The Martz Effect - Part 1

  Posted 8/5 by Jeff Tefertiller, Exclusive to Footballguys.com

Mike Martz is regarded as an offensive genius by many football fans. This article is the first of two examining Martz' effect on the teams he has coached. We will look at the results of Martz' wide open offense in several different offensive categories. This installment will focus on the impact of Martz on the passing games of his employer. The next article will track the outcome Martz has had on the run game. Only the teams where he was Offensive Coordinator or Head Coach are included. Yes, Martz had an impact in Los Angeles, St. Louis, and Washington as a Quarterbacks Coach, but he was still running someone else's offense. Most people began to take notice of Martz when he was the Offensive Coordinator of the 1999 Rams who won the Super Bowl. This was his first season as a NFL coordinator. He went to become the Head Coach of the Rams, compiling a 53-32 record in the regular season and 3-4 in postseason.

Mike Martz was the center of many offensive juggernauts in Saint Louis. The 57-year old native of Sioux Falls, South Dakota has been coaching for many years. After playing tight end for a few schools in college, Martz graduated with summa cum laude honors from Fresno State in 1972. He began his coaching career at the school he began his playing career, San Diego Mesa College. The offensive guru coached in the collegiate ranks from 1974 until 1991, at seven west coast schools. In 1992, the cerebral one got his first break into the NFL ranks with the Los Angeles Rams as the Quarterbacks Coach.

In 1999, Mike Martz was brought back to Saint Louis to be the Offensive Coordinator after two seasons in Washington. Dick Vermeil was the Head Coach and was familiar with Martz. The offense Martz inherited was not a good one. It struggled in many areas. Below is a chart detailing the offensive productivity of the Rams for the two seasons prior to the arrival of Martz:

As you can see, the Rams were at the bottom of the league in scoring, total yards and passing yards. The Rams only scored 19 points per game while totaling a mere 289 yards per contest. This was an impotent offense to be sure. Many are familiar with the prolific Ram offense under Martz' direction. But the turnaround started immediately. He transformed the offense into one that could march up and down the field without regard to who was under center. Here are the numbers from the Rams during Martz' tenure in Saint Louis:

Wow!. Notice how the Rams went from the 27th ranked scoring team in 1998 to the top scoring team in 1999. In just one season, the team scored seven more points and accumulated 69 more total yards every week . This was an incredible transformation. Martz was named Head Coach in February of 2000 after Dick Vermeil announced his retirement. The first three years Martz was back in St. Louis, the Rams led the league in scoring and were an offensive powerhouse. The 2002 season stands out as the low point, but the year was fraught with injuries, especially to Kurt Warner. In 2003, Marc Bulger took over as the starter and the numbers rebounded. Also, in 2003, the Rams named Lovie Smith as Defensive Coordinator which solidified the other side of the ball. When looking at how the Martz offense excelled in Saint Louis, it is easy to see why teams are now eager to have the South Dakota native leading their offenses. Mike Martz took a medical leave of absence in October of 2005 and was replaced by Joe Vitt. The team and its ill coach had several conflicts. The "last straw" came when Martz was home watching the Rams play while recovering. He wanted to relay a play into then Offensive Coordinator Steve Fairchild but was prevented to communicate with the team by Rams Team President John Shaw. Martz was medically cleared to coach late in the season, but the team brass decided against him having an active role with the team. He was fired immediately after the 2005 season.

After interviewing with several teams, Mike Martz finally landed in Detroit to lead a struggling offense. The Lions have been a team that has struggled to make plays since the retirement of Barry Sanders. The first thing Martz did was bring in veteran passer Jon Kitna to lead the offense. First, let's look at how awful the Lion offense was before the arrival of the pass-happy coach:

It is difficult to imagine that Martz could inherit an offensive situation worse than the one he stepped into in Saint Louis. But, the Lions were HORRIBLE! The 2005 Lion offense ranked 28th in scoring, 26th in total yards and 25th in passing. In addition, with just 16 points and 270 total yards per game, the Detroit Lions need a lot of help on the offensive side of the ball. While the team never became a contender, the offense did improve greatly under Martz' direction. It is obvious to see the huge improvement when the pass-happy Offensive Coordinator came to town:

Another impressive one-year turnaround. The team now could move the ball and quickly became a top passing offense. When we look at how far the offense came in just two short seasons, we gain more respect for the job Martz did in Detroit. By the time Martz left after the 2007 season, The Lions scored six more points and accumulated 53 more total yards per game than the 2005 team. Yes, the Lions were not a top offensive team. But, the improvement was great when considering the situation Martz walked into. The one thing to take note of is the big increase in offensive numbers in Martz' first year with a new team. He has made a difference in Saint Louis and Detroit.

Mike Martz was fired after just two seasons in Detroit for being too pass-happy and neglecting the run. The 2007 Detroit Lions started the season by winning six of the first eight games, but faltered in the second half. The team finished with a 7-9 record. The one consequence of the Martz offense is that his starting passers take a lot of hits. The formation is spread out to take advantage of mismatches but it leaves the quarterback exposed in the pocket to take hits. It did not take long for Mike Martz to find his next job as an Offensive Coordinator. San Francisco called and Martz went back to the west coast. Martz is San Francisco's fourth Offensive Coordinator in four years. The offense needs a spark and Martz could be the guy to turn around the offense. He brought in free agent wide receivers Isaac Bruce and Bryant Johnson to upgrade the position. Bruce is very familiar with the Martz system from their days in St. Louis. Let's look at the offense Martz inherits in San Francisco:

Is it me or does it seem like each new team for Martz has a worse offense than the ones before? The San Francisco offense is worse than either of the previous two, which is difficult to believe. Last place rankings in scoring, total yards and passing. Also, the 14 points per game and only 237 total yards is an embarrassment for an offense with Frank Gore and other talented players. The big question mark will be at quarterback. Former first round pick, Alex Smith, has struggled throughout his brief career. He will be pressed by youngster Shaun Hill to be the starter. We do know from the statistics above that the quarterback in the Martz offense will put up big numbers so this is a situation to monitor.

What can we expect from the Martz offense in 2008? Using history as a guide, it is reasonable to expect that the 49er offense will score at least 20 points a game, which is six more than in 2007. In addition, it is easy to assume that the team will accumulate at least 320 yards per game which it has not done for a while. The Lions in 2006 were the only Martz-directed offense to fall short of that mark. With Martz being the fourth coordinator in four seasons, it might take a couple of weeks for the offense to get going. The lack of an established passer will not help matters.

Fantasy owners should take stock of the Passing Rankings of the Martz teams. All of his offenses have made the Top 10 in passing. It is very reasonable to assume that the San Francisco passing game will be able to hit that goal. The team has more weapons than what the Lions had the last two seasons. So, what should we expect from the 49er offensive players? Fantasy owners should draft Smith and Hill. Both are very reasonable considering the immense upside in the passing game. These two quarterbacks are being drafted on last year's production, not with the consideration of the Martz addition. Frank Gore looks to be a top back again this season as long as he can stay healthy, which can be said about several rushers. At the wide receiver position, there should only be three options to draft in most fantasy leagues. Bryant Johnson comes over from Arizona where he was the WR3 in that prolific offense. Johnson will make some big plays, but displays inconsistent hands and disappears at times. Isaac Bruce should be the possession pass catcher for the team. Martz leaves his quarterbacks with little time in the pocket. He will look to the wily veteran who knows the offense the best. In the slot will be Arnaz Battle. The WR3 in the Martz offense has historically been productive. Mike Furrey, Shaun McDonald, and Kevin Curtis all flourished in that role. Mike Martz has never featured the tight end position. But, it could be said that he has never had a specimen like Vernon Davis. I expect Davis' fantasy owners to be disappointed in 2008 as he struggles for pass targets. The receivers have been upgraded and there will now be at least three receivers on the field at all times, thus minimizing the upside of Davis.

The San Francisco 49er offense should be much more potent than in 2007. Many fantasy players will be surprised at the vast improvement in the offense. The team has weapons. The one thing we need to remember is that Mike Martz knows how to throw the ball, and throw it well. Considering the weakness of the NFC West, the 49er offense should have some very good matchups for fantasy owners.

The Mike Martz coaching history came from Wikipedia: