Shaw tries to control fire at Rams Park
By
Bernie Miklasz
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Saturday, Sep. 17 2005
This week Rams coach Mike Martz was asked about coping with the extreme heat
his team will encounter in Arizona while playing the Cardinals in the sauna
known as Sun Devil Stadium.
Game-time temperatures might reach 100 degrees, but that's a summer breeze to
Martz when compared to the heat surrounding his team in St. Louis. If the Rams
lose to the Cardinals, Martz will return to an inferno. After the stumble in
the opener at San Francisco, the Rams already are locked into early-season
crisis mode.
The defeat in San Francisco prompted hysterical, hateful reactions on St. Louis
talk-radio shows and Internet boards. And if there's a subsequent loss to the
Cardinals, Bill Bidwill and Kurt Warner, we may see angry, torch-carrying mobs
of fans form under Martz's office window at Rams Park.
OK, probably not ... but an 0-2 start will cause Martz's approval rating to
plummet again.
The controversial Martz can deal with external pressure, which is normal for
him or any other NFL head coach. But Martz has been far more rattled by foes
inside the building. The enemies within usually cause more hurt, more damage,
with their betrayal. It's always more demoralizing when the people who are paid
to work with you instead work against you, and that's what has happened to
Martz. With so much turmoil around him, it's a wonder Martz can concentrate on
coaching.
The tension at Rams Park finally bubbled over, leading to an intervention by
team president John Shaw, who threatens to fire any team executive attempting
to undercut Martz.
"I've talked to everyone in our front office, and they've been warned," Shaw
said. "They'd better do everything they can to help our coach win. And if they
don't support our coach, then they're not going to be here. It's a simple
message. And they'd better get it, or they'll be gone."
Shaw wasn't finished.
"I have personally delivered that message to each and every one of them," he
said. "They'd better make the commitment to support Mike 100 percent, because
that's our mission. That's what our owners do. We're fully behind Mike. And I'm
not going to accept anything less from any of them."
And with Shaw in his corner, Martz has some heavyweight reinforcement in the
skirmish with those who ganged up on him.
The flashpoint occurred when Rams director of football administration Samir
Suleiman called a Post-Dispatch columnist to leave a threatening message in
response to a column that called for Rams executives to back the Rams coach
instead of back-stabbing him.
Suleiman's bizarre voice mail set off alarm bells, because he's closely aligned
with Jay Zygmunt, the team's president of football operations who feuds with
Martz.
The pro-Martz and anti-Martz factions agree on at least one thing: The friction
and infighting began with the rift between Martz and Zygmunt.
The deterioration of the relationship is stunning and sad to mutual friends who
fondly remember happier days, when Martz and Zygmunt were close and loyal.
In the hallways at Rams Park, it has been suggested that Zygmunt never forgave
Martz for losing the Super Bowl to the underdog New England Patriots at the end
of the 2001 season. (Shaw, for one, doesn't buy into that theory).
Others in the organization say Zygmunt has tried to erode Martz's authority
over football personnel, and has vetoed some of the coach's roster and
free-agency decisions. More recently, Martz's desire to set up a new player
personnel department, headed by an ally, was scuttled by Zygmunt - who in turn
sought to interview his own candidates for the job.
Zygmunt has become increasingly aggressive in player personnel matters, which
grates on the football people. Though Zygmunt has done a brilliant job of
managing the team's salary cap, he doesn't have a football background. Rams
insiders sympathetic to Zygmunt say Zygmunt asserted himself because Martz gets
too distracted from coaching when trying to oversee so many areas.
With the shattering of the Zygmunt-Martz alliance, others in the organization
sensed Martz's vulnerability and grew bolder in their sniping inside the
building. Because Shaw spends so much time in Los Angeles, he isn't always
around to protect Martz or settle petty arguments before they expand into major
blow-ups.
As I wrote recently, it's an open secret at Rams Park that Martz has taken hits
from the negative information leaked by Rams officials about him to national
football reporters.
And Martz was deeply hurt by this story making the rounds at Rams Park: One
Rams executive started an office pool, with employees able to predict the date
for Martz's dismissal. (The executive in question insists it never happened).
If you're wondering why the Rams hired St. Louis sports radio personality John
Hadley as a special assistant to Martz, it's simple: to give Martz an ally to
watch his back at Rams Park, so Martz can focus on coaching.
Shaw, who genuinely likes both men, has so far been unsuccessful in his
attempts to broker peace between Zygmunt and Martz.
In time, Shaw may be forced to choose between them, or it's possible that both
could leave. Zygmunt is working without a contract, and sources say Shaw
declined Martz's offseason request for a contract extension.
For now, Shaw is clamping down on other team officials. Shaw has told general
manager Charley Armey, executive vice president Bob Wallace and Suleiman that
they'd better get behind Martz - or else.
For now, Martz draws strength from the loyalty of his players and assistant
coaches. "I love this team," Martz said.
If Rams players truly care about Martz, this is a good time to rally around
him. The temperature is rising at Rams Park.
Shaw tries to control fire at Rams Park
:angryram:
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