Smith and Angelo finally choose their OC in Chicago. Matt Bowen
I am a big fan of the move Bears head coach Lovie Smith and GM Jerry Angelo just made in Chicago today with the hiring of Mike Martz as their new offensive coordinator.
After the long search that has been criticized by many — including myself — the Bears got the best candidate out of every interview they had.
Yes, I played for Coach Martz as a rookie in St. Louis, and before you call me biased, realize that this is the same coach who cut me, and I have no reason to hype him up other than he is brilliant when it comes to offense at the NFL level.
But, there will be plenty of criticism and plenty of opinions over the next couple of days when it comes to Martz and his system. But my point is simple: what do you have to lose by brining Martz into Chicago?
We all know that Lovie is not standing on firm ground. The team has a franchise quarterback who just threw 26 interceptions. The offense was terrible in the red zone. What else do we need to say? Should the Bears have been conservative? No, you get a coach in Martz who is willing to work with Cutler and who is willing to take risks on the field — something the Bears did not do in their play calling under the dismissed Ron Turner.
Look, I know the opinions of Martz’s offense and the talk that the quarterback is a sitting duck in the pocket without a solid offensive line in front of him. But, don’t think that Martz doesn’t know this either. The best play callers adapt. They mold their offense and their scheme around the personnel they have — something we didn’t see from Turner when he was handed Cutler this offseason.
I have seen this offense up close and went against it in training camp for two years. It isn’t easy to install and there are challenges, and just like any scheme in the NFL, it will take an entire offseason to master. But, it does work, and it does include the running back position — unlike what I’ve heard from critics when Martz’s name comes up. Matt Forte will be good in this offense and we will see the type of production he had in his rookie season. There will be plenty of touches and plenty of ways to get him involved in the game plan.
Yes, the receiving corps will need an impressive offseason to excel under Martz, but the scheme is there, and Devin Hester will be running the deep 15-yard Dig Route in his sleep come August.
I’m with everyone on the questions, but the bottom line is that the Bears and Lovie aren’t playing for the future. This organization needs to win now. Martz was the best option, and now we will wait until August to see what he can come up with.
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Love the move with Martz... have a big arm QB, now coach him up and out some points on the board. This is an offensive town now. Sorry, Lovie.
Da Mad Scientist is now at work. Beware, all scoreboards....
Matt, I dunno about this. In St. Louis, Martz had a HOF QB, very high quality WRs, and a potential HOF back. In Detroit, Martz's system, with lesser players, didn't produce and Martz seemed to undercut the head coach somewhat.
In Chicago, Martz will have a better QB than his Lion days, but the Bear wideouts are pedestrian at best. Forte's production may improve. I doubt if the offense will master the system to improve quickly enough to save Lovie's job through offensive production. The Bears need the defense to return to a dominating force to get the winning record that Lovie needs to keep his job. If the Bears are floating around near .500 at midseason and sit in 3rd place in the division, watch for Martz to make his move to undercut Lovie for the 2011 head coaching job.
Martz gets more out of 2 positions then any other coach I have seen = QB and WRs (look at the WRs who excelled and what WR slot they were in to get the best picture, (it will Hakim's spot of course)
The downside is he's Mad Mike which means Cutler better buy Health insurance and his Oline some Dinner!
This is the move they should have made last year, when they mortgaged the team's future for Cutler. Now they face the inevitable one year learning curve for a complex system, with players who struggled with a simpler system. In addition, in the past Martz' offense operated at least half the time in a dome, not outdoors in chicago.
It should be an interesting experiment, but the team needs to make a multi-year commitment to Martz to give him a fair chance of success.
I hope Cutler is ready to take a pounding.!
Martz had HOF QB in St Louis? Martz had Arena league QB he turned into league MVP.
Finally, we can see a real offense unfold next year. Look at the Colts, the Saints, the Patriots, the Vikings... Are they not a little skewed towards passing? Might as well bring in the best mind for the best arm... Two thumbs up on the Martz hire.
I think it could be a great hire for the Bears and for Cutler , a vast improvement over Turner !!
Cutler was already taking a pounding. Now he'll be handing out the pain. In six-point fashion.
Bears management can't build Martz a dome but they can get rid of that crap they call "grass" and install that cool soft synthetic stuff that other cold weather teams have.
Maybe Martz can get the OFF to keep up with points the DEF gives up. Never thought I'd see CHI need to play shootout football, but their DEF is in just as much trouble as their OFF. Lovie has to go at least 8-8 in 2010 to get a new contract IMO But we are talking the conservative McCaskeys..
I would hope the Bears would be active in FA and pick up a veteran WR to help Cutler. There may be several available in an uncapped year as teams try to unload large bonus and big contracts.
NECutlerCultFan is trying to diminish the career of Kurt Warner now... Yep he is a bum that couldn't hack it in the Arena football league, so he went to the NFL & won multiple league MVPs while going to 3 Super Bowls... You really are something else... Cutler couldn't even sniff Warner's jock right now, so try to put things into perspective FOR ONCE, clown!
I'm a Packer fan & I would love for this hire to be a complete failure, but I think it will actually prove to be good for Cutler & the bears. Its going to be interesting to see how well the bears OL protects Cutler, because personally I think that is the most important thing for this to be successful. I think Forte should benefit from this, as he will get to showcase his strong point(recieving) a lot more...
@The Good Kid -
NECutlerFan doesn't need me to defend him. What he said, if you bothered to read, was spot on. He wasn't dissing Warner. We all know he's a lock for the HOF. But Dick Vermeil and Mike Martz gave him his shot. And it wasn't popular at the time in St. Loo. People thought they were nuts. Why? I guess the reporters and fans were too stupid to know what you obviously knew 10 years ago, before Warner ever threw an NFL pass.
Here's what Martz said (you can read it all in P. King's MMQ): "The guy [a beat reporter] said to me, 'How can you possibly think you can win with Kurt Warner?' I said to him, 'Well, we see him every day. We trust him. He can run our offense.' The guy kept going, and I finally, said, 'This discussion is ended.' We just trusted Kurt.'
Hindsight is always 20/20, but The Good Kid, if you think you can say with a straight face that you, or anyone outside of Martz, knew what Warner was going to be I will tell you with an equally straight face that you are talking out of your ass.
All Warner needed was a chance. He got it when Trent Green, who was very good and popular in the locker room, went down in preseason. Credit Martz with recognizing what he had. They had NO established backup for Green.
You get no credit for your ridiculous argument and your flawed logic: Warner is a HOFer, ergo he was always recognized as such.
And calling his a "clown," well name calling is always the last refuge of the close minded. Let's just deal in facts. And on those you are wrong up and down the board.
Matt Forte has the skill set to be a mini-Marshall Faulk, or how I like to see him, a Deuce McAllister type (in his prime he was a huge dual threat). I was a fan his rookie year, and I'd like to see him get back to that level next season.
The Bears need to locate a left tackle immediately, who cares about what receivers Cutler has, it all won't matter if Orlando Pace is still protecting his blindside. Maybe they should look into this Ducasse kid Wes was talking about in his column, they might be able to wrangle a 2nd rounder away from someone to scoop him up.
BobK... You are a moron, plain & simple... How you came up with your rant off of what I said is beyond me. Please show me where anything I said coming from hindsight, PLEASE. Read some more of NECutlerFan's comments & you will know why I responded to him like that. If he needs no defending then why did you intervene? Let him fight his own battles, Mom. I mean seriously.. READ YOUR POST.. I'm laughing so hard right now, because I'm still trying to figure out why you even bothered to post it. Call me out for calling names, but really, thats pretty much the only thing you can hang your hat on, Mom.
Also, please show me what I said that was factually wrong. PLEASE. I'm very familiar to how Kurt Warner's career came about. If I'm correct he can give thanks to Rodney Harrison who at the time was a Charger. Spare me your trash about what went down in St. Louis or in the locker room. That has nothing whatsoever to do with my post.
The only negative about the hire is that Martz doesn't use the TE much as a receiver, and the Bears have good talent at the position with Olsen and Clark. Then again he can always split Olsen ala Vernon Davis.
Great hire....plain and simple I think the problem with the WR's is that Turner couldn't, or wouldn't TEACH them how to be Pro's....the only question is why did the Bears brain trust waste a month that they could have used installing Martz' plans....
WR is vastly underpaid and has...
Taking a look at which position...
Steelers QB said he has heard...
Bengals linebacker has not yet...
Pittsburgh was an estimated $25...
Feb 01, 2010
05:39 PM
A full offseason of work in the system for Cutler will help. Knowing what you have at WR with Knox, Hester, Bennett and Aromashadu will help. Having the other team not knowing every play before it is run will be huge.