Bears Blitz

Published by Joseph Goode on October 22, 2011
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears

If Lovie Smith wants to continue to be the head coach for the Chicago Bears, then he must cut ties with offensive coordinator Mike Martz. 

Martz exudes negativity and seems to undermine everything Smith does. Martz is the type of coach who does what he wants no matter the circumstances.

He seems to feel like every team he is on has the type of talent he had when he was calling the plays for the Super Bowl Champs, St. Louis Rams.

This team does not have an offensive line. The receiving corps is one of the worst in the league. And the team does not give Cutler the respect that Warner once garnered.

After Dick Vermeil retired as the head coach for the Rams, Martz took over the duties and Lovie Smith took the reigns as the defensive coordinator.

The chemistry between the two worked very well at the time. Smith was then hired as the coach for the Bears. Martz has had different stints as an offensive coordinator for the Lions and 49ers with mixed results, as he had conflicts with the front offices of both teams.

There is currently a role-reversal on the Bears where Martz has to take orders from Smith, and it seems as though it just isn’t working out. As the roles have reversed, Martz can’t seem to put his mind around Smith being his boss. This has definitely hurt the chemistry of the team.

Early on in the season, Martz was operating a pass-happy offense with Cutler throwing more passes than needed. The Bears were not running the ball, even though they have a talent such as Matt Forte. The Bears quite possibly have the worst offensive line in the league, and Martz would continually make Cutler stay in the pocket and take long drop-backs, resulting in sacks.

Although Cutler’s face is usually full of disgust when he plays, it was even more so with the line collapsing and Martz’s egotistical play calling. 

He has recently made the Bears a running team, allowing Cutler to roll out to make some plays with his legs. The only weapon that the Bears have is Matt Forte, who can run on certain plays and line up all over the field as a receiver. 

Although Martz has changed recently, he will resort to his old ways and make Smith look bad. Last year, when the offense was up and down, the defense would bail this team out. We will probably see half the remaining games where Martz will only run the ball about 10 times and throw the ball about 40 times to receivers who will most likely drop the ball.

He needs to realize that the Bears play a lot better with a balanced attack. Throwing quick passes and keeping Cutler upright should be his focus.  

This season, the defense is a year older and looks like a team that cannot stop anyone. The defense ranks near the bottom of the league and does not look like the Bears teams of the past.

It is definitely going to be a struggle for the Bears to make the playoffs this year, with the Lions and Packers ahead of them in the division.

If Smith wants to remain the Bears coach, he must fire Martz and transition to a running and play-action offensive attack. I don’t think that the firing will catapult this team into the playoffs, but it will help Smith’s persona of still having control of the team.

I still feel like coach Smith is the right man for the Bears. He has continually made the Bears play better than expected with an offense that has always been influx. I currently see a power struggle between Smith and Martz, and this must stop before the season is over. Smith needs to show that he still has control of this team in order to keep his job.

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