That’s what I thought you meant (to the Bears), but I didn’t want to say anything until I was sure! And I didn’t know that he had played for Martz in the past…
I know you’re just trying to be pissy and all, but I don’t really get this sentiment. What is odd about having an incoming OC meet with a contracted franchise QB? People might have varying opinions on Cutler and his potential but there’s zero question that the Bears have committed to him for the long run and are building the offense around him. If the Colts hire a new OC (ha!) you know damn well he’s meeting with Peyton, if the Eagles bring in a OC he’s meeting with McNabb, if the Saints bring in a OC he’s meeting with Brees, if the Packers bring in an Oc he’s meeting with Rogers. The implication that Martz was somehow “made” to meet with Cutler is absurd. What OC wouldn’t want to sit down with the QB, especially a pass first OC with a complex system, before taking a job? I think every team with a clear starting QB is going to involve him in the OC hiring process.
Also, the whole “take your sister to the prom” thing looks true on the surface, and he clearly wasn’t the first choice, but I’ve yet to hear a columnist or commentator offer up an alternative. This season seems to have a really sparse pool of potential OCs. It’s not like there’s a guy out there that’s clearly better than Martz. Hell, of the guys the Bears were rumored to be interested in hardly any of them had play calling experience. If you’re going to mock the hiring please tell me who else they should have been trying to bring in? Was Zampese really that much better? Some unknown college OC? I mean I’d have preferred Norm Chow but it doesn’t appear that he’s eager to leave UCLA for anything. After him there isn’t a college guy that’s anywhere close to qualified.
If you’re going to mock the Martz hire, please tell me who they else they should have landed? It just seems like a really sucky market for OCs and this management team hasn’t shown much talent for locating unknown offensive wunderkind.
Rosenbloom is a well known moron. Ironic to hear him picking on the smarts of others. There’s certainly going to be issues with the learning curve here and I hate the management team as much as anyone, but this article is a “comedy” piece first and a rigorous football analysis 35th as is the norm for the Rosenblog.
Twice even. Once in Detroit and then he followed him to San Fran. I actually wouldn’t be shocked if Martz pushed the Bears to add him as a 3rd QB to compete with Hanie for the backup role. Though Angelo and company are really high on Hanie, justifiably IMO, so it might be a tough sell and not worth the potential price for a possible 3rd stringer.
Relax Omni. I’m sure Martz will be a great fit for the Bears. Much better than Bates or Clements, or any other OC the Bears were eyeing for their plum job. With Ron Turner gone, finally the Bears will be able to show the NFL what a great offense can do. I’m worried, that’s all.
Martz is more qualified and a safer choice than Bates or Clements. He’s got experience that they don’t. I’d have preferred both guys to Martz just because I inherently prefer youth and ambition over retreads and egomaniacs, but Martz is absolutely the one more likely to hit the ground running and generate quick improvement.
The storyline I’ve been hearing from the local insiders is that Martz was Lovie’s guy from the beginning and the reason the process drug out the way it did was because Angelo didn’t like him and was insisting on looking elsewhere. Angelo however is incompetent and doubly so when it comes to offense and found nothing. As pressure and attention mounted Angelo was forced to cave in to Lovie.
In other words Lovie’s power was diminished at the close of the season and apparently it only took 4 weeks for Lovie to get it back as Angelo floundered again. We’re stuck with this idiot until 2013, fantastic.
I’m curious what your expectations are for this year with Martz. Will it be the Greatest Show on Soldier Field Earth or the 49ers? Are you expecting a Pro Bowl for Cutler?
Because, to be honest, I’m not seeing it as a good fit. First, the O Line needs to be very good in pass protection for his system to excel, and if the Bears have an obvious offensive weakness, it’s their O Line. Second, the receivers need to be quick, get good separation, and be smart. The Bears receivers rely on speed and I question (especially Hester’s) ability to read defenses. Third, the QB needs to make quick, smart decisions and throw to a spot, and I don’t know that Cutler can do that, especially after last year. I could, of course, be wrong, and I do expect Cutler’s stats (if he survives) to be better than this year, but I’m not seeing any real success coming for the Bears offense. What are you expecting?
I’ve been spending a lot of mental cycles trying to figure out how I feel about this. I’ve been going back and forth and inventing disparate scenarios in my head since Monday. Long story short, I have no idea what to expect and I have no idea what I think will happen. Honestly I can’t even decide if I want him to succeed if that means more years of Lovie and Jerry.
There’s been a metric assload of discussion of the topic in the media. Supposedly the Martz hire is the talk of Miami with the pre-Super Bowl hype and media day being unusually tame. The local sports talk guys have been interviewing former players and coaches to get their impressions and the opinions vary. Everyone seems to agree on the talents but they are baffled by the nuances and how the fit will be.
First and foremost, no one disputes that Martz is a genius. The term gets thrown around a lot and just about everyone agrees that’s in this case it’s deserved, in no way is he a product of a system or a certain gifted player. The guy deserves the hype apparently. Complicating matters, respected former players like Ricky Proehl and Ernie Cromwell both think he’s his own worst enemy in that while he’s brilliant he also thinks he’s 10 feet tall and bullet proof. Many people are speculating that Martz might have matured and learned some humility through the previous 2 firings and spending a season unemployed and that if anyone can keep him in line it’s a friend like Lovie who will always go to the wall for one of his guys. I tend to agree with that sentiment. I don’t think Martz’s ego will create an issue in the short term. I suspect that he’ll be on his best behavior for the first season and Halas Hall for all it’s faults does do a good job of ensuring it’s people toe the company line and respect authority.
Players who have worked in his system put the vast majority of the burden on the QB. While the playbook is thick and complex almost all of the strain falls on the QB. I see this as a bit of a reassurance because Cutler is extremely smart. He can be a bit of a punk but the kid is fucking bright and he learned the Bears offense in the blink of an eye and I have zero concern that he can handle Martz’s system. All last season it was clear that he understood the playbook better than the WRs who’d been in it for 2 full seasons.
Martz is a “my way or the highway” type of coach and he’s a control freak. This is probably the biggest potential issue with Cutler. Martz is supposedly obsessed with mechanics and footwork and teaches it well but expects a lot in return. This is both my greatest hope and biggest fear. Cutler can be pigheaded and you have to wonder how he’ll respond to a heavy handed coach. If Martz is too pushy and Cutler feels disrespected the relationship could implode really quick. Then again, the most important thing that Cutler needs to do to release his massive potential is to get his mechanics under control. All of his issues were the results of carelessness and poor mechanics. He’d try and do too much and would overreact to pressure. If he listens to Martz there’s a good chance that his performance could absolutely explode. Martz’s system relies on accuracy and Cutler has the arm for it and if he gets his feet under control maybe that accuracy will come. If Cutler drinks the kool-aid that rigid system and tough coaching could be gold, but that’s a big if. Let’s hope. I think Cutler has heard the criticism and there’s a good chance that like Martz he comes back a little humbled.
My biggest fear is the pass protection. Martz throws the ball a ton and his QBs have always taken a beating. Cutler is extremely durable and he’s very mobile so there’s a decent chance that he can handle the pressure. Martz has never had a mobile QB in his system, I’ll be curious to see if Martz is flexible enough to incorporate that. If he does maybe the sack numbers will come down, Turner was frustratingly unwilling to incorporate bootlegs, draws and sprints. Still, this offensive line has issues. It finished the season pretty well, it’s not quite as bad as people think. Ever since Pace was removed from the lineup and Williams and Shaffer installed in their natural positions things came together. Still too many mental errors and the run blocking struggled a ton, but the pass protection was on the right track. Time will tell if Martz adjusts accordingly and if he finds a way to get the RBs involved without traditional run blocking. Martz was very good at running screens and draws, something Turner did rarely, so Forte might actually see some improvement in that respect even if the line can’t drive block.
The Bears WRs are basically retarded. Hester is dumb as a post and after 3 years still seems to struggle with the plays. Earl Bennett essentially red shirted the first season because he couldn’t learn the play book. Johnny Knox was spoon fed a very limited set of plays. So there’s no doubt that a complex playbook could present major issues. It’s unclear how much reading a WR needs to do in the system versus the QB, but it’s something to pay attention to. The one thing I’ve been coming back to is Hester. The biggest problem with the Bears offense for 2 years running is the misuse of Hester. He should not be lining up as the X, period. He should be in the slot playing the Wes Welker/Az Hakim role. He’s got speed and elusiveness and is the type of player that can take a 3rd down 6-yard check down 40 yards, you want him catching the ball in space underneath the LBs, not constantly over the top where his height is a liability and his shiftiness is moot. Let Knox and Aromashodu do that. Martz strikes me as a guy smart enough and with enough credibility to see this and implement it and most importantly sell it to Hester and not being a demotion. If Martz gets Hester into the slot I’ll consider the entire experiment a success.
Martz hasn’t used thee TE very much in his history and people are concerned since Olsen is such a talent. The interviews tend to agree that Martz is an exceptional match-ups guy and he’ll see Olsen as a guy he can use to create them. I’m not worried Martz will waste Olsen or screw up by asking him to block too much. I think Martz will find a way to create for him.
The running game will be a mystery. Martz doesn’t run the ball much and this worries me and worries the folks at Halas Hall. However, you have to ask yourself if it matters with this personnel. The Bears couldn’t run the ball last season, so what’s the point of forcing it? Maybe Martz will find ways to use Forte in the passing game that’s more effective than the traditional running attack. Forte blocks well and could help the protection issues and the Bears will probably add a second back somehow, time will tell if a diminished reliance on the run will really hurt this team or not. It might end up being a benefit. Perhaps the fear of a pass happy Martz is a bit over blown too. Martz was fired in San Fran for ignoring the run and he might have learned a lesson from that. Lovie is conservative to a fault and Martz is aggressive to a fault. Between thee two off them they might find a happy medium. It’s possible that the circumstances in Chicago will lead to a evolutionary Martz. That’s the optimistic view at least.
Like I said at the beginning, I’m not sure where I stand. You can be damn sure I’ll talk myself into things by Week 1 and there are a lot of scenarios where this could turn out to be a good marriage. There’s plenty where it could be a mess too, but it’s almost impossible to predict. It’ll be an interesting camp, that’s for sure.
Waddle and Silvy threw out the idea of the Bears being featured on HBO’s Hard Knocks this season. Wouldn’t that me a hell of a show? Cutler’s personality. Lovie and Jerry’s hot seats. Young WRs trying to learn this system. Martz doing Martz things. Urlacher back from injury. A defense under fire. Death of Gaines Adams lingering. Rod Marinelli doing Marinelli things. Martz and Marinelli trying to get along. Mike Tice doing Mike Tice things and trying to get along with Martz. Are you telling me that you wouldn’t watch this? The McCaskey’s are so tight assed that it will never happen but it’s fun to imagine.
He’s not.
Nor I. But it certainly gives Chicago something to talk about. I expect a fair amount of doublespeak (just a few months after saying the Bears didn’t give Cutler enough talent to work with, Martz is raving about the WR crew) and a fair share of hyping of personality conflicts, that will keep it interesting all year. And that’s what will make it fun.
In non-Bears news LaDanian Tomlinson says he’s done with the Chargers. It’s not really a shock and he’s reading the writing on the wall but it’s interesting nonetheless, especially since it’s not usually the player who’s out front on that angle under the circumstances.
I have to believe that he’ll be playing somewhere next season but I’m not sure what team is going to want to bring him in considering how far he’s fallen. He still has a knack around the goal line so maybe a team with a solid runner who needs help punching it in will come calling. The Texans might be willing, maybe the Seahawks. The Redskins would be far too predictable but you can’t deny they have a need.
It’s all but assured that the 2010 NFL season will be “uncapped”. But, more importantly and scary, is that it looks more and more like the owners and the NFLPA are going to drag themselves into a labor stoppage in 2011. I hope it is just typical sabre rattling that precedes labor negotiations, but I’m not too sure we aren’t going to get a lockout after this year. The owners have hired a full time lobbyist and the NFLPA sent some high profile names to shake hands at the Capital. Both PR reps are starting to fire up. And the rhetoric is getting more and more troubling.
I really haven’t looked at it much, but it seems the owners think 57.5% of revenue to player salaries is too much, and the players want the owners to open their books (if IIRC, only the Packers as a publically owned corporation, have to have their financials published). And given the increase in player salaries, the poor economy, and the fact they are the ones who are risking their money, the owners may be right. But I expect a lot of ugliness coming up.
What risks do the owners take? The Ford family bought the Lions for 40 mill. They are worth 800 mill now. The taxpayers poured money into Tiger stadium until Ford strong armed them into a new stadium. They built the Silverdome with an 80,000 capacity. Ford was pleased for a while. But newer stadiums were being built with provisions for super expensive boxes and owners getting concessions and parking. Ford suddenly was sad again. So we built him a new one downtown with fancy boxes and a capacity of 65,000. They are not capable of fielding a competitive team. They are the Joke of the NFL. They are making a fortune.
This lockout, not a strike, is about the NFL getting monopoly status like Baseball has. This supreme court will give it easy. It will be a fundamental change to the game. One that will not help the fans or players.
Useless.
Omni, expect a better offense. Expect a different offense. When Martz was offensive coordinator for the Lions, I strongly liked it. He abandoned the run, and you can make hay of that issue, but the Lions at least put up some points and moved the ball. You will notice a difference. Will it end up being net positive or negative? I don’t know. You will notice a difference.
This is the same tone of voice I used when I congratulated SenorBeef on the Sean Rogers trade.
Rumors a’swirling that TO may be a Bengal next season. Well, if you can believe what Ochocinco says on media row in Miami anyway.
Its intriguing to me as a Bengals fan. I’d welcome it as long as they still drafted a tall, fast downfield type wideout as well.
Years ago, the Lions coach was Fontes. He as the most successful coach in about half a century in Detroit. which should be revealing by itself. But he had the "run and shoot offense ". It was very effective, they were scoring quickly and well. Then during the off season Fontes declared that we had to slow down the offense because the defense was on the field too much. Destroy what is working to attempt to fix what is broken. I knew then we were in deep trouble. His offensive coaches blew out of town quickly and we became what we are now. Bad offense , bad defense and bad coaching and management. But they make a boatload of money.
The Bears should be better next year with Martz and Marinelli. The NFC Central will be an interesting division to watch, dependent upon Favre’s return to the Packers, of course. I hear there’s talks that the Vikings want to trade Favre and Jackson to the Pack for Aaron Rodgers, and that both Ochocinco and TO want to play for the Packers next season…
Just want to float a thought I had while listening to some of the pre-Free Agency chatter regarding Reggie Bush. He’s under contract for $8M in 2010 with the Saints and pretty much no one thinks that he’ll be fulfilling that when the regular season rolls around.
There’s basically 2 scenarios, he either restructures his contract in NOLA and takes a hefty pay cut to remain a gadget option in Payton’s scheme or he gets cut. A trade is a slim possibility but I’m not sure anyone is going to give up anything for the right to overpay him. Both Pierre Thomas and Mike Bell are going to be RFAs too so the Saints will have some serious challenges at the RB position. If I’m the Saints I put all my effort into keeping those two for the next several years and letting Reggie go, but who knows.
Anyways, this led to fantasies of the Chicago Bears signing him as a FA once he’s cut. The Bears have serious issues at RB and are retooling the offense with Martz in charge. Bush would be an ideal complement to Matt Forte. Bush lacks the blocking and interior running ability that Forte possesses but he has the speed and dynamic ability that Forte lacks. As we saw with Marshall Faulk and Frank Gore, Martz lose to flex his RBs out and use the RB in the passing game, especially getting playmakers into space. Bush fits this mold exceptionally well. Forte is enough of a horse to prevent Bush from getting too banged up and can replace him around the goal line. I’m on the fence about the Martz experiment, but adding Bush to it would have me chugging the Kool-aid.
I have no idea what he’d cost and how much heat he’d generate on the open market (I suspect a lot) but with the Bears in a do-or-die situation and Martz’s voice in Halas Hall I can see them taking a chance on spending some money. Obviously the lack of a 1st and 2nd round pick means they’ll have to add talent on the open market so if there’s ever a chance that they could break tradition this is it. The obvious issue that the team has greater needs on the defensive line and Angelo and Lovie are going to lean towards spending the coin on a pass rusher first and foremost (Peppers?). If they break the bank there there won’t be anything left for offense. Hopefully Bush is affordable enough and Chicago high profile enough to make a marriage possible.
In other news, this interview with Martz has some positive nuggets of info:
With the reported fear of over complicating things for our borderline retarded WRs this is a huge plus if it’s true. The number system was what I learned in HS football and it’s dirt simple and very logical. Anyone should be able to learn it, and it sounds like there won’t need to be too much thinking for these guys. Know the route and make plays. I like.
This response made me a little bit hard. Fantastic. The guy seems to get it. If he’s successful in getting Hester back into thinking that the return game is his first priority and receiving his second we’ve already improved. Additionally it seems like he’s downplaying the idea of him being a “number one” receiver which is great. To read between the lines a bit, the “isolated into personnel matchups” sound to me like he’d going to be moved around and used in gadget plays. Granted gadget plays worry me a little, but this idea of splitting him out wide on every play and asking him to beat #1 CBs every down was always a bad idea. That plan seems dead. Thank god, hopefully this means a lot more time in motion and in the slot.
Heh, I typed that paragraph before I read the following question:
So, um, yeah. Woo hoo! See my post above, it’s like he’s repeating what I was wishing for a week ago verbatim. Holy crap, I’m giddy.
This question raised concerns:
I agree with everything Martz says, but I worry that he’ll be trying to force a square peg into a round hole. Olsen thus far hasn’t shown that ability, I’m not sure why I should think he’ll change. But, with Mike Tice coaching him and Kellen Davis up if it’s ever gonna happen this is the scenario that you need.
Even though I’m more of a defense nut, I really respect Mike Martz. It’s not the style of offense I like watching but it’s tough to defend. He’s creative and strong-willed. He won’t back down from his plan. I think he’ll be good for Chicago and especially Cutler. Maybe not for Olsen though, regardless of what he says. You won’t care as long as he’s successful I’m sure. That style of offense can make it tough on the defense because of the fast series but unless I missed some personnel moves you guys seem to have enough depth on the D-line to rotate guys around and make it work.
I had heard that Seattle was going to take a long look at him too. Personally, I find it hard to get excited by a running back who has never rushed for more than 600 yards and has a 7.4 yard average per catch. I think he’d be a nice complement to Ryan Grant for the Packers, but he is in no way worth what I think a team will be willing to pay him. As to fitting with the Bears, how many smallish, speedy guys does one team need? With Knox and Hester already on the roster, why bring in another clone?
Congrats. You have Az Hakim and paying him like Reggie Wayne. And Hakim had the benefit of having Holt and Bruce taking pressure off. I am worried that he’ll get more play on special teams. I liked it better when his sucking at WR took up all his time.
It seems to me that you’re excited to all but nullify the one player who you called the #1 option going into last year. Maybe Olsen will be a better blocker this year, god knows your O Line needs it. But that means he’ll no longer be the #1 option in the passing game.
It will be interesting to see what Martz does with the talent out there. Holt knows the system and could be had, but he’s tailing off in a hurry and won’t command the attention to free up Hester and Knox. Best of luck.
ETA: A great deal of it will come down to Cutler. He’s the high priced lynchpin that will determine the outcome.
ETAA: I heard the Bears are looking at Boldin for a 3rd rounder. Could be?
Well Gaines Adams died, there’s that. Plus Ogunleye, Anderson, Adams and Harrison all could be gone next year in various contract circumstances. I’m guessing Ogunleye will be gone, the other 3 should be back. There might be a FA addition and Harris, Brown and Idonije will be in the mix with rookies Gilbert and Melton finding time, but it’s going to be a very uncertain situation to say the least. It might be great, it might be a mess depending on who stays and how the young guys perform.
Completely agree. Seattle will probably screw up and over pay him. Bad arrangement for Seattle. If Seattle is smart and views him as a complementary player instead of a primary guy and pays him accordingly the Bears and Packers would both have perfect RBs to pair with him and provide a better home than Seattle. I love the guy as a complimentary asset, hate him as a core guy.
You can’t have too much speed. I’m not sure how having fast WRs make having a fast RB an issue.
You got me confused with someone else. I’ve never tried to claim Hester isn’t overpaid and I never thought he’d be the next Reggie Wayne, but we have to make do with what we have. The scenario Martz spelled out is the best chance we have to maximize his worth.
He won’t be with Martz designing things no matter what. Lets hope he can block and at least get himself on the field full time. Olsen and Tice will need to become fast friends.
I’d be shocked if they added a WR in free agency. With Knox, Hester and Aromashodu they have their presumed starters and with Iglesias and Bennett locked into the roster they have depth. The love Rashied Davis on special teams and would be hard pressed to dump him for a marginal improvement in the passing game. Unless something drastic happens, they are set at WR.
Cutler and Martz need to make magic, if they don’t it’s all moot and the entire staff will be gone. That pressure hopefully works in the teams favor.
See the notes above regarding WR. I don’t see them adding anyone unless they can get Boldin or Marshall for a song. Giving up a 3rd rounder and paying him top dollar to keep him just isn’t in the cards, they have far too many other pressing needs to give away picks and tie up money on a position they are fairly comfortable with. The Bears will spend money on a DE, RB or a Safety long before they get a WR.