After Playing A Good Game, He Talks One

In some ways, Chris Martin's life hasn't changed much in the past decade. He is engulfed in football. Many days, he is up well before dawn to watch film, breaking down tendencies and formations, scribbling a few notes, searching for an angle that no one else has spotted.

But he is no longer a player.

He is a broadcaster for the Big Ten Network, a first-year entity that specializes in televising (and analyzing) the league's athletic events.

"I'm loving it," said Martin, 33, who lives in Evanston, Ill. "This is what I want to do. I'm driven to get better at it."

Martin, who played for Dominick Ciao at Jesuit High, became a three-year starter at cornerback for Northwestern University. The Wildcats won the 1995 Big Ten title and reached the Rose Bowl in his senior year. He played one season for the Chicago Bears, working his way from the practice squad to the active roster, before an ACL injury effectively ended his NFL career.

He never strayed far from the game, though, even when he became an insurance broker in Chicago, even when he formed a company that organized youth sports camps. Broadcasting has allowed him to tap into his expertise - and his passion.

"For me, it's very similar to playing," Martin said. "I have my routine. Preparation is huge. The better prepared you are, the better you'll be calling the game. It's that simple.

"When I played, I wanted to be the best. It's no different here. I told the Big Ten Network officials that I didn't get into this business to become a .250 hitter. I want to learn it, do it right and see how far I can take this."

Martin is well on his way, according to veteran play-by-play man Wayne Larrivee, his partner on Big Ten Network games (the duo will handle tonight's Minnesota-Illinois game).

"Every time the microphone has been turned on, Chris has gotten better," said Larrivee, a former Illinois Sportscaster of the Year who is the radio voice of the Green Bay Packers. "The real test of an analyst, particularly early on, is how comfortable they are, how they can analyze something on the field and enunciate it to the viewers. Chris has done that."

Martin, whose younger brother Mike is a regional scout with the Houston Texans, appears twice weekly on the one-hour studio show, "Big Ten Tonight," along with Dave Revsine and Gerry DiNardo, a former head coach.

"The studio is where you get the real intense breakdowns of the upcoming games," Martin said. "Between that and doing the actual games, I just tell myself, 'Hey, just talk about football, tell them what you know.'"

Martin hopes his role can grow along with the new network. He believes the concept - a major college conference establishing its own television outlet - is here to stay.

"Everyone is looking to us," he said. "We're the blueprint. The SEC, the Big 12, the Big East ... I think eventually, everybody will be going this route. So we're on the ground floor of something exciting."

ODDS AND ENDS: Third-year WR Mike Williams (Plant), the former USC All-American who was the 10th overall draft pick by Detroit in 2005, was cut this week by the Oakland Raiders. Williams had seven receptions for 90 yards this season. ... Former Bucs LB and Tampa resident Richard "Batman" Wood will be honored at today's Oregon State-USC game in Los Angeles. Wood, a three-time All-American for the Trojans and a key cog on two of John McKay's national championship teams, was inducted last summer into the College Football Hall of Fame. ... Albany junior LB Aaron Scott (Robinson) had a career-high four tackles and one sack in the Great Danes' 24-10 win against Wagner.