Team President John Shaw
News Conference
Monday, January 02, 2006
(Opening statement)
“Earlier today I spoke with Coach Martz, and informed him that he was being terminated as the head coach of the Rams. We have decided that a change in our head coaching position is in the best interest of the football team. We deferred taking any action until we were sure that Coach Martz had regained his health. His doctor advised us that Mike was fully recovered on January 1, 2006, which as you know was yesterday.”
“I want to express my appreciation to Coach Vitt and the coaching staff for their hard work in trying to maintain stability under very challenging and disruptive circumstances. I thank them for their efforts.”
“I will begin a search for a new head coach immediately. Our mission has always been, and continues to be, to be one of the premier franchises in the NFL. I want to assure our fans and our players that we are committed to putting a championship caliber team on the field. That will be foremost in our thinking as we conduct our search for a new head coach.”
(On what type of coach is being sought)
“A coach that we think will improve our product and put a more competitive team on the field right now.”
(On why Coach Martz was terminated)
“There were several reasons, including the general direction of the team. I can’t really pinpoint at what exact time we made a decision to change our coach. But like I said, we were going to defer any action until he had regained his health. “
(On when the decision was made to make the change)
“Again, it’s difficult for me to pinpoint the exact moment, and it was all somewhat academic because we weren’t going to do anything until we were assured through Mike’s doctor that he was healthy.”
(On what was Coach Martz’s reaction)
“I spoke to Mike earlier this morning. I guess there was a sense of expectation that it was going to happen. He was very cordial.”
(On whether he has timetable for hiring a new head coach)
“We don’t have a timetable. We will begin the search immediately, and hopefully get it done as quickly as we can.”
(On whether the number of opening in the league forces the search to go more quickly)
“No, we have identified a list of candidates. It’s quite a wide list. We will do this immediately, but diligently. I know there will be a number of coaching vacancies, but we will do it in a way that suits us.”
(On whether the hiring of a new head coach will necessitate a restructuring of the front office)
“It will start with a head coach. I’m not prepared to discuss...
-01-02-2006, 04:51 PM
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