Originally Posted by
bigredman
You know I love my man from the far east (If you come to the bash, meals and drinks on me buddy which I hope will be an incentive for your wife to letting you come), but the team of 1999 was a vortex of elements coming together for a fantastic and wondrous season that coined the phrase "greatest show on turf". That phrase, in my opinion, does NOT belong to Martz. It was a combination of a pretty good defense, special teams, a QB that used his Arena league skills to shock the NFL, and Vermeil's head coaching ability to rein in and use Martz's offensive innovation that led to the juggernaut known as the 1999 Rams. However, after Vermeil left, the media tried to continue to give that moniker to the Rams, but it never quite fit the earlier model, did it? I vehemently disagree that Martz made us look a lot better than we were for awhile. The talent of the players and the assistant coaches immediately after the Super Bowl win carried Martz's enormous ego, while the rest of the league was quickly figuring how to defend us. His consistent refusal to change his offensive scheme, believing in his own press clippings that he is a "genius", interfered with properly adjusting players and coaching staff consequently established his legacy as a failure to step up to the head coaching position he stole. Not to mention his curious and outright boneheaded decisions during games regarding play calling, clock management, use of time outs, challenge determinations, and personnel selections with both players and coaching staff when he became head coach. Anyone believing that Martz didn't have a demonstrative role in selecting players and coaches has no comprehension of his egomania and wearing on the Ram's administration as his recommendations he insisted upon turned up failing, time after time. Why do you think the FO got tired of his act and treated him in the manner in which he was in the waning days with the Rams? Other than that, we agree!
:)