GREEN BAY — Throughout his four years with the Green Bay Packers, Blake Martinez was the consummate team-first guy. He toed the party line on any topic even remotely controversial, never publicly questioned the coaching staff or the defensive scheme, never bellyached about his role and never created the kind of drama that can be part-and-parcel with a lot of players around the NFL.
So when the ex-Packers inside linebacker spoke on a conference call late last month to discuss his new three-year, $30 million contract with the New York Giants, it was mildly surprising to hear him lay bare what probably shouldn’t have come as a shock to anyone who’s watched the Packers defense over the past decade or so: The inside linebacker position isn’t exactly a high-priority, glamour gig.