Is Martz a good fit for Cutler and the Bears?
Posted by Anthony Stalter (02/01/2010 @ 4:25 pm)
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.
Was Martz a good hire for the Bears?
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Bears interview Martz for O-coordinator job
Posted by Anthony Stalter (01/29/2010 @ 5:13 pm)
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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Bears should take a long look at Paul Hackett
Posted by Anthony Stalter (01/28/2010 @ 2:52 pm)
Sean Jensen of the Chicago Sun-Times recently chimed in on the Bears’ offensive coordinator dilemma (as in, it’s almost February and they don’t have one) and suggested that Jim Zorn should be on the team’s radar.
On the surface, hiring Zorn might offer the Bears some value. Outside of Mike Martz, he’s the biggest name available and he did have success with the Redskins in 2008 before they crashed and burned during the second half of the season.
But the problem that Jensen seems to forget is that Zorn was a disaster this past year in Washington and had his offensive play-calling duties stripped from him mid-season. Granted, that doesn’t mean Zorn can’t rebound and become a successful OC elsewhere, but there are seemingly better candidates available.
One in particular is current Raiders quarterback coach Paul Hackett. He has a ton of experience working with quarterbacks and had successful stints as an offensive coordinator with the Chiefs (’93-’97) and Jets (’01-’04) before settling in as a QB coach for the Bucs and Raiders over the past four years. He also recruited Carson Palmer when he was the head coach at USC.
During his five years as Kansas City’s offensive coordinator, the Chiefs made the playoffs in four of those five seasons. They also ranked fifth in offense in his last year there before taking over as USC’s head coach from 1998 to 2000. During his stint in New York, the Jets made the playoffs in three of his four years and while his offenses never cracked the top 10, don’t forget that the J.E.T.S. didn’t have a roster full of Pro Bowlers on the offensive side of the ball.
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Posted in: NFL
Tags: Bears offensive coordiantor, Bears offensive coordiantor candidates, Bill Musgrave, Bill Musgrave Bears, Chicago Bears, Jim Zorn, Jim Zorn Bears, Mike Martz, Mike Martz Bears, Paul Hackett, Paul Hackett Bears
 
Bears suffer another blow in search for OC
Posted by Anthony Stalter (01/25/2010 @ 11:08 am)
According to the Chicago Tribune, Chargers’ assistant head coach Rob Chudzinski has dropped out of the running for the Bears’ offensive coordinator job.
As the article notes, Chud’s contract is expiring and word has it that San Diego wants to retain him. There’s a possibility that other teams may be pursuing him as well, so maybe he wants to keep his options open.
Whatever the situation is, this isn’t good news for the Bears. Jeremy Bates was GM Jerry Angelo’s first choice to replace Ron Turner as the offensive coordinator, but Bates is heading to Seattle to run the Seahawks’ offense under Pete Carroll. Angelo also missed out on Charlie Weis, who signed with the Chiefs, and Chudzinski becomes the latest assistant to steer clear of the “Windy City.”
The one logical candidate remaining is Mike Martz, who was linked to the Bears’ OC job a couple weeks ago. With Angelo running out of options, the mad scientist might be his last opportunity to hire a coordinator with experience. And with Chicago getting away from the running game now that Jay Cutler is under center, Martz might not be a bad fit.
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Bears to hire Mike Martz as coordinator?
Posted by Anthony Stalter (01/15/2010 @ 7:15 pm)
ESPN.com speculates that Mike Martz may have emerged as the favorite to become the Bears’ next offensive coordinator.
As NFL Insider Adam Schefter reported on Thursday, Perry Fewell is planning to accept an offer to become the next defensive coordinator for the Giants. That’s a big loss — from a public relations standpoint — for the Bears, and Lovie Smith particularly, under whom Fewell worked in the past. In order to save some face, the Bears might pull the trigger on Martz in order to “try to add some credibility to their offseason,” according to a tweet from Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune.
NFC North blogger Kevin Seifert discussed why the Bears haven’t yet hired Martz, and why they should:
“This is far from an ideal scenario. But there’s little doubt Martz has a long history of implementing dynamic passing games. The Bears have devoted too many assets to Cutler to ignore that. Martz’s history, and his experience in quickly installing a scheme, might give the Bears their best chance at a quick fix.”
Martz generally favors quarterbacks that he can mold into his own, which doesn’t describe Cutler. I agree with Seifert in that this would be a quick fix scenario at best, and a move that appeases some Bear fans more than it solves the team’s offensive woes. That’s not to say that Martz won’t do a good job, but is he the right fit? That’s debatable.
Martz a candidate to become Bears’ next O-coordinator
Posted by Anthony Stalter (11/25/2009 @ 1:15 pm)
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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Martz to run Cardinals’ offense in 2009?
Posted by Anthony Stalter (02/08/2009 @ 2:08 pm)
Could the NFC Champions considering hiring the “Mad Scientist” to run their offense in 2009?
 File this one in the rumor category . . . but I’ve heard that the Cardinals called the 49ers on Friday to ask for the cell number of Mike Martz, whom Singletary fired two days after the season. I have not been able to confirm this happened, so take it for what it’s worth.
So might Whisenhunt seriously consider Martz as the man to take over the offense? Might that help convince Kurt Warner to go ahead and sign a two-year deal to remain with the Cardinals? Certainly, the Cardinals’ talent on offense would seem to be a better fit for Martz’s offensive style than what he had last season with the 49ers.
Even though it’s only a rumor it’s certainly a viable one. Warner and Martz have worked together before and considering the Cardinals don’t have much of a running game for Mad Martz to ruin, this could be a nice match.
Could you imagine what Larry Fitzgerald, Steve Breaston and Anquan Boldin (assuming he’s still in ‘Zona next year) could do in Martz’s offense? Wow.
Mike Singletary in as head coach for 49ers – Mike Martz out?
Posted by Anthony Stalter (12/26/2008 @ 9:24 am)
Word out of San Francisco is that Mike Singletary is going to get a crack at becoming the permanent fixture at head coach next season, which isn’t good news for offensive coordinator Mike Martz. Singletary reportedly doesn’t like Martz’s coaching style and if he becomes head coach, would look to replace the “Mad Scientist.”
 It’s not official yet. But it’s getting pretty darn close. Barring some unforeseen event, Mike Singletary will be the 49ers head coach in 2009, perhaps as soon as the Monday after the team’s finale against the Redskins, according to a source close to the situation. When team officials, including owner Jed York, made Singletary the 49ers’ interim coach in late October, they told him that the team would have to show progress in order for him to keep his job. They have done just that, going 4-4 under Singletary. But Singletary sealed the deal – or came tantalizingly close to doing so – on Monday when he met with team officials and laid out his plan for the future, including both offense and defense. Singletary’s vision had been the one remaining question in the minds of team officials.
Under Singletary, defensive coordinator Greg Manusky would be retained. Offensive coordinator Mike Martz, however, would not. With Martz directing the offense, the 49ers have climbed from dead last in the league in total offense to 24th this season. But Martz’s pass-first mentality, on display in recent games against Miami and St. Louis, clashes with Singletary’s ball-control philosophy. It also seems to be at odds with the type of players the 49ers have drafted on offense in recent years. Singletary not only discussed his offensive philosophy in the Monday meeting, he cited several candidates to take over at offensive coordinator next season. Those names are not yet known, although they are believed to include both current head coaches and assistants. The 49ers’ biggest concern is for offensive continuity over the next several seasons.
Singletary deserves a shot to be a full-time head coach. It’s apparent that since he took over as interim coach, the Niners have played with more passion and emotion. He’s a fiery competitor who should be very successful.
One has to wonder if Martz is long for this league. His offense has been successful every where he’s gone, but the same criticisms come up no matter where he lands – he doesn’t run the football enough. Some team is going to want his offense, but I wonder if he’ll have to change his approach and develop a more balanced offense.
Mike Martz explains goal line gaff on Monday night
Posted by Anthony Stalter (11/12/2008 @ 11:00 am)
Here’s what offensive coordinator Mike Martz had to say regarding the disastrous sequence that transpired on the goal line during the closing seconds of the 49ers’ 29-24 loss to the Cardinals on Monday night:
 “It cost us the game,” he said. “We go to the 1 — or the half-yard line — then spike the ball when, all of a sudden, officials tell us they’re going to look at the replay. While they’re looking at it, the ball stays at the 1. So we send in a play. Then, when they make their decision, they move the ball back to the 2½ and tell us they’re going to start the clock on the official’s wind.
“We couldn’t change the play. We had to go with what we called. If it would’ve been at the 1, we would’ve made it. But they moved it and didn’t give us any time. So what are we going to do? If they would’ve moved it to the 10 we still would’ve had to run the play that was called. We got screwed because of the spot, first and foremost.”
Okay, so the refs screwed you. That still doesn’t explain why Martz didn’t tell Shaun Hill just to spike the ball so he could get a better play called. There was four seconds remaining on the game clock. Even with the time running at the refs’ winding of the clock, Hill still could have spiked it and had at least two seconds left so that Martz got a better play call in.
And regardless of that, why run a dive with Michael Robinson? You’re telling me that’s your best play call from the one or two yard line? A boot with the mobile Hill isn’t better than running straight at the Cards’ defense with Michael Robinson? This is why no team wants Martz as a head coach – because he outsmarts himself when the game is on the line.
Fantasy Football Update: 10/28
Posted by John Paulsen (10/28/2008 @ 2:45 pm)
Jason Witten has a broken rib but wants to play through it this week in a big game against the Giants. Conventional wisdom states that the Cowboys should rest Witten this week because they have a bye in Week 10, so that would give him 2-3 weeks of rest. If Witten can’t go, Martellus Bennett wouldn’t be a bad fill in. Visanthe Shiancoe or Zach Miller would be good spot starters as well…Santonio Holmes will play Monday night, which means that Nate Washington will be relegated back to WR3 duties…Matt Hasselbeck is likely out for Week 9 with a bulging disk in his back. He apparently doesn’t have pain in his back or leg, but he has a ‘dead leg’ feeling. Not good…The 49ers named Shaun Hill their starting QB. He’s an interesting pickup in fantasy leagues since he’s playing in Mike Martz’s offense…Steven Jackson should be ready to go in Week 9, according to Jim Haslett.
Posted in: Fantasy Football, NFL
Tags: fantasy football strategy, Jason Witten, Jason Witten injured, Jason Witten injury, Jason Witten ribs, Martellus Bennett, Matt Hasselbeck, Mike Martz, Nate Washington, Santonio Holmes, Shaun Hill, Steven Jackson, Visanth Shiancoe, Zach Miller
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