Veteran punter Sam Martin saw his career impacted during the preseason by a domino effect that started with the Bills cutting Matt Haack and giving their starting job to Matt Araiza, then saw Araiza cut when it was revealed that he was accused of rape last year, then had the Bills needing a punter because Haack was no longer available when he signed with the Colts after Rigoberto Sanchez suffered a torn Achilles.
None of that would have affected Martin, except that he declined to take a pay cut, which led the Broncos to go with the younger and cheaper Corliss Waitman. That left Martin needing a job, and the Bills were the team with an opening.
The 32-year-old Martin said he knows punters always need to be ready for change.
"Just stay ready. You never know what's going to happen," Martin said, via the Buffalo News. "Getting here in Week 1 is something I've never experienced or been a part of. I'm just kind of learning as we go. It's a short week for us to get together, but it's been good so far. Everyone has been awesome. You just kind of got to roll with the punches and do what you can to make the best of it."
One major change for Martin is that he'll be punting in windy Buffalo, often an unforgiving environment for a punter. Martin's nine-year career so far has consisted of seven seasons in a dome in Detroit, and two seasons at the altitude of Denver, which boosts punters' stats. Now Martin says he's ready for the challenges of the elements.
"Obviously, it's something you think about when you come here, especially as a punter," he said. "It's one of those things - it is a challenge. You've just got to accept it and treat it as an opportunity. Anything like that, it's perception. It's not easy, it's not going to be easy, but I look at it as a challenge. I'm up for it. I'm excited about it. If you can punt in Buffalo, really you can punt anywhere. Rather than being concerned about it, you've got to almost get excited about it and get excited about conquering it."
The Araiza fiasco left the Bills with egg on their faces, but they're hoping that Martin can play well and give them stability at a position that became a distraction this preseason.
Cut by Broncos and signed by Bills, Sam Martin knows punters have to stay ready originally appeared on Pro Football Talk