Rumors have been floating around that current Chicago Bears offensive coordinator Mike Martz will be terminated after the season is over with.
Martz, known as the creator for the Ram's "Greatest Show on Turf" had been doing an alright job for the Bears until franchise quarterback Jay Cutler went down with a season-ending injury.
Martz's philosophy mainly has to do with the aerial attack and nothing else. He really does not believe in running the football since his Rams days with Marshall Faulk and protecting the quarterback has never really been a necessity.
Cutler was the most-sacked quarterback last season by far and was among the league leaders before he went down with an injury.
With the Bears' recent two-game losing streak, Martz's job has recently been jeopardized and Martz addressed those rumors today to reporters, saying, "I’m bothered by that. Obviously, I plan on being back here and want to be here and I am just going to assume it’s all going to work out so that’s unfortunate. That is the only thing I can tell you. It’s just like college jobs and those things, we’re focused on this job and what we’re doing."
The Chicago Tribune's Brad Briggs stated in an article today that it could just have something to do with Martz's agent trying to get Martz a job next year and is just trying to cause a stir within the organization. He will likely be looking for work next season anyway, so it appears his agent is just trying to get him in headlines, in hopes that he could receive a better deal worth more money next season.
According to reports, Martz met with Bears head coach Lovie Smith to discuss what was going on."I wanted to find about it. I am embarrassed by it and I hope that, anyway, let’s just move on. It’s not good," Martz said. "And it’s not how I think and live my life. Just disappointed."
Smith replied to the reports, saying that they were false and Martz's job is not in jeopardy. However, Smith did not specifically say that Martz will come back to the Bears next season, while just calling the report "made up."
But for now, Martz is the Bears' offensive coordinator and it is still unclear as to whether the Bears will retain him after the regular season is over. His contract will expire when the Bears end their 2011 season.
Martz got his professional start in 1992, as the Los Angeles Rams' quarterbacks coach. He was then moved to the team's wide receivers coach in 1995 and then became the Redskins' quarterbacks coach in 1997. He was hired by the Rams once again in 1999 as the offensive coordinator and then became the team's head coach prior to the 2000 season and held the position until the end of the 2005 season.
As the Rams' head coach, Martz had a record of 53-32, including a Super Bowl appearance in 2001, losing to the Patriots -- Tom Brady's first Super Bowl title. The Rams would make it to the postseason on three other occasions before Martz was let go five games into the 2005 regular season.
After being relieved of his duties by the Rams, Martz was hired as the Lions' offensive coordinator in 2006 and was there for two years. He then became the 49ers' offensive coordinator in 2008 and did not coach at all in 2009.
The Bears hired Martz as their offensive coordinator on Feb. 1, 2010 and has been there since. During his first season with the Bears, the Bears' offense was 28th in passing and 22nd in rushing.
As of right now, the Bears are currently 22nd in passing and 12th in rushing, thanks to running back Matt Forte who is a question mark for the rest of the regular season.
Even though the stats haven't been there as of late, Martz will still be a hot commodity if he does leave the Bears after the season is over. He would likely receive interest from teams such as the Colts, Dolphins, Jaguars, among others.
