Bears Hire Mike Martz...Really?

Well the long football off-season nightmare in Chicago is over. The beloved Bears have hired an offensive savior in the form of Mike Martz. I mention this with tongue firmly planted in cheek. The Martz hiring is one more blunder made by the Chicago Bears which has in a manner of a few weeks gone from hallowed franchise to the laughing stock of the NFL.

Martz is taking over for the sacrificial lamb of Ron Turner. Don not misunderstand, I am glad Turner was fired. I mean how many bubble screens can one coordinator call, and honestly what kind of offensive scheme is - run, run, screen, punt. However, with Mike Martz now calling the shots the Bears; offensive and QB Jay Cutler have all new concerns.

The odd thing about this hire is that Martz was the guy Bears' Head Coach, Lovie Smith wanted from the start. Jerry Angelo, the team's GM vetoed Smith and wanted to move in a different direction. This was probably the biggest clue that the Bears' two top guys were no longer playing nice, and decided self-preservation was more important that presenting a united front. Yet, here we are, and Mike Martz is the new Chicago Bears' Offensive Coordinator.

The Bears did interview other candidates including Ken Zampese, Rob Chudzinski, and Kevin Rogers. I am sure you are all thinking the same thing I am...who? This list of bottom-of-the-barrel candidates is an embarrassment. Even more so was the way this once proud franchise, a franchise Lovie Smith promised people would want to work for, was completely rebuffed by the likes of Jeremy bates, Tom Clements, and Frank Cignetti. Again I ask...who?

I firmly believe the above mentioned names were the Lovie Smith equivalent of a temper tantrum. I think this was Lovie's passive-aggressive way of getting what he wanted. This is the Head Coach mind you who brought us such landmark coaching hires like Bob Babich and Terry Shea. Let us also not forget the brilliant maneuver of running off Ron Rivera.

Do not get me wrong, Martz is certainly qualified. He has been a coach in the NFL for going on 18 years including a stint as the St. Louis Rams' Head Coach from 2000-2005; a team he led to the Super Bowl in 2001. He was the brains behind what was dubbed the "Greatest Show on Turf", and was also the offensive coordinator of the Rams' team that won Super Bowl XXXIV. He has also held offensive coordinator positions with the San Francisco 49ers and the Detroit Tigers.

While Martz was with the Lions QB, John Kitna had arguably his best season as a professional in 2006 when he threw for over 4,000 yards. The team did not enjoy much success with Martz at the offensive helm and eventually his pass-happy scheme wore thin.

Martz spent one season with the Niners where he was brought in to develop former number one draft pick, Alex Smith. Martz was the fourth offensive coordinator in four years in San Francisco. Quarterback, Smith ended up with a season-ending shoulder injury, and Martz was let go when former Bear great, Mike Singletary was promoted to Head Coach.

Now in Chicago, Martz is going to be asked to re-energize a woeful Bears' offense, and more importantly utilize Jay Cutler's talents while helping him regain his Pro-Bowl form. This could be a tall order especially when looking at the talent Martz has to work with namely on the offensive line.

Larry Mayer in his article, "Martz wants to operate balanced offense with Bears", quoted Martz as saying, "Everything starts in the offensive line. Everything. They allow you to keep your defensive off the field, to protect the quarterback, to do what you want to do on offense. When that's established - which we'll get done - then I think more than anything else, you get off the bus and really you are getting in a position to hit them right in the mouth."

Hearing that, I have one response - gulp. The Bears' offensive line is a mess to put it bluntly, and with no picks in the first two rounds of this year's draft, help is not on the way. The Bears did bring in former Minnesota Vikings' Head Coach, Mike Tice to coach the O-line, but let's be real. There is no reason to believe with the offensive line talent currently on the Bears' roster that pass protection will be any better than they showed last year.

As part of the interview process Martz did meet with Jay Cutler. This must have been an interesting if not awkward exchange as Martz was critical of the way the Bears' quarterback presented himself following his poor showing against the Green Bay Packers in the season opener. Martz was working for the NFL Network as a football analyst at the time.

In ESPN.com's Kevin Seifert's NFC North Blog he quotes Martz as saying this while discussing Jay Cutler, "I felt like I had a pretty good understanding of who he was, the integrity, and the dignity that he has and how classy a guy he is. And when asked about the meeting with Cutler prior to being hired by the Bears, Martz said, "There was an instant connection."

Let us hope so because if Cutler tosses 20-plus interceptions in 2010 it will be a long and disappointing season. Another issue is that Martz is known just as much for his prodigious ego as he is for his offensive prowess. If he and Cutler clash the resulting tidal wave of egomania could be enough to level the city and bring the franchise to its knees - or the very least result in the team having a second straight losing season.

Still, there is reason for some optimism. Bears' players seem excited about the Martz hiring. Back-up running back, Kevin Jones who played for Martz in Detroit said, "They hired my main man. I love it. He was the best offensive coordinator out there." Tight end, Desmond Clark added, "Even though I've never worked with Mike Martz, I'm in favor of the Bears hiring anybody that can get us back on the right track, and hopefully back to a Super Bowl. Mike Martz has a great track record, and I'm excited to see how this offense could grow in 2010." And GM, Jerry Angelo chimed in with, "We wanted to make a change. We wanted to be something different than what we were, and we just felt after we went through the process that Mike really presented what we considered the best plan for us."

I certainly hope Jerry is right. If not this could be another one-and-done year for Martz. On that topic, in his article, "Mike Martz hired as Bears offensive coordinator" Brad Biggs had this to say, "Martz becomes the third offensive coordinator during the Lovie Smith era and potentially the last if the coaching staff doesn't turn things around. That's what the news conference the team held Jan. 5 insinuated. Team president Ted Phillips has demanded an immediate turnaround after three straight seasons without a trip to the playoffs."

I still think the hiring of Mike Martz is a mistake. With his well documented ego issues and seven-step drops for quarterbacks, overly large and complicated playbook, as well as basically forgetting about using the tight end it could be a complete disaster.

I leave you with Martz's own words, "We will be hitting on all cylinders on opening day. I promise you that."

We shall see or in the words of a well known Chicago radio personality the 2010 Bears could be the "Mediocre Show on Sod."

Brad Biggs, "Mike Martz hired as Bears' offensive coordinator", chicagobreakingsports.com

Larry Mayer, "Martz to operate balanced offense with Bears", chicagobears.com

Kevin Seifert, "Bears hire Martz as new OC", ESPNchicago.com

Kevin Seifert, "Oddly, Martz was the Bears' safest choice", ESPN.com: NFC North