Martz is starting goofy stuff in Detroit already

[RamWraith]

Analysis: Martz throws first fit, but Marinelli still wields control
Thursday, May 04, 2006
By Tom Kowalski
ALLEN PARK - Rod Marinelli was prepared for this.

Marinelli, the Detroit Lions head coach, wasn't bothered when offensive coordinator Mike Martz got upset and walked out of the team's facility Tuesday afternoon.

According to several sources close to the situation, Martz was irritated by something - no one contacted for this story is exactly sure what that was - but Martz was angry. There wasn't a lot of drama or angst, Martz just decided to leave. He was back at his desk Wednesday morning and everything is fine. For now.

[RamWraith]

FULL ARTICLE!

Thursday, May 04, 2006
By Tom Kowalski
ALLEN PARK - Rod Marinelli was prepared for this.

Marinelli, the Detroit Lions head coach, wasn't bothered when offensive coordinator Mike Martz got upset and walked out of the team's facility Tuesday afternoon.

According to several sources close to the situation, Martz was irritated by something - no one contacted for this story is exactly sure what that was - but Martz was angry. There wasn't a lot of drama or angst, Martz just decided to leave. He was back at his desk Wednesday morning and everything is fine. For now.

Welcome to Rod Marinelli's world.

When Marinelli interviewed Martz for the job back in January, it took Marinelli more than a week to make his decision to hire him because Marinelli had a lot of things to think about. On the plus side, he was getting one of the brightest offensive minds in the NFL. Since Martz was hired, nearly every person in the Lions organization has used the word "genius" in describing him. His knowledge of offensive football is unmatched - at least by anyone employed by the Lions in the last several decades.

However, there's also the negative side. Martz can be overbearing, rude, unpredictable, selfish, pushy and extremely volatile. It was the "genius" part that won over Marinelli. That, and his refusal to accept anything less than 100 percent in terms of technique, execution and hustle.

Martz won a Super Bowl as the offensive coordinator of the St. Louis Rams and he went back to one as the team's head coach. He's very set in his ways and has an unyielding belief in his way of doing things. But that doesn't always mesh with what Marinelli believes and here's where the problems begin to boil.

Marinelli made it clear to Martz from the beginning that there would only be one voice in the Lions organization and it would belong to Marinelli. Still, Marinelli knew that he would have some power struggles with Martz in how to operate the offense, not so much in terms of the playbook and the installation, but in how it would be done. Marinelli is a stickler for beginning with the basics and building a foundation and moving slowly forward. Martz wants touchdowns and he wants them right now.

From the day he was hired, Marinelli's approach has been one of intensity, but with patience, too. The only promise he makes is that the Detroit Lions will be a better team, more fundamentally sound, smarter and better conditioned. Martz, on the other hand, walks through the halls of the practice facility and -- this is true - says things like "Touchdown, Lions. Touchdown, Lions" and "Line 'em up and let's go for two (points)."

Martz has no patience and zero tolerance. If he's not happy, then everybody around him is not happy.

Speaking of unpredictable, here's the part of Martz that Marinelli really likes. During the recent voluntary minicamp, the offensive players were attending an early evening meeting when a suddenly irate Martz demanded that they go back on the field. Upset with the team's seven-on-seven passing drill earlier in the day, Martz wanted all of his players to go through the plays again.

The players thought their day was winding down, but Martz made them suit up again and hit the practice field. That part of Martz didn't bother Marinelli, either.

As the season approaches, though, there are going to be more clashes between Marinelli and Martz, but Marinelli is convinced that the unorthodox Martz has his heart and motives in the right place - he just wants to score and to win … and then score some more.

It takes a mentally tough head coach to put up with a personality like that and Marinelli isn't intimidated by the task. In fact, as long as that offense puts up points, he'll embrace it.

[r8rh8rmike]

Martz is going to miss the likes of Marc Bulger, Isaac Bruce, Torry Holt and Marshall Faulk, smart, driven guys that were able to flawlessly execute his system. I see a lot of frustration coming his way with a group of underachievers in Detroit.

I also would not be surprised to see frustrations boil over from a control standpoint. Let's face it, Marinelli can't let Martz dictate terms. Power struggles from the get go in minicamp could be a bad omen of things to come in Motown. It will be interesting to see how it all shakes out.

[RamsFan16]

Haha. He is frustrated by the talent the Lions don't have.

[bigredman]

OOOOHHHHHH Boy....didn't I tell ya. Martz is already working his web of deceit and deception to get that head coaching job (just like what he did with Vermeil). The guy has X and O talent, but his pompous egotistical and stubborn personality offsets that talent. He'll NEVER be a good head coach, and it will take a better overall head coach to utilize his talents as a coordinator to make a winner. Good luck!

[Drew4EverRams]

On that st.louistoday rams forum a thread started on the topic of the worst HC in rams history some have named Martz,altho i guess they havent been fans long,his record does suggest he`s far from the worst! (personally i think hes devoid of consideration because in my eyes he was never a rams HC!)

Anyway back to Martz and the Lions,i tend to agree with a lot of what BigRed said about him,Martz is one of the best if not the best OC`s in the modern era of football,but will his ego ever let him concentrate on "just" that??
i think it wont,watch your back marinelli or whatever the hell your name is!

[Varg6]

for me, I'd rather specialize in something I'm phenominal at (offense in Martz' case) but instead, he tries to abuse his power as such a great OC, and try to obtain HC status, which he failed at with us, and will with the Lions if he gets that job.

[psycho9985]

Its going to be fun whatching the Rams and Lions go at it this year

I'm really curious how Martz will play against us.

[Truth]

On that st.louistoday rams forum a thread started on the topic of the worst HC in rams history some have named Martz,altho i guess they havent been fans long,his record does suggest he`s far from the worst! (personally i think hes devoid of consideration because in my eyes he was never a rams HC!)

Anyway back to Martz and the Lions,i tend to agree with a lot of what BigRed said about him,Martz is one of the best if not the best OC`s in the modern era of football,but will his ego ever let him concentrate on "just" that??
i think it wont,watch your back marinelli or whatever the hell your name is!

I too agree with BigRed. Of course I didn't like the move that put Martz in as HC in St louis back in 2000. I've taken a lot of heat for that from different people. Something just didn't sit right with me on how DV left and MM stepped in. If it looks like poop, and smells like poop, it's probably poop.

Martz WAS a good OC. That was when he worked for Vermiel, and the Rams had a good defensive staff to get his offense out of trouble when they turned the ball over. I wouldn't be surprised to see him struggle in Detroit. I think he's frustrated that he doesn't have the final say anymore. Personally, I'm glad he's not our problem anymore.

[general counsel]

HOw can you say that they had a good defensive staff under vermeil and a lousy one under martz. The offense under martz in 2000 was the best we ever had and the defense was the absolute worst. We had a terrific staff, the same basically as in 99, but the players were a lot worse. Coaching had nothing to do with the fact that kevin carter was dominating in the extreme in 99 and lazy in 2000.

Martz coached the rams to a 14-2 record in 2001. One of the greatest seasons and most dominating performances in the history of the league. He brought in lovie smith as defensive coordinator and revitalized the team. Did we lose the superbowl? Sure. Was martz to blame? Interesting debate, but the refs sure were a disaster. We lost that game on a last second field goal. If we won that game, would anyone call martz a lousy coach let alone the worst coach in team history. That statement is a joke. Look at vermeils record before 99 with the rams. He was terrible.

Go read a rams media guide and look at some of the terrible years we have had and tell me that martz, with all his flaws, deserves to be mentioned as one of the worst head coaches we ever had. Its one of the worst arguments i have ever seen advanced on this board.

ramming speed to all

general counsel

[txramsfan]

Wow, how soon we forget. Martz blew up a porous defense in 2000, restructured it and took the Rams to a Super Bowl in 2001. Went to the playoffs 4 out 5.5 years as HC and he was a terrible HC? Check out Vermeil's record at STL prior to Martz and his record at KC without him and see what he has accomplished.

Mike Martz should be known as a hero to the St. Louis Rams as much as the Warners, Paces, Bruces, Faulks, Williams and Holts of the world but won't be because some only see the negative. Well, you got your wish now that Martz is gone and let's see how well Linehan does. I'm a big fan of the Rams, and I hope Linehan does JUST as well as Martz. I don't look for Super Bowls every year, that is just unrealistic. However, playoffs are a benchmark for success and I'll take Martz's benchmark anyday and twice on Sunday.

[general counsel]

One other point. If you are going to say that the rams won in the early martz years because of the talent and not because of martz, than you have to admit that the rams lost in the later years because they had less talent, a lot less talent, especially on defense.

People who think martz is one of the worst coaches the rams have ever had are ignoring the wins and losses. Put it another way, they are giving the players credit when the team wins and blaming the coach when the team loses. Cant have it both ways guys.

By the way, i am not suggesting that martz was the greatest ever or that he didnt have flaws. How good a coach martz was is a different debate. But calling him one of our worst coaches ever is completely ignoring the facts of the teams performance under his leadership, and i mean his won lost record, not the amount of timeouts he burned or his stupid challenges, neither of which count as a category in the standings.

ramming speed to all

general counsel

[tanus]

wow, some of you are down right moronic when it comes to martz. its just down right pathetic.. i hate to break it to you but you dont have the success in the nfl that martz had if you arent good at what you do.

[r8rh8rmike]

While I think Martz had issues that kept him from realizing his true potential with the Rams, there is no way he was the Marty Mornhinweg clone many make him out to be. His W/L record and playoff appearances speak for themselves.

[Nick]

FYI, the NFL Network just played a clip of head coach Rod Marinelli saying this story is completely false and that Martz actually asked permission to leave early because he and his wife were going house shopping.