FOXBORO, Mass. —Â Keshawn Martin is one step ahead of most wide receivers who come to Gillette Stadium and try to pick up the New England Patriots’ complex offense.
Martin, whom the Patriots acquired Thursday in a trade with the Houston Texans, essentially learned New England’s offense over the last year and a half. He played under Texans head coach Bill O’Brien, who worked for the Patriots between 2007 and 2011, serving as an offensive assistant, wide receivers coach, quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator, and was hired in Houston in January 2014.
“There’s a lot of similarities, but it’s a little different,” Martin said about the two offenses. “It’s something I feel I have to pick up pretty fast.”
Martin even said learning the Patriots’ offense will be easier than when the Texans transitioned from Gary Kubiak to O’Brien.
“I’ll just have to get used to it,” Martin said. “At the end of the day, I’ll be ready. I’m going to learn everything and be ready.”
Martin was used as a slot and outside receiver with the Texans and previously served as their kick and punt returner. The Patriots, who have struggled to find a consistent kick returner, had starting third-down back Dion Lewis receiving kickoffs in Week 1.
“He has some experience,” Patriots head coach Bill Belichick said of Martin. “He’s played, I’d say multiple positions in an offense similar to ours — inside, outside, returned kickoffs, gets involved in the kicking game. We’ll see how it goes.”
Belichick shooed away the theory that Martin was acquired to give starting receivers Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola a rest on punt returns.
“We’ll see. We’ve had pretty good production from our returners, our punt returners,” Belichick said. “We’ll see how it goes. He returned kickoffs well against us, whatever it was, a couple years ago, and in other games as we get ready for them. I know he hasn’t done as much of that lately, but, I mean, we’ll see. I don’t know.”
Martin returned two kicks for 71 yards when the Texans hosted the Patriots in 2013. Belichick said Martin has been steady throughout his career, from when the Patriots began studying him at Michigan State up to this year’s preseason.
“I’d say in this particular case, it’s all been pretty consistent,” Belichick said. “I think what we’ve seen from Keshawn over the last, call it maybe six years from college to his pro career — it’s all been pretty consistent. It isn’t like it’s been a big roller-coaster ride in any area. I think what he was in college and how he’s performed in the NFL has all been pretty consistent.
“I think that makes it a relatively easy evaluation of a player. And he’s young, so age isn’t really a big factor here, or injuries for that matter. The way he’s played has been … you go back to last year’s preseason games, last year’s regular-season games, this year’s preseason, kind of the comments we had coming out of Michigan State, it’s all I’d say pretty consistent.
Thumbnail photo via Ron Chenoy/USA TODAY Sports Images
