We’re going to take a break from a look back at the schedule today and focus on one of the key pieces from that season, Curtis Martin.

The Rookie of the Year in 1995 after being selected 74th overall in the third round, Martin came right back with 1,152 yards on 316 carries in 1996. Martin also added 14 rushing touchdowns, 46 catches for 333 yards and three receiving touchdowns. Perhaps more impressive than any of those numbers, was the fact that he could be depended on to carry the rock 30-plus times a game without any hesitation.

Martin’s most famous run from that season was the 78-yard touchdown run from the AFC Divisional playoff win against the Steelers in foggy Foxboro Stadium. Martin had two other rushing TD’s that day as well from 2-yards and 23-yards out, finishing with 19 carries for 166 yards. One week later in the AFC title game against Jacksonville, Martin had just one rushing TD from a yard out, but he carried the ball another 19 times and only gained 59 yards, but his sheer presence in the game throughout his time in New England allowed Bledsoe, Terry Glenn, Shawn Jefferson and Ben Coates to do their damage with attention taken off them.

Perhaps Martin’s most prolific “workhorse” performance came in a win against the Colts on November 24th. Martin carried the ball a whopping 35 times that day for 141 yards and a touchdown to help the Pats get to 8-4 in their quest for an AFC East title.

It’s clear that Bill Parcells was a fan of Martin considering he convinced him to go to the Jets when he jumped ship and it’s fair to say that the feeling has been mutual, as Martin has been quoted calling Parcells a “life changer” in previous interviews.

It may fly under the radar now, but the decision to draft Martin in 1995 was one of the more important decisions the organization made at that time. Martin’s contributions to the 96 season and therefore getting fans back in the stands were crucial to the revival of the franchise started by that AFC championship team. Martin’s role should forever be remembered fondly, because I’m not sure the team gets the same result with just David Meggett or Sam Gash.

We hope you’ve enjoyed taking this stroll down memory lane with us so far during our 25 days celebrating the 25th anniversary of the 1996 AFC championship. Don’t forget to check back tomorrow where we’ll turn our focus to the other side of the ball and taking a look at some of the more impactful guys on defense during that special 1996 season including Ted Johnson, Tedy Bruschi, Chris Slade, Lawyer Milloy, Ty Law and Willie McGinest.