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I know that it is foolish to hope that the Lions will actually be good, but I am an idiot. I am still surprised that Ford Field didnt implode during the Superbowl, because there were two good NFL teams in it at the same time for the first time in its existence.
Greatest show on turf?
Lions officially hire guru Martz to wake up sleeping offense
BY NICHOLAS J. COTSONIKA
FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER
February 9, 2006
Mike Martz has taken the job as the Lions' offensive coordinator, and this time it's official. The contract is complete. The announcement has been made. No more surprises or snags (we think).
"Mike is very happy and excited to get started," Martz's agent, Bob LaMonte, said Wednesday night.
Both sides said the deal was for three years. Neither side shared financial information.
Martz said last week he took the job, then turned it down over money.
The St. Louis Rams' coach for the past six seasons, Martz has a reputation for developing imaginative offenses and unproven quarterbacks. He was the Rams' offensive coordinator when they won the Super Bowl, and he put together offenses that were among the highest-scoring in NFL history.
Martz, team president Matt Millen and coach Rod Marinelli were unavailable for comment Wednesday. The Lions said Marinelli would introduce Martz and defensive coordinator Donnie Henderson next week.
The Lions also announced the hiring of four other assistants -- Pat Carter (tight ends), Joe Cullen (defensive line), Shawn Jefferson (offensive assistant) and Wilbert Montgomery (running backs). Carter (1988), Jefferson (2003) and Montgomery (1985) each played a season for the Lions.
Carter and Montgomery worked for Martz when he was head coach at St. Louis, and the Lions were expected to hire them last week before contract negotiations with Martz fell apart. John Ramsdell was expected to come from St. Louis as quarterbacks coach, too, but he went to San Diego after the original Martz deal came apart. Martz also will coach the quarterbacks.
One of the first questions Marinelli and Martz will face next week will be where they stand on quarterback Joey Harrington. Marinelli has been vague about Harrington since his introduction Jan. 19, saying he wanted to hire an offensive coordinator first.
But Marinelli said last week that it meant a lot to him that Martz could work with what he had in the system. Martz is known for developing quarterbacks Trent Green, Kurt Warner and Marc Bulger.
Another pressing question Marinelli and Martz will face is how their offensive philosophies mesh and how they will work together.
But Marinelli said last week that Martz did what he liked to do -- run the ball with power and stretch the field with the pass. He also said he liked strong personalities, and Martz is known for his personality.
The Rams went 4-12 in 1998 and ranked 27th in total offense. Martz became their offensive coordinator in 1999, and they went 13-3, ranked first in total offense and won the Super Bowl. (The Lions went 5-11 in 2005 and ranked 27th in total offense.)
Martz became the Rams' head coach in 2000. They made four more playoff appearances, including another Super Bowl appearance. Their offense, known as the Greatest Show on Turf, ranked first again in 2000 and 2001.
Though Martz sat out the last 11 games of 2005 with a heart problem, he has been cleared to continue coaching.
This ends a bizarre courtship, a saga of twists and turns.
Martz interviewed last Tuesday with Marinelli, and Marinelli spoke at length about Martz in a news conference the next day.
Marinelli said he "would love to have" Martz and the sides were "very close."
By that night, it looked like Martz was on his way to Detroit. But the next day, it looked like Martz would sit out the season.
The Lions offered somewhere in the range of $700,000 to $800,000 in the first year and about $1 million in the second and third years, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported, citing people familiar with the negotiations.
LaMonte apparently sought $1.5 million in the first year and a little more than $5 million total in a slightly back-loaded, three-year deal, the Post-Dispatch reported. ESPN reported LaMonte sought a three-year deal averaging just under $1.5 million a year.
The sides agreed to talk again after the Super Bowl. After they resumed negotiations Monday, it didn't take long to get a deal done.
Greatest show on turf?
Lions officially hire guru Martz to wake up sleeping offense
BY NICHOLAS J. COTSONIKA
FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER
February 9, 2006
Mike Martz has taken the job as the Lions' offensive coordinator, and this time it's official. The contract is complete. The announcement has been made. No more surprises or snags (we think).
"Mike is very happy and excited to get started," Martz's agent, Bob LaMonte, said Wednesday night.
Both sides said the deal was for three years. Neither side shared financial information.
Martz said last week he took the job, then turned it down over money.
The St. Louis Rams' coach for the past six seasons, Martz has a reputation for developing imaginative offenses and unproven quarterbacks. He was the Rams' offensive coordinator when they won the Super Bowl, and he put together offenses that were among the highest-scoring in NFL history.
Martz, team president Matt Millen and coach Rod Marinelli were unavailable for comment Wednesday. The Lions said Marinelli would introduce Martz and defensive coordinator Donnie Henderson next week.
The Lions also announced the hiring of four other assistants -- Pat Carter (tight ends), Joe Cullen (defensive line), Shawn Jefferson (offensive assistant) and Wilbert Montgomery (running backs). Carter (1988), Jefferson (2003) and Montgomery (1985) each played a season for the Lions.
Carter and Montgomery worked for Martz when he was head coach at St. Louis, and the Lions were expected to hire them last week before contract negotiations with Martz fell apart. John Ramsdell was expected to come from St. Louis as quarterbacks coach, too, but he went to San Diego after the original Martz deal came apart. Martz also will coach the quarterbacks.
One of the first questions Marinelli and Martz will face next week will be where they stand on quarterback Joey Harrington. Marinelli has been vague about Harrington since his introduction Jan. 19, saying he wanted to hire an offensive coordinator first.
But Marinelli said last week that it meant a lot to him that Martz could work with what he had in the system. Martz is known for developing quarterbacks Trent Green, Kurt Warner and Marc Bulger.
Another pressing question Marinelli and Martz will face is how their offensive philosophies mesh and how they will work together.
But Marinelli said last week that Martz did what he liked to do -- run the ball with power and stretch the field with the pass. He also said he liked strong personalities, and Martz is known for his personality.
The Rams went 4-12 in 1998 and ranked 27th in total offense. Martz became their offensive coordinator in 1999, and they went 13-3, ranked first in total offense and won the Super Bowl. (The Lions went 5-11 in 2005 and ranked 27th in total offense.)
Martz became the Rams' head coach in 2000. They made four more playoff appearances, including another Super Bowl appearance. Their offense, known as the Greatest Show on Turf, ranked first again in 2000 and 2001.
Though Martz sat out the last 11 games of 2005 with a heart problem, he has been cleared to continue coaching.
This ends a bizarre courtship, a saga of twists and turns.
Martz interviewed last Tuesday with Marinelli, and Marinelli spoke at length about Martz in a news conference the next day.
Marinelli said he "would love to have" Martz and the sides were "very close."
By that night, it looked like Martz was on his way to Detroit. But the next day, it looked like Martz would sit out the season.
The Lions offered somewhere in the range of $700,000 to $800,000 in the first year and about $1 million in the second and third years, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported, citing people familiar with the negotiations.
LaMonte apparently sought $1.5 million in the first year and a little more than $5 million total in a slightly back-loaded, three-year deal, the Post-Dispatch reported. ESPN reported LaMonte sought a three-year deal averaging just under $1.5 million a year.
The sides agreed to talk again after the Super Bowl. After they resumed negotiations Monday, it didn't take long to get a deal done.