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When Mike Martz Jumped the Shark....

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  • #1

    When Mike Martz Jumped the Shark....

    Now I know that the majority of us here wished that Mike Martz would have fixed the special teams and the defense and kept his job, and even though he was apparently fired for his issues with the FO, in my mind, there was a coaching turning point as well...


    The Rams were 4-3 last year heading into the bye. Mike Martz had an extra week to prepare for the coach that had out-coached him in the Superbowl. The Rams had the Patriots at home. They came out flat, and with a terrible game plan. I don't even remember the exact play, but at some point the Rams called a trick play that didn't fool anyone, and they were already losing big time. It made me sick. This was Martz' big payback for the Superbowl loss? The Pats put up 40 points that day and was a terrible loss at home.

    I also believe the players got the bye week off and recall being frustrated with that as well. As if they were still the team that was rolling over people and deserved the time off, when they should have been practicing in pads to learn how to tackle that week...
    Tags: None
  • #2
    Re: When Mike Martz Jumped the Shark....

    When did Martz jump the shark? When he said something like the following with respect to the SB loss:

    "In looking back, I would have passed even more than I did"

    Comment

    • #3
      Re: When Mike Martz Jumped the Shark....

      Great post sb. Yeah, I remember that all too well, although I had to listen in to the radio when I could. A frustrating night for all of us.

      But honestly, Martz was never the same after losing HIS Super Bowl. In effect Bilichec was Captain Mike's white whale.
      Look away. I'm hideous. __ Cozmo Kramer

      Comment

      • #4
        Re: When Mike Martz Jumped the Shark....

        Good question.

        To me the moment when Mike Martz went from "Genius" to "Madman" came in the Divisional Round of the 2001 playoffs.

        As you will recall, the Rams, who had been nearly unstoppable during the season, were blowing out the Packers. With the game well in hand, Martz inexplicably left Kurt Warner in, and he took a big shot that resulted in a rib injury.

        Warner, with the help of some cortisone shots, gutted it out in the Championship Game and Super Bowl but, to this day, I wonder if the injury impacted his performance just enough to take away the Rams' edge.

        In my mind, that may have been the moment things turned South.

        Comment

        • #5
          Re: When Mike Martz Jumped the Shark....

          The thing that really stuck out at me, when reading an article that layed out Martz's chronology, was the Jets game that he ran the score up in 2001. For some reason that stick out to me as when everything shifted on the Rams. All the self-inflicted stuff most people could care less about. It's part of the charm of Martz as a coach. But when he became "Mad" Martz and ran it up on the Jets (onside kick when up by 20+?), I think the "it's okay to root for the Rams" feeling went away.

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          • #6
            Re: When Mike Martz Jumped the Shark....

            I believe it was after the SB36 when Zygmunt turned on him. He no longer could roam through his laboratory experimenting on the cutting edge. At that point, he had to become a politician, and when that happens, nothing good can follow.
            The more things change, the more they stay the same.

            Comment

            • #7
              Re: When Mike Martz Jumped the Shark....

              Originally posted by live4ramin
              Great post sb. Yeah, I remember that all too well, although I had to listen in to the radio when I could. A frustrating night for all of us.

              But honestly, Martz was never the same after losing HIS Super Bowl. In effect Bilichec was Captain Mike's white whale.
              One of our guys needs to come up with something that we can feed the Rams games through our pcs to each of us! You knoe a rams network or something..any pc gods in our forum?.....lol

              Comment

              • #8
                Re: When Mike Martz Jumped the Shark....

                Originally posted by moklerman
                The thing that really stuck out at me, when reading an article that layed out Martz's chronology, was the Jets game that he ran the score up in 2001. For some reason that stick out to me as when everything shifted on the Rams. All the self-inflicted stuff most people could care less about. It's part of the charm of Martz as a coach. But when he became "Mad" Martz and ran it up on the Jets (onside kick when up by 20+?), I think the "it's okay to root for the Rams" feeling went away.

                My feelings EXACTLY....what goes around comes around! thanx mok

                Comment

                • #9
                  Re: When Mike Martz Jumped the Shark....

                  When he strayed from his own head coaching identity.


                  "I was really concerned about throwing it into the end zone and having the ball tipped or bumped. I just wanted to get this thing into overtime." ~ Mike Martz


                  :helmet:
                  Curly ~ Horns

                  Comment

                  • #10
                    Re: When Mike Martz Jumped the Shark....

                    Originally posted by Ferter
                    When he strayed from his own head coaching identity.


                    "I was really concerned about throwing it into the end zone and having the ball tipped or bumped. I just wanted to get this thing into overtime." ~ Mike Martz


                    :helmet:
                    Good point...I never looked at it that way, but I think that you are on to something....

                    Comment

                    • #11
                      Re: When Mike Martz Jumped the Shark....

                      "I believe it was after the SB36 when Zygmunt turned on him. He no longer could roam through his laboratory experimenting on the cutting edge. At that point, he had to become a politician, and when that happens, nothing good can follow."

                      That was a great comment HUBison as was Ferter's.

                      I find it perplexing that everyone blames Martz for "his" SB loss.

                      I think it was his " possibly injured" QB, according to AV, that lost that game along with a blatantly missed intentional grounding call on Tom Terriffic and too many missed penalties that have been well documented by more than one of the members at ClanRAM.

                      When he had to be a politician dealing with the decline due to injuries to Warner, etc and into said Carolina playoff game is where he started to lose it.

                      The most see saw entertaining games ever on a NFL field. Bad for the ticker but it was great when he pulled off the Houdini comebacks.

                      I will miss him for his entertainment value.
                      Socrates: Surf to live! and Live to Surf!

                      Comment

                      • #12
                        Re: When Mike Martz Jumped the Shark....

                        Martz could have beat most NFL coaches in that Super Bowl, with or without the refs. But he was just out-coached by Bilicheck. The guy broke Martz down; and has had his number ever since. And he made it look easy. He exposed him and his flaws to the rest of the league. The arrogant MM never recovered.
                        Last edited by live4ramin; -01-10-2006, 02:27 PM.
                        Look away. I'm hideous. __ Cozmo Kramer

                        Comment

                        • #13
                          Re: When Mike Martz Jumped the Shark....

                          "I should've thrown more."

                          Seriously people.

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                          • ramsbruce
                            Mike Martz' fall from grace
                            by ramsbruce
                            Mike Martz' fall from grace
                            By Jim Thomas
                            ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
                            01/01/2006


                            He steered the Rams to the Super Bowl. But politics and personality conflicts obscured his genius, and now head coach Mike Martz appears on the way out.

                            With his silver hair, glasses and polite manners, the Rams' new offensive coordinator looked almost bookish - more scholar than football coach. When he accepted the job after two years as an assistant coach in Washington, Mike Martz didn't look or act much different than he did in 1995 and 1996, when he was a Rams assistant under Rich Brooks: quiet, low-key and unassuming.

                            Back then, he was in charge of wide receivers. But in January 1999, Martz was put in charge of the entire Rams offense under head coach Dick Vermeil. By the time training camp started that summer, the offense looked a lot different than it did when Martz accepted the job.

                            "It's like winning the lotto," Martz said at the time. "I came to the Rams, and we signed Trent Green, and we have a healthy Isaac Bruce, and then we draft Torry Holt. All of that, and then it's, 'Oh yeah, here's Marshall Faulk at running back.'

                            "Dick has made a lot of outstanding personnel decisions, and he should get the credit for that. At this point, my job is, 'Don't screw them up.' "

                            He didn't, of course. Even back in July 1999, Martz gave a hint of what would come.

                            "We're going to be aggressive," Martz said. "You have to let these guys play and not be afraid to take chances. You can't go out there and be afraid to lose. You have to play to win. And our talent level on offense is good enough to win with."

                            Those seemed like bold words at the time. The Rams, after all, were 22-42 during their first four seasons in St. Louis. Dating back to their days in Southern California, they had endured nine consecutive losing seasons.

                            For all his talents, Faulk was part of an Indianapolis team that went 3-13 in 1998. Bruce had not won more than seven games in any season as a Ram. Holt was a rookie. Green had only 14 starts on his NFL resume.

                            And when Green went down with a season-ending knee injury in late August, it looked hopeless. The obscure Kurt Warner took over at quarterback, and the early results were encouraging.

                            After the Rams scored 35 points and gained 442 yards to defeat reigning NFC champion Atlanta, Martz was awarded a game ball.

                            "I've never had as much fun in my whole life," Martz said afterward. "I probably will never have a group like this again. I'm under a star right now. ... Who knows how long this will go?"

                            On one level, those were bold words, considering the Rams were a mere 2-0 at the time. But they proved to be prophetic. By the end of the 1999 regular season, the Rams were playoff-bound,...
                            -12-31-2005, 08:32 PM
                          • bruce4life
                            At least this certain someone had balls...
                            by bruce4life
                            Mr.mike martz....


                            When he coached you always knew that we would at least be competitive.... Enoug said
                            -12-06-2011, 08:40 AM
                          • fred10licious
                            Did Martz take the Rams to the superbowl or did the Rams take Martz?
                            by fred10licious
                            I got to know...
                            -03-31-2007, 12:39 AM
                          • Shadesofgrey
                            Say what you want about Mike Martz...
                            by Shadesofgrey
                            Say what you want about Mike Martz...but at least the Rams were fun to watch when he called the offense. His worst record was 7-9 in 2002. I think most of us would be pretty happy with a 7-9 season compared to what has transpired this last season (and the start of this year) On the bright side at least we won't have to watch Brady and Patriots go 18-0 again this season.
                            -09-08-2008, 11:06 AM
                          • RamWraith
                            Think what you will about Martz; he made football fun in this town
                            by RamWraith
                            By Bernie Miklasz
                            ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
                            01/04/2006

                            Mike Martz will resurface. He will return to dial up 50 passes a game in another town, for another team, driving his new team's fans crazy. They may be laughing or frowning, cheering or booing, but Martz will move them. This is a coach who gets a reaction. He is many things, but the word "dull" never will be applied in any description of Martz.

                            "The Greatest Show" goes away, but never completely leaves the imagination. After all, the circus always comes back, and so it will be for Martz, the ringleader of one of the most dazzling offensive productions in NFL history.

                            Mad Mike still has a few scores to settle, a few more defensive coordinators to torment, and may the football gods have mercy on defenses when this coach clears his head and reloads his offense during a second-chance head-coaching opportunity.

                            Martz may have to sit out for a while. He may have to go into exile for the 2006 season, to rehabilitate his image and find inner peace, but that may be the best thing for him.

                            Martz needs time to truly disengage from the grueling experience in St. Louis. Martz's bacterial infection of the heart valve has cleared, and medically he's 100 percent ready to work, but he's still battered emotionally after predictably losing a power struggle with Rams executives John Shaw and Jay Zygmunt.

                            If Martz doesn't hook up immediately as a head coach, he should view the sabbatical as a precious opportunity to exhale and enjoy life. Martz could take his wonderful wife Julie on a trip around the world, or go on the kind of relaxing, leisurely adventures that are impossible to arrange for a full-time, football-consumed coach.

                            And a year from now, a completely rested, recharged and refocused Martz would be a hot candidate. His agent, Bob Lamonte, would have no problem marketing the Martz II Project to NFL owners. If you're an NFL owner with a dormant offense that needs to be zapped back to life, how could you resist the reformed Mike Martz? How could you turn away from 30 points a game? Americans love a second act.

                            Martz is feeling low these days, but he's been through rougher days than this. His alcoholic father bailed on his mom and four brothers when Mike was a kid. Mike survived, maturing sooner than any child should just to help keep the family strong.

                            After Martz got fired from a coaching gig at Arizona State, he couldn't find another job, so he became an unpaid volunteer assistant to Los Angeles Rams coach Chuck Knox. By then, Mike and Julie had four children, and it wasn't easy. But again, he overcame the hard times.

                            And Martz will rally again.

                            During his time as the Rams head coach, I frequently sparred with the media-sensitive Martz. This is a guy who did not hesitate to pick up the phone, dial my number,...
                            -01-05-2006, 05:52 AM
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