The “Mad Scientist” is coming to Chicago: The National Football Post reports that the Bears have hired Mike Martz to become their next offensive coordinator.

What’s interesting about this hire is that Martz wasn’t GM Jerry Angelo’s first, second, third or even fourth candidate for the position. Angelo had Jeremy Bates, Rob Chudzinski, Hue Jackson and a host of others ahead of Martz on his wish list, but all of the candidates bowed out, presumably because head coach Lovie Smith is on the hot seat. Why would anyone want to go to Chicago if there’s a possibility that they’ll get axed in a year anyway?

Why would anyone outside of Martz, that is.

After serving as the 49ers’ offensive coordinator for just one season, Martz was out of football last year and was itching to get back into coaching. With so few options, it makes sense that he would jump at the opportunity to join the Bears.

They’re desperate, he’s desperate – it works.

But will it work? Martz was the same person that criticized Jay Cutler earlier this season for being immature following a loss to the Packers in Week 1. Martz reportedly got the Bears’ blessing to fly down to Tennessee over the weekend to meet with Cutler and clear the air, but will the marriage work?

Martz is still regarded as one of the brightest offensive minds in football and his track record speaks for itself. Anyone that can turn the Lions’ offense into a top 10 passing attack deserves praise, although the reason why he has been ousted everywhere he’s been is because he doesn’t run the football. He also has no use for pass protection and his quarterbacks are often sitting ducks because he always runs plays out of three and four receiver sets, thus leaving less linemen in to protect his signal caller. That’s not good considering how bad the Bears’ offensive line is and given that Cutler often forces passes when he’s under duress and doesn’t mind throwing as many interceptions as humanly possible during 60 minutes of football.

I see this union between Cutler and Martz ending in one of two ways: An explosive partnership that makes the Bears one of the most excited passing teams in the NFL, or a beautiful disaster that will be worthy of watching from the front row.

Either way, it should be a fun year in Chicago.

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According to the Chicago Sun Times, the Bears interviewed Mike Martz for their vacant offensive coordinator job on Friday.

Martz had spoken to Bears head coach Lovie Smith early in the process, but he finally got an interview today. Minnesota Vikings quarterbacks coach Kevin Rogers is believed to have made a strong impression on the Bears during an interview Thursday, and he or Martz could compel the Bears not to wait for any assistants on the two Super Bowl teams.

As for Martz, he and Smith have plenty of history; Smith was Martz’a defensive coordinator in St. Louis. But Martz will have to prove several things today. First, that he isn’t going to ignore running the ball, which is essential in Chicago yet goes against the grain of his track record. And second, that he can co-exist with his players and coaches, particularly assistant head coach Rod Marinelli, who fired Martz when he was the head coach of the Detroit Lions.

This would be one desperate party hiring another desperate party. The Bears have had zero luck in trying to replace Ron Turner (whom they fired earlier this month) and Martz wants to get back into coaching after a one-year hiatus as an analyst on the NFL Network’s “The Head Coaches.”

What’s interesting about this potential marriage is that Martz criticized Jay Cutler earlier this season after the Bears’ QB was nonchalant in a post game presser after he threw four interceptions in a Week 1 loss to the Packers.

“He just doesn’t get it. He doesn’t understand that he represents a great head coach and the rest of those players on that team … somebody needs to talk to him,” said Martz.

As a fan, I would love to see how Martz and Cutler would interact. It would either be an offensive explosion every week or be a complete and utter disaster. Either way, sign me up for that scenario.

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According to a report by the Chicago Sun Times, Mike Martz is a candidate to become the Bears’ next offensive coordinator.

”Martz would love to work with Jay Cutler,” said the source, who cited the close relationship between Smith and Martz in sharing the information.

Smith is expected to stay with the Bears in 2010 because of more than $10 million in walking-away money.
But offensive coordinator Ron Turner and at least part of his staff could be another story. The Bears (4-6) purged their defensive staff last offseason, and it might be the offense’s turn in January as Smith makes a final effort to turn around a franchise headed toward its third straight season of missing the playoffs. Since Turner was hired in 2005 after the firing of

Terry Shea, the offensive staff has been untouched. In that same span, Smith has changed seven defensive position coaches and moved the title of defensive coordinator from Ron Rivera to Bob Babich to himself.

This makes sense considering that the Bears have no interest in running the ball. Martz has always been able to get the most out of his quarterbacks (Kurt Warner, Marc Bulger, Jon Kitna, etc.) and could work well with Cutler. Of course, that could be a recipe for disaster given Martz and Cutler’s egos.

Still, Martz pass-happy system would be a great fit for Cutler’s big arm. But even if the Bears do land Martz, they still need to figure out a way to rebuild the offensive line or else Cutler will continue to struggle no matter what system he’s in.

This is an intriguing rumor.

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