“Mad Mike” Martz
Posted by Jeff Joniak in Jeff Joniak on Monday, February 1, 2010 | no responses
On the day the Saints and Colts arrived in Miami, it’s the Bears who grab the NFL’s attention by hiring “Mad Mike” Martz as offensive coordinator.
Number four on the interview list during a process that covered 27 days after the dismissal of Ron Turner, Martz wound up being number one.
“In 1992, Mike Shanahan was the fifth candidate interviewed for the San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator job”, said veteran NFL writer Ira Miller. “Look how he turned out.”
“If Martz is the guy to get us back to the playoffs I’m all in,” said Bears tight end Desmond Clark.
An offense gleaned from 2010 Hall of Fame candidate Don Coryell of the San Diego Chargers, Martz established himself as an offensive “guru” in St. Louis.
His 1999 hiring by Dick Vermeil gave the Rams an instantly explosive system that annually piled up points at a record pace. The Rams also won the Super Bowl.
Later as head coach of the Rams, Martz returned to the Super Bowl before losing to the New England Patriots in 2001.
The biggest concern for Lovie Smith is how Martz treats the running game, in particular with the addition of offensive line coach Mike Tice.
I asked Tice if he could help fix the Bears running game.
“That’s why I’m here,” said Tice.
In San Francisco, head coach Mike Singletary had more influence on Martz shifting his system towards a more balanced attack.
Smith will hope Martz will see the Bears offense in the same way.
Leave a Reply
