By Jeff Gordon
Post-Dispatch Online Sports Columnist
Monday, Dec. 20 2004
We expect Rams coach Mike Martz to be back next season.
Team executives John Shaw and Jay Zygmunt are rational men who don’t rush to
judgements. Martz’s career won-loss record is still better than most head
coaches, despite this 6-8 downturn, and he has a ton of dough left on his
contract.
As we noted last week, the rash of Rams casualties provides Mad Mike cover for
this season. The decimation of the offensive line, the demise of team leaders
Marshall Faulk and Aeneas Williams, the loss of quarterback
Marc Bulger and the
nagging injuries plaguing the front seven were too much to overcome.
However . . .
In order to retool this team, the franchise must also retool its football
operation. As colleague Bernie Miklasz explained with great clarity, General
Manager Martz left Coach Martz with too little to work with this season.
Look no further than the decision to dump Kurt Warner and replace him with
Chris Chandler.
Rams insiders insist that Warner had to go, due to his eroded relationship with
his teammates and head coach. A divorce was best for everybody. But if the team
was happier without Kurt, it sure hasn’t shown it during this season.
Injuries go a long way toward explaining what happened this season, but these
Rams haven’t played with much passion – to use one of Mad Mike’s favorite
phrases. That 31-7 loss at Arizona will stand among the franchise’s most
embarrassing performances since coming to St. Louis.
As for Chandler, the poor guy never had a chance. Even the most casual Rams fan
knew he would become a liability if pressed into duty.
Whenever the Rams faced Chandler the past few years, folks around here were
thrilled with the match-up. He played one dreadful game after another against
the Rams, folding whenever the going got tough.
We pointed this out when Chandler was signed. We pointed it out when Bulger got
hurt, forcing Chandler into the starting assignment.
Martz became indignant when your cyber-correspondent warned of impending
calamity. He insisted Chandler would be fine.
He was wrong, terribly wrong, and Chandler’s miserable play probably cost the
Rams another trip to postseason play.
“It goes back to the inability to function at one position,” Martz told
reporters after Sunday’s game. “You hold the whole team hostage.”
That the Rams had to pull career back-up Jamie Martin off street, scrape off
his 13 months of rust and hurl him into combat . . . well, that’s just
unthinkable.
(That Martz threw Chandler under the bus Sunday wasn’t real honorable; there is
no way Chris should have been put in this position at this point in his life.
Martz put Chandler in a position to fail – and fail he did.)
On Martz’s watch, the Rams have made some great calls on personnel matters.
Cornerbacks Travis Fisher and Jerametrius Butler have become solid performers.
Ditto linebacker
Pisa Tinoisamoa. Young receivers Kevin Curtis and Shaun
McDonald seem capable.
Running back
Steven Jackson appears to be a worthy first-round pick. Offensive
linemen Scott Tercero and Larry Turner might be fine, too, if they get an
opportunity to develop.
Too many other key picks have failed to become consistently good pros. Adam
Archuleta, Damione Lewis, Ryan Pickett, Jimmy Kennedy, Tommy Polley, Robert
Thomas – at times they excite you and at times they exasperate you.
Were they back draft picks? Or have the Rams failed to coach them up? Either
way, their inconsistency falls back on Martz, who, after all, demanded the
final say on all football matters as head coach.
So now the franchise must retool. Now the Rams must rebuild their offensive
line and either arouse or overhaul their front seven. There will be plenty of
tough decisions to make:
Which young players merit further investment of time and money?
Would different position coaches coax better results from some of the same
players?
Will it be possible, on Martz’s watch, to build special teams that advance the
Rams cause rather than hinder it?
What should the Rams do with Faulk and Aeneas Williams, two once-great players
who broke down this season?
How will the Rams manage their salary cap, given all the “dead money” that may
eat up payroll space?
Should Charley Armey become a real general manager again and make the final
call on all personnel?
In the months ahead Martz should focus on what he does best – devise cutting
edge offensive strategies. And his bosses ought to help him in areas where he
is not as strong, such as game and personnel management.
This season may not be salvageable, but with the proper adjustments, the regime
is.
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