Rookie right guard Zack Martin reminds Travis Frederick a little bit of Travis Frederick.
A year ago, Frederick was where Martin is now. A first round pick, rookie lineman trying to adjust to the speed of the NFL and pick up the offense. Martin has answered the call with aplomb, drawing praise from the coaching staff and his teammates, Frederick included.
“He’s kind of the same type of guy--Midwestern guy, big, thick,” Frederick said, per ESPN Dallas. “That’s kind of my style of play, is his style of play. He’s way more athletic than I am, but I think we have kind of the same mindset where you can play the game with more than just strength and athleticism.
“If you can see things a little bit better, understand the game a little bit better as a whole, it’s going to allow you to play the game faster and play better. I think he certainly has the ability to do that.”
For head coach Jason Garrett, Martin stands out as a fast learner--kind of the way Frederick stood out in training camp 2013.
“He just needs to play at this level,” Garrett said of Martin. “But that’s what we said about Travis last year. They typically tend to respond. Guys who are smart at any position, particularly the offensive line, tend to get better. They tend to improve quickly. And we’ve certainly seen that with him.”
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