Foster: Mike Martin Hosts Football Clinic At U-M

By Terry Foster
@TerryFoster971

Mike Martin began mowing lawns two full summers before he participated in his first football camp at the University of Michigan.

He wanted to make sure he had the cash because it was not an extra expense his family could afford. So Martin, who played at Michigan and is now a member of the Philadelphia Eagles, totally understands the concept of the Jim Harbaugh satellite camps.

He approves of them because they give players exposure and they are free to participants.

"I think it is good any time you can offer kids exposure and give them an opportunity," Martin said. "That is the way I look at it. I didn't have many opportunities to get in front of coaches. Whatever piece of information I could get, I was all over it. If a kid gets an opportunity that is all the matters."

Martin, 25, played his first four seasons with the Tennessee Titans before moving to the Eagles for the 2016 season. He still has a soft spot for the University of Michigan and the community at large. That is why he will host a football clinic for youth Sunday at Ann Arbor Pioneer High School.

He charges just $25 and campers will get instruction from Martin and former Michigan and Michigan State players in addition to some of his former teammates from the Titans. Last year he did not charge for the camp and numbers swelled to 400 which overwhelmed coaches and players.

He wants to put a cap on it this year to make the camp more enjoyable.

"Getting older guys who are familiar with the game, they can talk to kids to further their game," Martin said. "This is to not only advance their game in football but we can put things in their brains how to improve their life skills."

Martin is a 6-foot-1, 298 pound defensive end who recorded 42 tackles, 26 tackles and four sacks with the Titans. However, he believed he was being phased out of the Titans defense. He began looking around and caught a break when former Titans defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz took a job with the Eagles.

He still believed in Martin and encouraged him to sign with the Eagles.

Now he takes a job with the always competitive NFC Eastern Conference.

"Everything has been super positive and very good for me," Martin said. "I have an opportunity to play in a new system. What was going on with me at Tennessee was a lack of comfort level. I had been there so long but recently it was not what was best for my career. I had a talk with Coach Schwartz and he told me he knew what I was capable of and he knew what I did when I first got to Tennessee. I want to give you an opportunity to resurrect your career."

That's all Martin needed to hear. He's been working out in Philadelphia and in Detroit and is ready to show what he can do.

Of course Schwartz is no stranger to Detroit. He coached five seasons for the Lions and finished with a 29-51 record. He touched off a fire storm at Ford Field after going after Jim Harbaugh when the former San Francisco 49ers coach slapped him on the back after a disappointing Lions loss.

Players carried him off the field as a defensive coordinator of the Buffalo Bills when the Bills overcame a 14-3 halftime lead to win in the last second against the Lions.

Martin laughed at the stories. None of them were a surprise to him.

"He is a super fiery and super energetic guy," Martin said. "He is fun to be around. There is never a dull moment with him. He is going to praise you when you do well and he is going to tear your ass out when he sees you messing up. He wants to get the best out of guys."

(The Mike Martin football camp takes place Sunday at Ann Arbor Pioneer High School and is open for to third through eighth graders. Registration begins at 10 a.m. and the camp runs until 3 p.m. Cost is $25 per participant. Go to gomikemartin.com for more information and to register.)