LaFleur’s pitch is finally taken
Ex-Packer Martin joins staff after long courtship
Ruvell Martin said no.
It wasn't just the pay cut he'd take by leaving his successful real estate career. Or uprooting himself and his family – again – after settling in the Southeast for more than 10 years.
It was the hours.
Coaching in the NFL sucks up the morning, afternoon, evening and weekends. It cuts into lunch breaks and dinner reservations. Workout plans and holidays.
But especially it cuts into drives to school, practices after school, weekend tournaments.
As great as the job may be, everyone – coaches, their spouses and especially the kids – sacrifices.
Because of that, the only people the former Green Bay Packers receiver wanted to coach were his four daughters – volleyball, soccer, softball and basketball athletes.
But when the Packers created a fulltime, year-long minority coaching fellowship this offseason, Green Bay firstyear coach Matt LaFleur ran it by Martin. It wasn't the first time the former teammates and roommates at Saginaw Valley State discussed coaching opportunities. Martin was always curious,
and LaFleur was always supportive. But the conclusion was also – always – the same. Martin wanted his family time.
And yet, LaFleur pitched the idea again in February. Martin said no, at first.
But Michelle Martin couldn't let this one go. While her 37-year-old husband hadn't played since 2012, and the Martins had moved on from the NFL world, she had to ask: Who gets courted like this? To coach in the NFL?
“What are the odds that this keeps coming up for you,” Michelle had asked Ruvell. “This may be something you're destined to do. This may be more than what we think it is; maybe this is your calling.”
Besides, if Michelle would go anywhere, it would be Green Bay.
Undrafted with a year of NFL Europe experience to his name, Martin joined the Packers late in 2005 and climbed from the practice squad to the active roster in 2006. For the next three seasons, in 41 games and nine starts, Martin had 52 receptions for 749 yards, a 14.4 average, and six touchdowns. In 2006 and '07 Martin caught 37 passes from Brett Favre. In 2008 he caught 15 from Aaron Rodgers. He shared the same meeting room with Donald Driver and Greg Jennings. Green Bay was good to him.
Michelle and Ruvell brought up the idea of going to Green Bay to the kids.
Kennedy, 15, is 6-foot-4 plus – half an inch taller than her dad – and a standout volleyball player. Jumana, 13; Lila, 10; and Gia, 6, also play multiple sports.
“Heck, yeah, I want to go,” is how Martin described Kennedy's reaction.
The vote was unanimous, Martin said. He was quite surprised.
“I ended up calling Matt back and said I would do it,” Martin said. “He was almost not believing me. He was like, ‘Man, you better be serious.' ” LaFleur had every right to ask. LaFleur was the quarterback for Martin's first three years at Saginaw Valley State and then a graduate assistant for his fourth year. The Michigan natives – Martin from Muskegon and LaFleur from Mount Pleasant – had a lot in common. They kept in touch, even as LaFleur pursued coaching and Martin continued his NFL career after being released by the Packers before the 2009 season.
Martin went to the Packers-Falcons NFC championship game in 2016 and that's the first time the two discussed coaching. LaFleur, then the quarterbacks coach for Atlanta, made time to get together with Martin after the game.
Martin questioned LaFleur: How is the coaching? What's it like on your family life? Does it put a lot of strain on everything? How did you manage it?
“And for him it was like, well, I didn't know you had an interest in this…” Martin said.
For the next four years, LaFleur kept Martin posted on potential opportunities.
“It was almost constant with him: ‘Let's get you in here, let's get you in there,' ” Martin said. “In the back of my mind I was like, I was just asking. I wasn't really going to do this. It was like if I was going to do this, I should have done it five years ago. I always thought it wasn't meant to be for me.
“But there was always something in the back of my mind as I started finishing out my NFL career. As you get older you kind of take on a different role with the team, in terms of bringing along other players or guys just coming to you. I enjoyed helping out.
“I had other coaches tell me that: 'Man, you'll be good at coaching someday.' ”
It was finally time to take the leap. On March 10, LaFleur knew Martin finally was in. 100%. Martin's Charlotte-area home of 101⁄2 years would be sold. His eight-year career in residential real estate, and partnership in a firm and on a real estate team, would be done, or at least on hold.
“That's the only way to go, right? All in,” Martin said.
Martin's flight to Green Bay was scheduled for March 16. And then the state of Wisconsin shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic.
In that time, the Martins managed to stay healthy, settle business and finish school. Ruvell Martin will arrive in Green Bay on Friday.
His new role will be to assist Packers wideout coach Jason Vrable. It will be Martin's first coaching job at the professional level.
He's grateful that the NFL is trying to create more opportunities for minorities and said he doesn't know why there aren't more black coaches in a league that has so many black players. But that wasn't his focus when accepting the job.
“I am interested in being the best coach that I can be to these players,” Martin said. “I understand the route and path that this is bringing me into the NFL. At the same time it's not something I have put any time, thought or energy into.”
Martin simply believes that after passing up so many other coaching opportunities, this was really one he wanted to try.
So he's taking a big chance, and asking the five people closest to him to risk it with him.
“To connect with an old team with a coach who is a friend of mine in a city that has always treated me extremely well,” Martin said. “And I'm excited to get back there.”
Martin and two of his daughters went to Lambeau Field to see LaFleur and the Packers in a game last October, so he knows how much the place has changed since he left.
He'll be reunited with Rodgers, whom he got along so well with when they were young players because they shared the same drive to always get better.
And he'll finally work once again with LaFleur. Always an admirer of LaFleur's lead-by-example work ethic – the guy who worked hard, followed every workout, met every curfew and lived by discipline – Martin now wants to see how LaFleur coaches, while he cultivates his own coaching style.
“I didn't leave school thinking Matt was going to be an amazing coach, only because I didn't know his aspirations back then,” Martin said. “But if you told me after the fact? I would not be at all surprised. Matt was going to be successful at whatever he wanted to do.”