In 2001, the majority of people going into Super Bowl XXXVI thought that the Rams were the better team by far. Even after the Patriots kicked their timeless field goal to squeek out a win, some still believe the 2001 Rams were the better unit. The Rams were heavily favored to take the title, and did not, and I've read many opinions that, when listing the negatives of Mike Martz, include that he got outcoached by Bill Belichick in that game and might have cost the Rams the title.
Since then, the Patriots have gone 37-11 including setting a record for consectutive wins, another Super Bowl title for the 2003-2004 season, and a subsequent Super Bowl appearance in 2004-2005 that might become a third championship in four years. They are considered the closest thing to a dynasty in modern professional football. In the playoffs over his career, Belichick is 9-1, tying a post-season record held by Vince Lombardi, according to a stat displayed on CBS. With a win on the 6th, he would surpass Lombardi - all this in an era of parody where the salary cap forces teams to lose star players.
So with all that in the back of your head, does the success of the Patriots organization under Belichick make you rethink how much blame Martz should shoulder for being outcoached in a close Super Bowl match-up? Do you still feel that second year head coach Mike Martz, with one of the most prolific offensive units in NFL history at his side, should have taken down a man that some consider to be one of the greatest coaches in the modern era of football? Or, in hindsight, do you feel like some of the blame should be removed from Martz's shoulders because of how successful Belichick and the Patriots have been?
I'm interested to see where people stand. I know there are some people who really feel Martz was the major reason the 2001 Rams didn't win the Super Bowl because of his coaching decisions, but I wonder if, in the last few seasons, we've come to see that outcoaching Bill Belichick in the playoffs is no easy task for any NFL head coach.
And this question isn't one that's forcing you to say Martz either takes blame or he doesn't, but rather asks if you blame him less knowing now what the Patriots are.
-01-24-2005, 12:07 AM
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