first and was followed by the special teams meeting. I barely made it to my meeting with Jim Harbaugh at 4:00 pm.

Jim Harbaugh and Ray Everett, the GM of the 49ers, spent about twenty minutes interviewing me. Jim Harbaugh was just as impressive as his older brother John. It wouldn't bother me in the least to join a team like the 49ers. They had the added advantage of employing Aaron Morano. I certainly wouldn't mind being Aaron's teammate again.

Nick, Dylan, Danny, Garrett, Kevin, Roy, Pierre, Steve, Titus, Casey, Jalil and I met after dinner to continue reviewing the playbook and game plan. All of us excused ourselves at various times during the evening to meet with media or team representatives.

I met Mr. Williamson on the second level. He took me to the Dallas hospitality suite. Coach Jason Garrett and owner Jerry Jones were there for my interview. The interview went well. Jerry Jones wasn't quite the ogre that Philadelphians made him out to be. That opinion would NOT be shared when I got back home.

I joined the offensive skill players' playbook study session when I finished my interview. My week at the Senior Bowl certainly was full between practices, team meetings, interviews with the press and interviews with the teams. I was learning a lot and loved the coaching I was receiving from Coach Holt, Coach Franks and Coach Kovacevic. I was confident I would be prepared to play my best on Saturday afternoon.

--oooOooo--

The number of reporters, camera crews, and photographers had increased during the course of the week. The number of NFL executives and coaches dropped significantly. I found out later that most of the executives headed for home Wednesday night and Thursday morning. They had three opportunities to see us practice. I guess that was enough for them.

I was getting to know my three quarterbacks better as the week progressed. Nick Wilson was the most polished of the three. He could throw the deep ball, as well as touch passes and timing passes. Nick clearly deserved the consideration he received for the Davey O'Brien Award last winter. Dylan Harris was quite capable. He could hit pinpoint passes short. He did not do as well on the deep balls. Danny Clay had a rifle arm but wasn't real accurate. I had to pay close attention to get the passes he intended for me. More than once I found myself playing defense to keep Terrell Ross from intercepting a pass intended for me.

I thought Thursday morning's practice went fairly well. It had better. This was our last full pads practice before the game. We would do a walk through for an hour on Friday morning.

Our schedule got switched up Thursday afternoon. The Broncos staff spent the afternoon with the South Team. We spent the afternoon with the Raiders coaching staff. I met with their receivers coach, Sanjay Lal for twenty minutes. Hue Jackson, the head coach, and Al Saunders, the offensive coordinator, met with me for a bit too. John Fassel stopped by to talk with me about my special team experiences at Penn State. Steve Wisniewski, one of their offensive line coaches, stopped by to talk with the Penn State contingent. Steve was a standout offensive lineman for JoePa back in the day. My classmates and I just missed playing with Steve's nephew Stefen, who graduated just before we started at Penn State. Zack, Aaron and J.T. Hill used tell stories about Stefen.

There was a bit of commotion in the conference room as things were winding down that afternoon. I spotted Al Davis, the owner, founder and manager of the Raiders walking through the room, greeting the North Team players.

"Kyle Martin!" Mr. Davis said as he stepped up to me. "You certainly don't need an introduction. You've impressed a lot of people with your play in college."

"Everyone in football knows you too," I agreed. "How do you do, Mr. Davis?"

"I'm fine. Thank you for asking, Kyle," Mr. Davis replied. He asked me a few questions about my experiences this week. He asked how my knee has held up during my college career.

"I saw the hatchet job Brown did on you Monday night," Mr. Davis commented. He chuckled. "It's a professional hazard. I've been the victim of these kinds of reports for decades. Don't pay attention to them."

"I guess I'll have to learn to do that," I agreed.

"The point Brown was pressing, 'Are you planning on playing in the NFL', is a good one," Mr. Davis asked. "What are your plans?"

"I'm here, sir," I answered. "I am attending the Senior Bowl because I plan to play in the NFL. I have two days off scheduled from my student teaching so I can attend the Combine. Heck, I even scheduled my wedding so it will be after mini-camps, OTAs and the NFLPA Rookie Symposium. Of course I am planning to play in the NFL."

"I noticed you cut the interview off when Brown asked you if you would play for me," Mr. Davis asked. "Would you play for the Raiders?"

I had to think quickly. The Raiders were one of the teams I was less than enthusiastic about playing for. "You probably know I love the vertical passing game," I commented as evenly as I could manage. "Stretch the defense and force them to defend the whole field. I did that in high school and college. Doesn't that sound like a formula you're familiar with?"

Al Davis chuckled before replying. "Yes that does sound quite familiar. It's been very good talking with you, Kyle. Hopefully we will get more time to talk in the future."

"It was good to talk with you, sir," I answered. I was relieved he bought my non-answer answer to his question. I thought the Raiders needed offensive line help to protect Elijah Carter before they needed a fast receiver like me – and that was assuming Elijah recovered from his ACL rupture in time to play next season. While the Raider philosophy may fit my own, my skills would be wasted until they drafted guys or signed the free agents they needed to make their philosophy really work.

Trevor, Marshon Wilkins and I met with Max in the bar around ten o'clock that evening to talk about our experiences and how our various interviews went. Trevor met with the Steelers and Bills. Marshon met with the Eagles and Buccaneers. I told about my meetings with Al Davis, the 49ers and the Cowboys.

--oooOooo--

Friday's practice was cut short by half an hour. The crowd watching us was less than half the crowd we were used to earlier in the week. Max had warned Trevor, Marshon and me that most of the NFL executives and coaches had headed out on Thursday.

Practice went smoothly. It should, we had been working together for a week. The South Team was lining the field, waiting their turn as we wrapped up that morning. Our team skipped talking with the media and the fans so we could let the South Team onto the field. Coach Baldwin hurried us. He had a team meeting back at the convention center at 11:30 PM.

Coach Baldwin announced the starting lineups for our team on offense and defense at the team meeting. I would line up at flanker for the first quarter. That was fine with me. I spent four years in the flanker spot in high school followed by four years on the opposite side of the field as Penn State's split end. I could play wherever they wanted me.

Casey Kerrigan would be our split end. Pierre Kowalski would be our slot receiver at the start of the game. Brad, as I got comfortable calling Garrett Bradford this week, was starting at tight end. Nebraska's DeMarco Dimitry would be our starting tailback. Nick Wilson would start at quarterback.

Jeremy and Trevor both were starting for the defense. Shawn Byrd and Eldon Burkholder were playing the first quarter too. Terrell Ross would take over from Eldon on the right cornerback spot in the second quarter. Josh Bruno's turn wouldn't come until the third quarter. Of course Hal Long and Mitch Jackson would handle kicks and punts throughout the game.

Coach Baldwin promised everyone would get at least a quarter of play in the game. The fourth quarter would be used to make up for any disparity in the time of possession to give equal opportunity to everyone. Coach Baldwin would put in the top performers into the game in the final minutes and let them finish things out. Hopefully they would run the clock out and not have to try and mount a comeback.

We had position meetings after lunch for ninety minutes. We spent the rest of our afternoon over at the convention center to meet and greet the public. Everyone wore their jerseys to the affair. The organizers had tables spread across the big hall for players to sit at. Banners above groups of tables designated the conferences represented at the tables.

One thing threw me and my friends for a loop. They had two banners for the Big Ten, one for the Leaders Division and one for the Legends Division. None of us were entirely sure which division our teams belonged to. We knew which teams played together in the divisions but couldn't remember the division names. The fourteen guys from Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska and Minnesota took the five tables in the Legends Division. The remaining eight of us sat at the three tables assigned to the Leaders Division.

Initially there were mostly adults visiting us. We talked with them, signed autographs and had our pictures taken with them. Trevor, Shawn and I were very popular with the crowd. Josh and Mitch were less so. Across the way Jeremy and Dylan were busy meeting and greeting visitors.

The three hours went faster than I expected. The mix of visitors changed after school dismissal in the afternoon. I enjoyed interacting with all the kids that visited my table. They made the meet and greet fun for me.