Martin finally becoming useful target in NFL

DAVIE, Fla. - Some of the acrobatic catches Dolphins tight end David Martin has been making this season have drawn rave reviews from Miami's coaching staff and members of the South Florida media, and to Tennessee Vols fans they probably come as just as much of a surprise.

The 29-year-old Martin struggled as a wide receiver at UT from 1997-2000 and finished his career with 46 catches for 543 yards and five touchdowns. He nearly matched that four-year total this year for the surprising Dolphins who went 11-5 and won the AFC East after going 1-15 in 2007. He caught 31 passes for 450 yards and three touchdowns. Martin set a career high for receiving yards, matched his career high for touchdown catches set in 2005 when he was with the Green Bay Packers and was three catches off his career high set last year with the Dolphins.

"Whenever you've played receiver before you've got some different ball skills than a lot of different guys," said Martin on Wednesday, three days after he was knocked out of the Dolphins' 24-17 win over the New York Jets in the Meadowlands with a head and neck injury. "And I've been able to put that to use and it's helped us."

In back-to-back wins over the San Francisco 49ers at home and the Kansas City Chiefs on the road, the 6-foot-4, 265-pound tight end made two touchdown catches that would rival some of the best ones made by Chiefs Pro Bowl tight end Tony Gonzalez. Martin's 61-yard scoring reception in the first quarter of a 14-9 win over the Niners on Dec. 14 made all of the highlight reels as he adjusted to the slightly underthrown pass by quarterback Chad Pennington, out-jumped safety Mark Roman, kept his balance and finished off the play by trotting into the left corner of the end zone.

Pennington was complimentary of Martin after the game, and then watched the eighth-year veteran one up himself the following Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium in frigid Kansas City, where the wind chill factor pushed the temperatures below zero and the field was frozen. Trailing 14-10 in the second quarter, Pennington rifled an 11-yard pass to the back of the end zone and Martin went airborne to snag it, managing to come down with both feet inside the back line to put the Dolphins back in the lead.

"We feel like our tight ends are extremely versatile and they can work the perimeter, they can work the inside, they can block when they need to block in the run game, they can pass protect when we need to ask them to pass protect," Pennington said of Martin and Anthony Fasano, who have combined for 10 touchdown catches. "To be able to have the tight ends and guys like David who can do those types of things, it just gives you a comfort level as a quarterback, but also I would believe as a coach to know that if we need to use this guy, we can call upon him and count upon him, not just in one area of the offense, but in multiple areas. It means a lot for us to be able to do that."

Martin has worked with both quarterbacks who were at the center of last week's Dolphins-Jets game - Pennington and future Hall-of-Famer Brett Favre, who was Martin's quarterback in Green Bay. When Miami signed him to a three-year contract as an unrestricted free agent in March of 2007, he was expected to produce like he has this year but had his struggles in the pass blocking and holding onto some passes.

The difference Pennington has made, as well as first-year coach Tony Sparano, offensive coordinator Dan Henning and tight ends coach George DeLeone, has been substantial and Martin seems to have been re-energized.

"I've got to take my hat off to these coaches," Martin said. "They've known how to use the skill guys in the stretch and what they'd be good at. They've put us in position to make plays and I was just able to make them, so I take my hat off to the coaches and Chad and the job that they've done."

Sparano is familiar with Fasano from their days together in Dallas with the Cowboys, although Fasano was utilized differently there with Jason Witten being the primary target of quarterback Tony Romo. He didn't know a lot about Martin when he arrived but was impressed with his size and athleticism as well as his ability to catch the ball. From training camp to now, Sparano has noticed a dramatic change.

"He's getting better and better and he's still improving each week," Sparano said. "I see David do things every week that he wasn't doing in Week 1 and 2."

It just so happens some of what Sparano is seeing Vols fans didn't really see a decade ago out of Martin when he was trying to prove something to Phillip Fulmer and Tennessee's coaching staff. He wanted to show them he could excel as a receiver rather than as an H-back or tight end, which is what he originally was slotted for.

The fact that Martin was practicing again with the team Thursday morning and stressing how badly he wants to play in Sunday's first-round playoff game at Dolphin Stadium against the Baltimore Ravens indicates both parties could see more of the same in Miami's first playoff game since 2001.

"I'm just trying to help this team get a playoff win," Martin said. "That's all I'm excited about and that's where my focus is."