Advantages to bringing Mad Mike home

[thirteen28]

As much as I loved Martz and the GSOT ... no.

For one, he de-emphasized the TE in later years to an extreme level. While I've had some issues with Cook, I'm nowhere close to wanting to let him go. I'd like to keep Kendricks if we can, and I really like what we have in Cory Harky. Martz traded away Greg Olsen from Chicago and failed to take full advantage of Vernon Davis on SF. In his latter years with the Rams, all we had was Brandon Manumalwhatevertoomanysyllablestopronouce, who was a great TE except for the fact that he couldn't run, catch, or block.

Martz was a great playcaller in his first three years with the Rams, but in latter years he started to do some headscratchers as well. Sometimes he would get too cute, sometimes he would get away from the running game against teams that were weak against the run, etc. After the loss in the Super Bowl, he seemed to me like he was pressing much of the time, kind of like a gambler who's trying to make up for losses.

And finally, in all four of his stops from the Rams on, things ended badly. As Raylan Givens said on Justified once, "If you meet an a$$hole in the morning, you met an a$$hole. If you meet a$$holes all day, you're the a$$hole." I just don't think he plays well with others.

Dont' get me wrong, as I said I loved what he did with the Rams and the GSOT. I think he's a brilliant offensive mind and has an exceptional eye for finding QB and WR talent and coaching them up (consider the two QB's he had the most success with were an undrafted FA and a 6th round cast off). And I salivate thinking what he could do with Tavon Austin. But in the end, a lot of baggage comes with Martz, and I think enough baggage to negate the good he could do.

If we want our Martz, let's listen to Ricky Proehl and hire our "Martz without the drama" - aka Chud.

 

[jap]

Martz as QB coach? I'm game.

Martz as OC? No way. He doesn't fit the run-first play-action offense concept.

Nop!!! Mad Mike is all about Fast & Furious ball.

 

[WestCoastRam]

It's fun to think about... but here's the alternative points:

1) Don't have the oline to protect 5 and 7 step drops.

2) Might as well trade Cook, a TE that can't block well can't be a starter in Martz's offense. We'd be wasting money.

3) Martz has never been able to commit to the running game at any of his stops. Lot's of 3 and outs.

4) Martz has never developed a QB from the draft on, even Bulger was draft by a different team. No guarantee he'd be able to help find a QB in the draft.

 

[MrMotes]

I'd love to have somebody every bit as aggressive, creative and mad scientist like running our offense as we do our defense but that's jut not gonna happen. It's not in Fisher's DNA to play that way. And if somehow he were forced to hire someone like Martz, it would probably turn out just as badly as when Spags brought in McDaniels...

 

[reggae]

As much as I loved Martz and the GSOT ... no.

For one, he de-emphasized the TE in later years to an extreme level. While I've had some issues with Cook, I'm nowhere close to wanting to let him go. I'd like to keep Kendricks if we can, and I really like what we have in Cory Harky. Martz traded away Greg Olsen from Chicago and failed to take full advantage of Vernon Davis on SF. In his latter years with the Rams, all we had was Brandon Manumalwhatevertoomanysyllablestopronouce, who was a great TE except for the fact that he couldn't run, catch, or block.

Martz was a great playcaller in his first three years with the Rams, but in latter years he started to do some headscratchers as well. Sometimes he would get too cute, sometimes he would get away from the running game against teams that were weak against the run, etc. After the loss in the Super Bowl, he seemed to me like he was pressing much of the time, kind of like a gambler who's trying to make up for losses.

And finally, in all four of his stops from the Rams on, things ended badly. As Raylan Givens said on Justified once, "If you meet an a$$hole in the morning, you met an a$$hole. If you meet a$$holes all day, you're the a$$hole." I just don't think he plays well with others.

Dont' get me wrong, as I said I loved what he did with the Rams and the GSOT. I think he's a brilliant offensive mind and has an exceptional eye for finding QB and WR talent and coaching them up (consider the two QB's he had the most success with were an undrafted FA and a 6th round cast off). And I salivate thinking what he could do with Tavon Austin. But in the end, a lot of baggage comes with Martz, and I think enough baggage to negate the good he could do.

If we want our Martz, let's listen to Ricky Proehl and hire our "Martz without the drama" - aka Chud.

Not gonna happen!

 

[bluecoconuts]

I just don't see Fisher letting Martz air the ball out like he would want to. Don't get me wrong the idea of the Rams putting up 500 yards on a team, blowing them out of the water, essentially doing this stuff again:

That shit is better than porn in my book.. I don't think Fisher lets him run it, I don't know if we have the personnel to do it either. Sam has the talent if he can stay up and trust himself instead of being too safe, but I don't see the team being able to run anything that'll look close to the GSOT for a long time. Certainly not with Fisher runnin things.

 

[blue4]

Martz as QB coach? I'm game.

Martz as OC? No way. He doesn't fit the run-first play-action offense concept.

Not that I think it's likely, but a concept can be changed. Looking at this roster, it makes more sense than trying a ground pound offense. A soft blocking TE, a quick slashing RB, Austin, etc.

 

[leoram]

Let's see here, in a recent interview, Martz said he missed coaching and admitted his many errors. Listening to him, it seemed to me he gained humility.

Jeff Fisher is a reasonable, measured, but passionate coach. I believe people underestimate both men. NOBODY dissects a defense like Martz. The game has passed neither man by. Frankly, the insults hurled at both men in this thread demonstrate a lack of knowledge and humility by the posters.

With that said, as exciting as it would be, it's the differing philosophy about turnovers that will keep it from happening. Nothing pisses a defensive coordinator off more than turnovers. It's not Martz v Fisher that worries me, it's Martz v Williams. I suppose if Mad Mike stayed in the booth, Gregg might not strangle him until somewhere around the tenth game of the season. On the other hand, maybe Schotty made Gregg realize how badly the team needs to score points. Nah...I'm just dreaming.

 

[jrry32]

 

[leoram]

 

[leoram]

 

[brokeu91]

I would love to have Martz come back under Fisher. Like the OP said in point #4, he was his best under a controlled HC like Vermiel. I think if Fisher emphasized to Mike that he has to run the ball more, then we would run the ball. I guarantee you that he would have some interestingly devised runs too

I also think Martz could do wonders for Sam. My biggest complaint about Bradford, besides his health (which isn't his fault), was that he didn't push the ball down field more. I know that he never had the greatest WR in the past, but he is so ridiculously accurate that he could get completed passes with guys who were covered. Martz gets QBs to push the ball down field. He's a QB whisperer in that regard. Our passing plays would be more exciting and I'm willing to bet we'd be better than 28th in total offense

 

[jap]

I raised this scenario quite a few times over the years---a mad OC 'Max Q' scientist combined with a mad DC 'blitzmeister' evil aggressor, all under the guiding umbrella of a strong coach. Fish saw the GSOT twice in the the 1999 season, won one perhaps because of a controversial penalty on our TE and lost the biggest game of all in what was arguably the most exciting Super Bowl of all. That Super Bowl should have been a blow out by the Horns with all the yardage Warner and his fly boys racked up against a usually stingy Titans defense.

With Fish getting his D well situated under GW, can he be ready keep Mad Mike under tight reigns with respect to minimizing empty backfields, keeping a more balanced attack, and truly solidifying the OL as a pass blocking unit? Sans Mad Mike, Chud seems like a excellent alternative if Ricky Proehl's assessment is spot on.

 

[Memphis Ram]

Not that I think it's likely, but a concept can be changed. Looking at this roster, it makes more sense than trying a ground pound offense. A soft blocking TE, a quick slashing RB, Austin, etc.

A concept can be changed, but it still has to fit the head coaches philosophy, IMO. Besides, Cook blocking from the slot rather than inline works. Mason fits all day long as he basically came from ground and pound, and Austin simply needs to shift outside.

In his latter years with the Rams, all we had was Brandon Manumalwhatevertoomanysyllablestopronouce, who was a great TE except for the fact that he couldn't run, catch, or block.

Actually Manumaleuna had great hands and could block. He just couldn't stay healthy.

 

[LesBaker]

Because he hasn't coached in a long while, and probably still has that itch...

i'm sure years away from the game probably taught some humility

my only complaint is that we don't have the line to run his scheme

Or the QB, or the RB.

 

[jap]

The closest RB we have to Marshall Faulk is Isaiah Pead.

 

[RaminExile]

1. No change of system required.

2. He would be invaluable to helping the Rams take the right QB for the Coryell scheme. Few coaches have his acumen when it comes to QBs and QB play, along with estimating what they are capable of. His presence in the Rams draft prep process would give their board a much higher chance of producing the right guy in this draft.

3. Rams have enormous depth of weapons for Mad Mike to dictate to defenses. Austin alone... I can only imagine Mad Mike getting him isolated out of the offensive backfield into routes, or even just forcing defenses to crap their pants with Quick/Bailey/Britt/Cook playing fast due to knowing WTF they are doing.

4. Martz was at his best with a calm and controlled head coach above him in Vermiel who took care of all the details and kept him in a place where he could be the mad scientist OC. Fish is similar in makeup with Vermiel in that way.

5. Martz is not only one of the most knowledgeable QB coaches, but WRs as well. Him running the offensive show would mean instant return on the young WRs the Rams have invested in that for the most part did not make enormous strides under Schotty.

6. Martz is known for being very harsh on depth QBs and developing them well. Big return for the guy the Rams undoubtedly do draft.

7. No worries over teams wanting to hire Martz away, which is what you have if the Rams hit on a hot young OC. Martz and Williams as coordinators give the Rams production and a bright future with less risk of being poached by other teams.

8. Mike has a lot to prove. He is hungry to show the league that has taken much of what he did and ran with it that he still has it. His decisions to coordinate for weak head coaches was his downfall, and under Fish he'd have the right ability to run his show without fear from the head coach.

9. The move feels right. Dude is one of the greatest coordinators this franchise has had, and he's out there and available and being ignored by the NFL. Timing is everything.

10. I'll say it right now... IF Fish hires Martz, which is a ridiculous longshot I admit, he will win his super bowl with the Rams.

In the immortal words of Jean-Luc Picard, Captain, USS Enterprise (NCC 1701-E),

 

[Amitar]

I sure hope you are wrong on this one.

 

[blue4]

A concept can be changed, but it still has to fit the head coaches philosophy, IMO. Besides, Cook blocking from the slot rather than inline works. Mason fits all day long as he basically came from ground and pound, and Austin simply needs to shift

I meant that they're suited for a more exciting explosive offense, not that they can't do the ground game. And what Mason did at Auburn doesn't matter anymore. Can't you see him getting the ball in the open field like Faulk used to do? Or Cunningham as well. Cook, Mason, Austin, Bennie, Quick, Britt if he returns, Stacy, Bailey. You don't think a route runner like Bailey wouldn't flourish in that scenario? We're getting to have more weapons than Fisher knows what to do with IMO. Course we need a QB, C, and guard. But we need those no matter what we run. I know it's wishful thinking, but we need a bold offense to set us apart from the rest of the NFC West. We all have defense. We need to score more than Seattle and Arizona are capable of. Otherwise we're going to keep having these 12-6 toss-up games.