The Associated Press

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. - There he stood in the backfield; third game of the season, at Miami, ready to run.

Run? Curtis Martin could barely walk without pain shooting through his left ankle. But he simply had to play.

So he ignored his ankle, wiped away the tears that welled from the pain and kept playing. He started every game, rushing for over 1,000 yards in the most valiant effort of his career.

"Last year was the most pain, the most hurt that I've probably had in my entire career," Martin said Monday as Jets' training camp opened. "There's no way I feel that bad going into this season."

Martin is finally healthy after an offseason of rest. Though the 30-year-old running back is entering his ninth season, he is confident he can keep up his blistering pace and run for 1,000 yards again. He and Barry Sanders are the only players to do it in their first eight seasons.

Many consider last season a disappointment. Martin considers it a success because he played through the injuries.

He sprained his ankle in the first half of the season opener at Buffalo and wound up with 6 yards. He had 5 yards the next week against New England.

Then came the Miami game.

"I was in so much pain, I laughed," Martin said. "I thought, 'I can't believe this is actually happening.' It was one of those mental pictures you never forget."

He finished with a career-low 1,094 yards, but still got 1,000.

But offensive coordinator Paul Hackett is expecting another superb season from Martin.

"We're talking about one of the most extraordinary people I've been around," Hackett said. "What you see is the determination to bounce back from what was a mediocre year for him."

STEELERS: Punter Josh Miller will miss the start of training camp after having arthroscopic knee surgery.

Miller damaged knee cartilage during an offseason workout, but coach Bill Cowher said Monday that he would likely miss only a week or two of camp.

PATRIOTS: Defensive tackle Ty Warren, New England's first draft pick, signed with the Patriots Monday along with seven other rookies.

FALCONS: Nose tackle Ellis Johnson has told the team he will report to training camp Friday after abruptly leaving a mandatory mini-camp 12 days ago to return to his family.

Training camp begins Friday in Greenville, S.C.

TITANS: Tennessee signed second-round draft pick Tyrone Calico and third-round selection Chris Brown to multiyear deals Monday.

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