Bears Shouldn't Want Mike Martz

If Bears fans were asked if they would like Mike Martz as the team's new offensive coordinator, their answer would be a resounding yes.  If only because his name is not Ron Turner.  Yet, should the Bears want the nutty coordinator?

The answer might be a resounding no.

I mean, don't get me wrong.  I am under the impression that anything would be an upgrade to Ron Turner's offense.  I refuse to go as far as some Bears fans who question Turner's sexuality or manhood ... I just have a problem with his play calling.  The biggest indictment on Turner and his inability to make correct calls in the booth is this very season.

Blessed with a skilled quarterback who has a strong arm, rarely (other than last week's game against the Eagles) has Turner called for multiple deep patterns.  Geared with a team that features speedsters on the outside, the Bears' offense has yet to find consistent ways to get players such as Devin Hester and Johnny Knox the ball.

And that is why I would be hesitant to hire Mike Martz.

Like Turner, Martz had one sensational season as an offensive coordinator.  But unlike Turner, Martz had his this decade.  However, the signs of fraud stare Chicago fans square in the face.

When the Rams won the Super Bowl, they were known as the Greatest Show on Turf.  And everyone in Chicago knows the Soldier Field surface is nothing more than a joke ... especially when we get to the winter months.  Martz was fortunate to have some of the best talent in the game when he was calling the shots in St. Louis.

The Rams had two No. 1 receivers in Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt to compliment Marshall Faulk who was tearing it up in his prime.  Then there was Kurt Warner, whose arm, mind and body were as fresh as the groceries he once bagged before becoming big time.

They won the Super Bowl by inches, and then lost the next one by a foot.  (Specifically, Adam Vinatieri's foot.)

Since then, Martz's career has sputtered and it coincides with the decline of the careers of Bruce, Faulk and Holt.  Faulk is in some announcing booth right now, while Bruce and Holt are toiling away in San Francisco and Jacksonville, respectively.  The Rams have gone from the Greatest Show on Turf to the lamest.

Since leaving St. Louis, Martz has failed to be a productive coordinator.  He was given the keys to the Motor City and the Lions proceeded to continue in their spectacular sucky ways.  A year later he went to San Francisco ... and only after Vernon Davis and Fred Gore wallowed in misery was Martz shown the door by Mike Singletary.

With Martz out of the picture, Davis and Gore are flourishing despite having Shaun Hill and Alex Smith under center.  Shouldn't an offensive guru such as Martz have found a way to make the 49ers offense better than mediocre?

Probably.  But he didn't.

So, what makes Bears fans -- or more importantly Bears management -- feel so good about what Martz could do with Jay Cutler?  Tight end Greg Olsen, Cutler's favorite target, would be stifled by his own offensive coordinator.  Running back Matt Forte would likely follow Olsen's path into obscurity.  Devin Hester, Earl Bennett and Johnny Knox could benefit ... if we were a game of Madden.

And as bad as Turner has been, and as much as change could be great for Chicago, if Mike Martz is the answer, then I don't want to know what the question is.

Is Mike Martz on his way to Bears? [Sun-Times]
Martz denies report he's headed to Bears [Tribune]