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***Bernie: Martz & Fletcher comments?***

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  • #1

    ***Bernie: Martz & Fletcher comments?***

    Bernie is a sports beat writer for the *St. Louis Dispatch* and also covers the Rams...

    ***bernie's press box

    Name: BernieM
    Date: 03/25/2002
    Time: 12:52:50 PM

    Subject: Bernie: Martz & Fletcher comments?

    1. Fletcher's comments were idiotic. Good riddance. A good player. At times a very good player. But a huge ego...it's always about London. He's first. Everyone else is second. And they'd be crazy to overpay him when Duncan basically performs at the same level. And is a much more consistent person in terms of professionalism and interaction with teammates.

    2. What Martz said bothers me. He comes off as a petulant child, insisting that his approach was correct. I hope he can round himself out, maturity wise. I'd hate to see this team squander another opportunity next season because the coach can't contain his ego.

    Cheers,
    Bernie***
    Tags: None
  • #2
    Sometimes confidence is mistaken for a "big ego". And there's a fine line between the two.

    :shield:

    Comment

    • #3
      I think Fletcher grew up this year and it's a shame he's gone. He went through that little period where he was trying to start a fight on about every play. But one of the defensive coaches must have gotten through to him because he started hitting more before the whistle than after. Thanks for the memories, London.:angryram: :angryram:

      Comment

      • #4
        Comma, comma down, dooby do wop down, comma, comma down dooby do wop down, breaking up is haaard to do!

        Comment

        • #5
          I agree, Fletch showed a lot on improvement in his attitude this year, but his showboating was often detrimental to the team. It was also an indication of his self-serving "look-at-me" attitude. Everything I've read says Jamie is his equal stopping the run, and a better pass defender. (He was a starter for Tampa Bay's defense, he can't be too bad.) If Fletch wants to cry that he wasn't loved by the team, let him. He's forgotten that it was the Rams that gave him a chance as an undrafted free-agent. I think that entitled the Rams to expect some love in return:ram:

          Comment

          • #6
            Well,Williams is the spiritual leader on defense,but I wonder who will step up and fill London's shoes as the emotional leader.Duncan is somewhat soft-spoken,but I think he will play great for us.Could Arch or Polley step up and take over as the spark plug for the Swarm?What do you all think?
            ST.LOUIS RAMS:THE MOST FRUSTRATING TEAM IN THE NFL!!!

            Comment

            • #7
              Wistrom is no slouch when it comes to showing emotional leadership!

              :angryram:

              Comment

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              • RamWraith
                The Bernie speaks
                by RamWraith
                The players like Martz a lot. They're very loyal to him. They know he falls on swords to protect them -- often taking the blame for a play that a player messes up.

                Player relations are the least of his concerns.

                Cheers,
                Bernie

                BernieM wrote:
                Well, here we go again...

                I guess ol' Bernie is being too soft on Martz again.

                That's funny.

                Martz was so upset by what I wrote last Thursday, Sunday and Monday he complained to at least three other prominent STL media people wondering why I'm out to get him.


                Cheers,
                Bernie
                -10-02-2004, 05:52 AM
              • RamWraith
                The Bernie Speaks
                by RamWraith
                On Martz bashing:

                BernieM wrote:
                This has got to be the most shrill thread in the history of the Press Box.

                I got a good laugh at the post where the 12th Ram said, basically, that I should rely on facts rather than sensationalism and speculation.

                Which is beautifully ironic, since I constantly rely on facts in discussing Martz's credentials instead of falling back on the blind outrage that we see so often in here from Martz's critics.

                I always stick to the facts when assessing Martz.

                He has a winning percentage that's the 4th highest among NFL head coaches since the merger (50-game minimum). And his won-loss percentage compared to all previous STL head coaches, Cardinals and Rams. And the STL's NFL record before Martz arrived in a leadership position (1999) and after he arrived. And the five-year run of offense that's one of the most prolific in NFL history. And the fact that he's turned the team back around after the early-season collapse in 2002, when he had to transition to another QB. They've won 20 of 29 games since then, a winning percentage of .689. And someone -- I forget who -- actually referred in here to the Rams here as "mediocre."

                His team's playoff performances (super bowl 2001, and vs. Carolina last year) have been disappointing. I will not contest that.

                But I respect his entire body of work as a coach.

                I also respect passion, but somewhere along the line, some of you have lost perspective.

                Cheers,
                Bernie


                On a poster's statement that Martz has not brought in great players:

                BernieM wrote:
                This gets better all the time.

                I'll go down the list provided by one of the Martz haters in here:

                Faulk....Pre-Martz. CLARIFICATION: Vermeil wanted to trade Faulk during Marshall's holdout. Martz and others convinced him otherwise. Faulk was in DV's doghouse early in the season because he wanted to save his legs by not practicing all of the time. Martz intervened. I suppose a reasonable person would also acknowledge that Faulk seemed to do well in the Martz offense.

                Bruce....Pre-Martz. CLARIFICATION: DV and Bruce had a problem. They didn't like each other. Vermeil called Bruce out, referring to him as a "so-called team leader." Bruce was crushed. He also developed a serious hamstring problem because of DV's marathon practices. One of the reasons Shaw wanted to hire Martz was because Martz had a special relationship with Bruce and the Rams needed to get Bruce back on track.

                Holt....Pre-Martz. CLARIFICATION: False. Martz was already in place as the offensive coordinator and autonomous leader of the offense when the Rams made the decision to draft Holt. Martz worked Holtz out before the draft, and recommended drafting him. As did others in the organization.
                ...
                -09-17-2004, 05:28 AM
              • RamWraith
                The Bernie bits
                by RamWraith
                BernieM wrote:
                I don't care if Marshall Faulk talks to the media.
                I don't care if any athlete talks to the media.
                It does not impact my job in any way ... if anything it makes it easier.

                In Marshall's case, he's sour because of the praise directed at Jackson and the comments being made that he's lost speed and is on the downside of his career. Which is true in both cases, though as I've said many times, he still can be effective in spots, and he was certainly that against Seattle. But here's the irony: he always tells the network people (the crew doing yesterday's game) that it's now his role to help Jackson and help the offense by doing what he can...and that he accepts a secondary role if that's the reality....but when a STL radio, TV or newspaper guy says the same thing -- Jackson was deserving of more playing time, and Marshall has lost some quicks, and that his knees haven't held up -- he gets offended. Pretty funny.

                Even funnier is reading on here the posts like "good for Marshall" and "screw the media." Again, my paycheck doesn't change by one cent if Marshall Faulk declines to speak to me or anyone else. But when he declines to speak to us, he's declining to speak to the fans. So he's basically screwing the fans, because he's refusing to talk to you through the hated, evil, despised, scumbag media.

                It's hysterical.

                Cheers,
                Bernie

                BernieM wrote:
                A couple of comments if I may:

                1. Yes, Martz has taken cheap shots at Warner.

                2. I was sitting there yesterday when Martz made the comment ... and I didn't interpret it as a shot at Warner...Martz was giddy, happy, no malice in his heart. We pressed him to describe the Cleeland TD catch and he gave us a brief history and he recounted how he used it once before but Kurt didn't connect on it. I took it as a matter-of-fact recital of what had happened before, not a swipe at Warner.

                I understand how some of you could view it as a poke at Warner -- given Martz's track record -- but to me it didn't come across that way when he mentioned Warner yesterday.

                Cheers,
                B

                BernieM wrote:
                Bbref....

                yes, I do think that some in the locker room are thriving on the circle the wagons mentality....which is good for them....anything that works is fine by me.

                Cheers,
                B

                BernieM wrote:
                I need to vent...sorry...early wake-up call in Seattle, long flight, short time to write a column.

                In advance let me say that NONE of this is directed at any posters here. And again....I'm just venting...need an outlet...thanks for putting up with it....and providing some therapy for me.

                Just checked my e-mail.... question: is it possible for everyone to enjoy a playoff victory?

                The e-mails were remarkably acidic for the day...
                -01-09-2005, 06:37 PM
              • Nick
                Bernie: Hadley getting job with the Rams?
                by Nick
                Post subject: Hadley to Work for Rams
                --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

                I don't know that Hadley / Rams is official, but it was close. Talking to Hadley, from what I understand he's doing some statistical work for them, and he will also be a personal media-relations consultant for Martz.

                As many of you know, Hadley is my friend, so I wish him the best, but Rams Park is a strange place, with a lot of egos and turf wars and insecurity -- petty people guarding their turf like attack dogs. Hadley will have daggers flying at him. I think he knows that.

                And if he can be a positive influence on Martz -- if he can somehow calm Martz down and prevent him from doing Martz-like things -- then it will work out great.

                The Rams PR/media-relations department is the worst in the NFL, and has served Martz poorly by not giving him any type of guidance or strategy in dealing with issues regarding the team. And by letting Martz do foolish things instead of trying to intervene and calm him down.

                Cheers,
                B
                -06-07-2005, 12:58 AM
              • RamWraith
                Lots of The Bernie
                by RamWraith
                BernieM wrote:
                I'll try to break it down for you, saintloser....

                last week Rams played the 31st run defense in the NFL .... and didn't run....and didn't play Steven Jackson.

                This week they line up against the 11th run defense in the NFL ... and make a determined effort to run....and go 73 yards for a TD in 10 running plays ... with JACKSON AND FAULK SHARING THE LOAD.

                (In other words: (A) team is capable of running; (B) Jackson and Faulk can be used with great effectiveness; it doesn't have to be one or the other.

                So this would lead a reasonable mind to wonder ... why didn't the Rams -- with a bad QB at the helm no less -- try to run it at Arizona last week? It just reveals what a horrible, flawed gameplan they had in Arizona.

                Got it?

                Thanks.

                Cheers,
                B

                BernieM wrote:
                markd...

                the line is doing a terrific job, opening holes, and pushing the Eagles inside on those outside-design runs.

                You can see the difference....

                Faulk has the holes, and he's been productive, with 7 carries for 38 yards so far. But with the same set of circumstances, Jackson is going off, with 9 carries for 100 yards. He's able to bust it loose and take it down the field.

                Faulk does look better tonight than he has in a while.

                Cheers,
                B

                BernieM wrote:
                Marshall can be a useful spot player..... as long as he's willing to accept the role.

                Cheers,
                Bernie

                BernieM wrote:
                at the Edward Jones Dome....said it's disgraceful...and needs to be replaced, the sooner the better....he's been pushing for it...asked the media to make it an issue. (upset over injuries, concussion to Cleeland, and the late-game injury to the Philly player, Thomas Tapeh)...


                also.... Martz says Bulger has been hurt all season (shoulder) and that no one knew about it....says the shoulder has been sore since the first game of the season .... and that the two weeks off helped make it stronger.

                Cheers,
                B

                BernieM wrote:
                Sorry, but I don't rip coaches who go 12-4 and squeeze wins out of a team in transition, as Martz did last season.

                Say what you want, think what you want, insult me, whatever.

                Won't change my mind. Martz did a helluva job in 2003.

                This year his coaching has been pretty bad.

                As I've said before, I don't dumb myself down just to appease a mob. I write columns based on what's happening and what I know to be true.

                Coaches and managers have good seasons and bad seasons, just as players do. Witness La Russa and Baker in 2003 and 2004. They basically switched places in terms of their respective performances from 2003 to 2004.


                Cheers, ...
                -12-31-2004, 04:52 AM
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