Martinek in 'Good Spirits' After Giants' Roster Cut, Dad Says

Joe Martinek Sr. is always happy to hear from his football playing son, also named Joe. Only this morning he answered the phone with a little bit of trepidation.

“I thought it was kind of early for him to be calling me,’’ Martinek Sr. said. “He said, ‘I’m sure you didn’t want to hear from me this morning.’ ’’

The football-playing Joe had some bad news. The and Rutgers University standout was waived by the New York Giants in order to get their roster size down to 75. The plan for the 6-foot, 225-pound fullback now is to keep in shape and trust that his Atlanta-based agent Don Henderson can get him an opportunity with another NFL team.

“He’s in good spirits but it was tough for him,’’ Martinek Sr. said. “I’m sure he’s dealing with his emotions as best as he possibly could. He knows that as long as you put in 100-percent effort that win or lose you can walk on and hold your head high.’’

The younger Martinek, who is still the all-time scholastic New Jersey rushing leader with 7,589 career yards, as an undrafted free agent on April 28. It was only a week ago that Martinek gave his family and friends a thrill. He caught a 14-yard pass from backup quarterback Ryan Perrilloux and with 1:21 left to provide the finals score in the New York Giants 26-3 victory over the New York Jets in the second exhibition game of the season.

“He did it in front of our section and he did it with his signature leap into the end zone,’’ Martinek Sr. said. “He’s proven that he can play at that level.’’

Martinek’s release was considered a bit of a surprise since the Giants only have one true fullback, Henry Hynoski, left on their depth chart. The Giants still have to play the New England Patriots in their final preseason game on Wednesday. They are expected to sit most of their starters in that contest and prepare for their season opener against the Dallas Cowboys on Wednesday, Sept. 5.

The Martinek family knows that "Jersey Joe's" chances of making an NFL team depend a lot on the numbers. They believe he has unique skills and will eventually find a fit with an interested team. A number of NFL coaches are familiar with his ability as a player including his former coach at Rutgers, Greg Schiano, who is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers new head coach.

“It’s based on how a team is set for running back and fullback and how it fills different needs,’’ Martinek Sr. said. “Joe did very well on special teams. It’s a numbers game. Teams have to get down to 53 players and that’s not a lot.’’ 

The 23-year-old athlete is collecting his thoughts today and plans on getting back to work on Tuesday with trainer Ron Hanspacher at a gym in Pearl River, N.Y.

One thing the Martinek family has learned is that there is no shortage of friends and well wishers hoping for Joe to attain his NFL dreams.

“We’ve gotten a lot of phone calls and texts,’’ Martinek Sr. said. “We have always gotten some great support within the county. Joe has some loyal fans.’’