Broken jaw, sprained ankle, leg injury, shoulder injury, foot injury … football players often play through pain, and Birmingham Stallions quarterback Adrian Martinez has suffered more than his share of it.
Whether it was college stops at Nebraska and Kansas State or his debut in the United Football League on March 30, the signal caller has become quite accustomed to getting knocked down.
Getting back on his feet, however, better describes what kind of athlete he is.
“The journey has been up and down,” Martinez said. “I mean, that’s been the story of my football career and it’s just been the story my life so far and, and honestly, I’m thankful for it. I would be lying to you if I told you this is where I expected to be right now in my life, but I’m thankful I’m here.
“I’m thankful I’m playing for (Stallions coach Skip Holtz). I’m thankful I’m on this really, really good team with a lot of talent. And it’s definitely a learning experience. And at the end of the day, I love ball. I love football, and it’s an opportunity, and an opportunity to get back to the NFL.”
Martinez is splitting time with Matt Corral behind center, and in two games he has gone 10-21-1 passing for 114 yards while rushing for 117 yards on just 11 carries – good enough for a team-high 10.6-yards per tote.
He went down with a foot injury in the 27-14 Week One victory over Arlington, but entered and exited last Sunday’s 20-13 win over Michigan healthy.
Now, it’s all about improving week-by-week, game-by-game.
“For me, it’s really about the mechanics … fine tuning it,” he said. “At times, I can find myself getting in trouble when I overstride. So, if you look at the first interception I threw this year (against Arlington), I overstrided it and the ball sailed on me just a little bit more than what I wanted. The read was right, the footwork right … you know, the timing was right. But the throw was a little off because of the little mechanics and things like that.
“You just have to hammer home, make it a habit and you just have to go execute it. It’s eliminating those little things that can pop up here and there.”
Martinez spent four seasons at Nebraska, completing 670 of 1,055 passes for 8,491 yards and 45 touchdowns against 30 interceptions.
He closed out his college career at Kansas State, going 118-184-1 for 1,261 yards and six TDs.
But he was even more accomplished as a running quarterback, racking up 2,928 yards over five seasons and hitting paydirt with his legs 45 more times.
He was signed by the Detroit Lions as an undrafted free agent last May and released in August.
Although Holtz said you “never say never” when it comes to naming a firm QB1, he likes the work he’s seen from both quarterbacks so far.
“What I’m doing right now is trying to get both quarterbacks ready,” Holtz said on Tuesday. “The last thing I want to do is put one guy on the bench or just sit him over there until all of a sudden somebody gets injured and then you go, ‘Hey, we need you to go win a game. I know you haven’t taken a snap all year.’ I think my goal has been to get two quarterbacks that have never played in this offense ready. I feel like I’ve got an obligation to get both ready.
“They both came here because they want to get film, and they both came here because they want to win. And I think as they both have shown on the field that they are both playing at a very high level and a very high quality and we could win with both of them.”
Martinez says he has a great relationship with both Corral and J’Mar Smith, the former Birmingham starter who has yet to be activated in 2024.
“We spend probably more time with each other than anybody else,” Martinez said. “I mean, that’s kind of how it goes. We have meetings together, there’s lunch, there’s the practice field … we’re constantly around each other. And we have all these different experiences. J’Mar’s been up to the CFL at times, Matt – he was in New England and Carolina – and I have my own experiences, so there’s a lot to share.
“And I think it’s important that we have a close, supportive quarterback room and I think Skip really does a great job of facilitating that so we can help each other.”
The Stallions (2-0) take on the Memphis Showboats (1-1) on Saturday at Protective Stadium, marking their 2024 home debut and first game in the Magic City as a member of the UFL.
Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. CDT.
