Blake Martinez: His star continues to rise and shine for Packers

Blake Martinez, the second-year inside linebacker for the Green Bay Packers, continues to show he’s a legitimate rising star for the team.

Last week, we wrote about Martinez as he came off one of, if not the best game of his career when the Packers beat the Dallas Cowboys on the road.

Martinez was a huge factor in that game as we saw him constantly blowing up plays in the backfield, filling the gaps on run support and coming away with tackle after tackle.

In that Dallas game he had seven solo tackles and five assists, which at that time gave him 38 total tackles.

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Blake Martinez didn’t take a step back against the Vikings.

Again, he was a man on a mission. We saw #50 flash several times again as he continued to show speed, instinct, and drive.

Against the Vikings last Sunday, he was once again one of the defensive standouts, coming to the finish of that game with 11 tackles, two that were for a loss.

Most importantly, it was Martinez who tipped the pass that was intercepted by cornerback Damarious Randall – Randall’s second interception in as many weeks.

Though Randall didn’t return this one for a touchdown, it stopped a Vikings drive and led to Packers points.

After starting slowly in the first couple of games for the Packers, Martinez had two tackles against the Seattle Seahawks in the season opener.

However, he has continued to build steam through the first six weeks..

With five tackles and a sack of Matt Ryan in Week 2, Blake Martinez made a huge jump in Week 3 at home against the Bengals with seven solo tackles and four assists. Martinez followed with five solo tackles and two assists against the Chicago Bears in Week 4 and then went off the past two weeks against the Cowboys and the Vikings.

Selected by the Packers last year with a compensatory pick at 131st overall in the NFL Draft, Martinez started his career in Green Bay facing a monumental climb to starter.

MINNEAPOLIS, MN – OCTOBER 15: Jerick McKinnon /

The way he’s played in his sophomore season, the fact that he’s stayed healthy, and the contributions he’s made to an improving defense is testament to the fact that he may be one of Ted Thompson‘s best selections of the 2016 NFL Draft.

Not only has his tackling improved, but his pass coverage has also been a bright spot. The only blemish on his play last Sunday was a dropped interception that he had in his hands, but couldn’t pull in.

But for him to be around the ball and making the break toward a potential interception is important to note.

My guess is that next time he will make that interception.

If there’s one reason for the improvement in the Packers defense this year, it’s been the play of the inside linebackers, namely Blake Martinez, who continues to make splash plays that are getting him noticed during the first half of this season.

We can only expect that if he stays healthy, he’s going to continue to make the plays that will put him in position to be a steady contributor on this Packers team.

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For Blake Martinez to continue to be the rock in the middle for the Packers, he’s got to stay healthy – something that seems to be difficult if you’re a Green Bay Packer.

But as we continue to see him progress with each passing week, he’s fast becoming one of the unsung, but very important players on this team.

Continue to watch this guy – he’s not only fun to watch, but his play is mindful of other great inside linebackers in the game today.

He has the potential to be a strong contributor for years to come.

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