Mike Martz Announces Retirement

Added on Jan 17, 2012 by Scott in

NFL

Longtime offensive coordinator and former head coach Mike Martz has announced his retirement. Martz stepped down as Chicago’s playcaller two weeks ago after a pair of disappointing seasons and a reported clash with team management. The 60-year-old has spent the last 20 years coaching for five different franchises and was the offensive coordinator for the Super Bowl-winning 1999 Rams.

Martz spent five-plus seasons as the head coach in St. Louis, compiling a 53-32 record from 2000-2005. He coached them to a pair of NFC West crowns and a loss in Super Bowl XXXVI to Bill Belichick and Tom Brady’s Patriots. After missing the majority of the 2005 campaign with health issues, he was fired in January 2006. Since his dismissal, the Rams have gone 23-73.

During the last five years, Martz has bounced around the league with Detroit, San Francisco and Chicago. In all three places he failed to achieve the same success he reached in St. Louis. Not having Kurt Warner, Marshall Faulk, Issac Bruce and Tory Holt certainly didn’t help.

Due to his recent struggles, Martz’s label as an “playcalling genius” took a bit of a hit, especially with the Bears. Chicago brought him aboard to energize a stagnant attack, but his offenses ranked 24th and 30th in 2010 and 2011 respectively. A spotty offensive line and a lack of talent at wide receiver contributed heavily to their woes, not to mention injuries to Jay Cutler and Matt Forte.

Martz engineered the “Greatest Show on Turf” from 1999-2001 that led the NFL in scoring with 1569 points. However, his often reckless coaching style, tendency to waste timeouts and questionable clock management skills drew criticism from fans and pundits.

Prior to entering the NFL, Martz spent several years in the collegiate ranks, including stints with San Jose State, Fresno State, Minnesota and San Diego State. Although never confirmed, he has been rumored to be a candidate for current college vacancies.

Source: ESPN.com