QUOTE: “Please do not be cynical. I hate cynicism. For the record, it’s my least favorite quality. It doesn’t lead anywhere. Nobody in life gets exactly what they thought they were going to get. But if you work really hard and you’re kind, amazing things will happen. I’m telling you, amazing things will happen.” – Conan O’Brien
MIAMI -- Welcome to South Florida. We’re just six days away from the big game, and it can’t get here soon enough. Yesterday was the first Sunday without meaningful football in the last five months and it was hard not having at least one game to watch. Yes, I know the Pro Bowl was on, but the Pro Bowl is not meaningful football. It’s fun football.
Can Mike Martz coach Jay Cutler?
Mike Martz can make most quarterbacks look good, and he would be a great asset to Bears quarterback Jay Cutler. Here are a few reasons why his hiring as offensive coordinator makes sense:
1. He would stimulate Cutler mentally with his passing game and his game plans, and this will remind Cutler of his days in Denver with Jeremy Bates, at least in terms of creativity -- providing Lovie Smith allows Martz to run his entire scheme. He would command Cutler’s respect, and they’d have a very productive working relationship.
2. There would be a rhythm to the passing game, forcing the ball to come out of Cutler’s hand with a sense of timing. He would not be allowed to predetermine the throw based on preference but on coverage.
3. The wide receivers would be in tune with the offense, and Martz would be demanding in terms of precision in the routes. There wouldn’t be any miscommunication between Cutler and his receivers as there was last year. Cutler was loose with the ball, especially in the red zone, but often he was screwed by the wideouts running the wrong routes.
4. There would be one voice in Cutler’s head — Martz’s. He would coach the quarterback and make sure there is no miscommunication. A play caller in the NFL must coach the quarterback -- he also must be in perfect harmony with the quarterback. This would happen under Martz’s leadership.
5. Martz would eliminate certain throws in the offense and tailor the offense around Cutler’s talent. Expect the Bears to have a very high yards-per-attempt average next year if Martz is the coordinator.
The biggest reason hiring Martz makes sense is that he can command attention and respect from Cutler. He would be able to stimulate Cutler mentally, so he would capture his attention and improve his performance. The most critical factor that the Bears’ next offensive coach must have is the ability to motivate Cutler through his intellect and knowledge of the passing game. Cutler is no different than most players in the league who respect knowledge. To improve as a player, a coach must first prove he knows more about the game than the player, and in this case, Martz will be able to prove it immediately.
Peppers and the Panthers
Julius Peppers is in the best possible place in terms of holding all the leverage in contract talks with the Panthers. If the Panthers want to retain him, they must franchise him, which would be for only one year. That number will now exceed $18 million next year but will not include his incentive money earned. That money will stay in his contract and carry forward to the next year. In order for the Panthers to get a new deal with Peppers, they will have to build one off the $18-million-per-year figure, which isn’t feasible. But they could also franchise him, allow him to make his own deal and at least gain more than a compensatory third-round pick.
One other thing for Peppers to consider is that when the league goes uncapped, which Commissioner Roger Goodell said Sunday looks virtually certain, the number of teams able to bid for Peppers would be just 24, none from the final eight. This might mean that Peppers would not be able to go to the team of his choice, but if the Panthers franchise him, a trade to any team is not regulated in the uncapped year and he can pick his team — which would be a better option.
South Beach Super Bowl thoughts…
1. Colts defensive end Dwight Freeney will almost certainly play in the game, but his ankle will hinder his get-off, and playing on a neutral field without the crowd noise will help the Saints. I would crack Freeney on the first play of the game if I were the Saints.
2. If I were Saints head coach Sean Payton, I might want to spend this week working on my red zone offense and defense. The more practice plays he can get under his belt, the more it will help his team. I would even make the offense practice against 12 men on the field in the RZ to simulate the Colts’ quickness on defense, showing the offense how tight the windows are to throw the ball through.
3. Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams better save something for the last quarter of the game. He can’t use his best stuff early.
4. Peyton Manning’s passer rating against the blitz this season is over 100.0.…I really don’t think the Saints will blitz as much as they did against the Vikings.
5. For the Saints to win, they must have more than 75 offensive plays in the game. The volume of plays will wear down the Colts.
Follow me on Twitter: michaelombardi
For a look at Super Bowls I-XLIII and where all 43 games rank, check out this article from Bleacher Report.
Much more maximum coverage is in store, hope the coverage can get to the football in the air or force the fumble off big hits with gang tackling. The Jets were doing a lot of that full coverage early, but Manning got a feel for things after the Jets jumped to their lead.
Make them settle for field goals, they'll get their yards. Even that was apparent early into their last playoff win. The other team had seventeen points, no big deal. We still have a lot of playbook to go through, and Peyton's confidence is inherent in what they do, down to the huddle break and snap of of the football.
Manning went after Clark often despite the Jets basically going zone and then running their best extra defender under him. It gave them some trouble on several of their most effective reads, almost got an interception extra in the game, and several frustrating forced passes. Will the odd man out for Saints coverage actually be their leader Darren Sharper? Manning likes going after a team's best player on sets where he knows that guy is manned up on a certain area or player. Nothing is safe from aggression when the Colts are their best...
The one item they mostly lacked in was a running game, as Mike has noted prior, they replace the run with quick routes. This is where Williams moves around enough to try and confuse those looks and presnap reads. This is Manning's game, it's about passing first, finding Addai in the pass game might bring it all together and reward him for the amazing and consistent protection he provides the sport's best quarterback.
That said, Drew Brees is actually the sport's best passer at this time. We'll talk up this pairing of the two very best at this time, all in the coming week...
In regards to Martz coaching in Chicago, I am a die hard bears fan and would love for him to be our OC. It really frustrates me when people talk about him never running the ball, I am pretty sure Marshall Faulk was a 1,000 yard rusher almost every year Martz was his OC. Sure he is known for his passing game but he is an offensive genius and will make play calls to win the game.
love your insights into the game Mike..but when will you stop drinking the cutler kool-aid?? Next time you are on the 'fresh take hotline' with Bill Simmons ask him what he thinks of Jay-baby..just seems because he has some natural gifts people are always making excuses for the guy..at what point will people like yourself call him out for the spoilt brat that he is? Some guys are just not winners and never will be..they are missing that intangible quality that inspires their team to believe that they can win from any situatiion..and no amount of coaching or personel changes will make any difference..Cutler has never displayed any sort of leadership and has never looked like the kind of guy that will inspire his team to fight for those extra inches..
Hey Mike - I think there's a few very under-rated or unspoken truths about the SB.
1 - Which team will run the ball well. Keeping the opponents offense off the field will also help control TOP and the speed/momentum of the game. In my opinion, the Colts will be more effective running the ball because the Colts Defense is so speedy to the ball, it makes up for the lack of size and the Saints aren't a power rushing team.
2 - The Saints remind me of the Colts several years ago - high powered offense, manageable run game and a defense based on playing with a lead and creating turnovers. I think the key for the Colts to win is to treat the Saints as many try and make them - keep the offense off the field, control the TOP, run the ball well, good red zone efficiency on both sides of the ball and don't turn the ball over.
Hey Mike - I think there's a few very under-rated or unspoken truths about the SB.
1 - Which team will run the ball well. Keeping the opponents offense off the field will also help control TOP and the speed/momentum of the game. In my opinion, the Colts will be more effective running the ball because the Colts Defense is so speedy to the ball, it makes up for the lack of size and the Saints aren't a power rushing team.
2 - The Saints remind me of the Colts several years ago - high powered offense, manageable run game and a defense based on playing with a lead and creating turnovers. I think the key for the Colts to win is to treat the Saints as many try and make them - keep the offense off the field, control the TOP, run the ball well, good red zone efficiency on both sides of the ball and don't turn the ball over.
Hey Mike - I think there's a few very under-rated or unspoken truths about the SB.
1 - Which team will run the ball well. Keeping the opponents offense off the field will also help control TOP and the speed/momentum of the game. In my opinion, the Colts will be more effective running the ball because the Colts Defense is so speedy to the ball, it makes up for the lack of size and the Saints aren't a power rushing team.
2 - The Saints remind me of the Colts several years ago - high powered offense, manageable run game and a defense based on playing with a lead and creating turnovers. I think the key for the Colts to win is to treat the Saints as many try and make them - keep the offense off the field, control the TOP, run the ball well, good red zone efficiency on both sides of the ball and don't turn the ball over.
Hey Mike - I think there's a few very under-rated or unspoken truths about the SB.
1 - Which team will run the ball well. Keeping the opponents offense off the field will also help control TOP and the speed/momentum of the game. In my opinion, the Colts will be more effective running the ball because the Colts Defense is so speedy to the ball, it makes up for the lack of size and the Saints aren't a power rushing team.
2 - The Saints remind me of the Colts several years ago - high powered offense, manageable run game and a defense based on playing with a lead and creating turnovers. I think the key for the Colts to win is to treat the Saints as many try and make them - keep the offense off the field, control the TOP, run the ball well, good red zone efficiency on both sides of the ball and don't turn the ball over.
Hey Mike - I think there's a few very under-rated or unspoken truths about the SB.
1 - Which team will run the ball well. Keeping the opponents offense off the field will also help control TOP and the speed/momentum of the game. In my opinion, the Colts will be more effective running the ball because the Colts Defense is so speedy to the ball, it makes up for the lack of size and the Saints aren't a power rushing team.
2 - The Saints remind me of the Colts several years ago - high powered offense, manageable run game and a defense based on playing with a lead and creating turnovers. I think the key for the Colts to win is to treat the Saints as many try and make them - keep the offense off the field, control the TOP, run the ball well, good red zone efficiency on both sides of the ball and don't turn the ball over.
I like Martz; but I don't see this is a good fit. He gets this job and he will bring in a former backup or two from Detroit and SF and they will outplay Cutler in training camp.
A talented QB is almost unusable in Martz's system. Cutler is the exact opposite of what Martz looks for in a QB.
Could he be shoehorned in like Steve Young was in SF? Probably not. Young had the maturity and character needed to humble himself to Walsh's vision. And he had Joe Cool to prove the offense worked.
I know that Martz has been somewhat blackballed and he *is* a bit desperate - but if this situation implodes; then he REALLY will be screwed.
Another thing that no one is bringing up; are the WRs there a fit for Martz? His offense requires extremely precise routes and decision-making by the receivers. They have a lot of inexperienced and sloppy route runners there - that was something that made Cutler look worse than he was.
I posted my message one time and apparently the timing was just when the site had issues....sorry for all the repeats.
Dan
Go Colts!
As for Jay Cutler, he shows just how much of a loser he is if he respects Mike Martz more than he did Josh McDaniels and Mr. Bowlen. Players that only play well when they get their way are players I want nothing to do with so thank goodness he's out of Denver. Sean Payton did the right thing having the Saints do a walkthrough shortly after they touched down. He is an excellent coach and perhaps he'll have some surprises for the Colts. Having a banged-up Dwight Freeney obviously helps the Saints and we'll see how it affects Brees. I fully expect this to be a compelling shootout and may the best team win. Thanks Lombardi!
Martz also uses a lot of 5-step and 7-step drops and thus gives up a LOT of QB sacks. Can the Bears O-line protect Jay long enough for him to get rid of the ball? If they can't then Martz has the potential to get him killed on every pass play.
With respect to Dan Miller, the Saints ranked 6th in rushing this year. That sounds pretty powerful to me!
Geaux Saints!
Cutler will be fine once Jay gets some weapons around him. Did you see McNabb almost throw a pick last night at the Pro Bowl throwing to Johnny Knox (Bears WR) in the Pro Bowl. Listen, it is not all Jay's fault. Even McNabb has problems hitting the Bears WR's!
I like how people are still comparing Cutler, Leinart, and Young. I think the numbers speak for themselves.
Jay Cutler to date Career Stats = 12,690 Yards, 81 TD's,63 INT, 83.8 QB Rating
Matt Leinart to Date Career Stats = 3,883 Yards 14 TD's, 20 INT, 70.8 QB Rating
Vince Young to date Career Stats = 6,843 Yards 32 TD's 39 INT, 72.3 QB Rating
Cutler will be fine once Jay gets some weapons around him. Did you see McNabb almost throw a pick last night at the Pro Bowl throwing to Johnny Knox (Bears WR) in the Pro Bowl. Listen, it is not all Jay's fault. Even McNabb has problems hitting the Bears WR's!
I like how people are still comparing Cutler, Leinart, and Young. I think the numbers speak for themselves.
Jay Cutler to date Career Stats = 12,690 Yards, 81 TD's,63 INT, 83.8 QB Rating
Matt Leinart to Date Career Stats = 3,883 Yards 14 TD's, 20 INT, 70.8 QB Rating
Vince Young to date Career Stats = 6,843 Yards 32 TD's 39 INT, 72.3 QB Rating
Cutler will be fine once Jay gets some weapons around him. Did you see McNabb almost throw a pick last night at the Pro Bowl throwing to Johnny Knox (Bears WR) in the Pro Bowl. Listen, it is not all Jay's fault. Even McNabb has problems hitting the Bears WR's!
I like how people are still comparing Cutler, Leinart, and Young. I think the numbers speak for themselves.
Jay Cutler to date Career Stats = 12,690 Yards, 81 TD's,63 INT, 83.8 QB Rating
Matt Leinart to Date Career Stats = 3,883 Yards 14 TD's, 20 INT, 70.8 QB Rating
Vince Young to date Career Stats = 6,843 Yards 32 TD's 39 INT, 72.3 QB Rating
Martz & Cutler seems like a match made for failure. Cutler has a hard time reading defenses and getting the ball out on time, so they bring in an OC whose system forces the QB to read the defense, make a quick decision and get the ball out on time? Sounds like the punt on first down offense to me.
Cutler needs to run play-action on rollouts and stretch plays where he can read half the field and use his cannon of an arm to go down field or hit the sideline route. He may develop into a more complicated QB over time, but thus far he's shown limited mental capacity for the pro game.
Hiring Martz might make sense for Cutler but not Lovie Smith. He's already on the hot-seat. How did Martz benefit his last two head coaches? He didn't . They were fired.
Bears Just Hired Martz!
Godspeed Cutler!
Mike, while I think some of your points re Martz & Cutler are valid, a previous commenter brought up the Invisible Gorilla: Chicago's pass protection.
It's no secret that Martz likes long drops and minimal protections. That's fine when you have an o-line featuring a young Orlando Pace and some excellent guards, as was the case in St. Louis--but the talent in Chicago is nowhere close to that.
Martz doesn't strike me as the kind of guy who will easily change his methods to fit his personnel (he sure didn't in Detroit or San Francisco). I think this little marriage has the potential to put Cutler on IR, quickly.
Faulk did rush for 1000 yards under Martz but that was with Vermil as head coach reigning him in. And look at how he handled the 49er job? Good coaches adjust and Martz tries to force this offense down the QBs and WRs throats. And really when has he been a good coordinator when he doesn't have elite guys on the outside?
Bigj brought up a good point about the "O" line. This had TWO conseqences on Forte. 1) He had the worst year as far as rushing and 2) Forte had more production as a pass catcher coming out of the backfield than rushing the ball.(a third will be his value in fantasy football plummets next year...LOL)
Yo Lovie !! JUST START WITH WHAT MY SIGN ON NAME TELLS YOU AND YOU CAN'T GO WRONG!
So why wouldn't the final 8 teams be able to bid on Peppers in an uncapped year?
As for Cutler, no QB you threw into t hat situation would win. It wasn't all on him. And McD should be slapping himself for trading Cutler. If DEN still had Cutler they would have made the post season easy.
Totally agree with you Andy WI Mc D is ruining the Broncs as I see it , he appears to be an egomaniac who has problems with just about everyone .
Gary Myers at nydailynews.com explains the uncapped year in laymen's terms, so if you want to understand it, read his column from Sunday's edition.
The final eight may be able to secure a free agent providing they lose a free agent first. The free agent a final eight team signs can't exceed the first year salary of the player they lost. Consequently, Julius Peppers is a quasi-poison pill which make his options rather limited.
I long for the good 'ol days when fans didn't need to minor in capology in order to understand the NFL. Even the upcoming "uncapped year", is not as simple as it sounds.
Keep the Super Bowl vibes coming Michael, as this long suffering Bills' fan can only dream about the palm trees and warmth, while shoveling the driveway for the forty-fifth time this winter.
I really like that idea Mike, the Saints definitely should test Freeney immediately. Run it off-tackle straight at him with a big set on the field (2 TE with Strief in, 1 FB, Mike Bell at RB) and see what the Colts' defense does to mask Freeney's issues with his mobility. That way, adjustments can be made accordingly on offense right away.
The Super Bowl is about execution, not about possession time. If tempo favors execution, go fast. The guy who wins the gold medal doesn't sit by the finish line with a watch in his hand....
Full disclosure - I used to go by Bob K. In honor of the Bears recovery from a long coma I've changed to BearMarket.
First a real QB and now a real OC? Tell me I'm not dreaming.
"Cutler was loose with the ball, especially in the red zone, but often he was screwed by the wideouts running the wrong routes."
True that. You could just feel it every time he came off the field with that pissed off look on his face.
Peyton Manning said every one of his picks had a story but no one wanted to hear them.
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Feb 01, 2010
11:20 AM
Hey Mike, interesting comments regarding Martz as Chicago OC. The only thing that would concern me (and I'm not even a Bears fan) is Martz disregard for the running game. The Bears don't play in a dome or even a warm weather site, so throwing the ball all over the yard like he did in St. Louis and Detroit would be a negative. Especially considering Chicago's problems in pass protection. Not saying Martz couldn't be a good fit, but he has to show that he is willing to utilize Forte and adjust for playing out doors.