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This one's for Boo
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060818/SPORTS08/608180327/1004/SPORTS
Bob Wojnowski
Martz: 'We're not afraid of anything'
ALLEN PARK -- One word. That's what I was looking for, one word from the Lions' new assistant guru-genius-witch-doctor-wizard, Mike Martz, to describe his unique philosophy, which theoretically will turn the offense from a collection of mangy misfits into a screeching, scoring fun machine.
One word. Among the words I thought he might say: Unpredictable. Kooky. Splendickety.
(Famished for excitement, we can lose perspective.)
This is what Martz said:
"Pragmatic." Pragmatic?
"Pragmatic," he said, a thin smile creasing his lips, the sun glinting off his dark sunglasses. "Whatever it takes, whatever works. Any risk we take is not just a risk, it's an educated risk. We're not afraid of anything. We may take a shot from our own 1-yard line, who knows."
Be still my thumping heart.
Whatever it takes? Not afraid of anything? As one of the weary witnesses to the Lions' frightening ineptitude the past five seasons, which featured that West Coast garbage that was consistently horrendous, criminally conservative and numbingly boring, I assumed phrases like those were banned.
Try to stay calm
Now, before we get carried away -- too late! -- and put too much pressure on Martz and coach Rod Marinelli, we should point out these Lions remain a half-century Work In Progress, perhaps no better than a 7-9 team.
New quarterback Jon Kitna could be decent. The top pick isn't a receiver for a change. One former Great Hope, Joey Harrington, is dabbing his wounds in Miami. Another Great Hope, Charles Rogers, seems to think he's done, which is a terrific shame. (Note to Charles: Buddy, if you can't get excited about playing in this offense, can you even get excited about playing football?)
Let's face it. Chances for a sudden turnaround are being pinned not on a shiny new player or a fancy high pick, but on the coaching staff, right or wrong. From the tough-talking Marinelli to aggressive defensive coordinator Donnie Henderson to the eccentric Martz, the Lions at least seem to have a fresh approach, which presumably includes a renewed emphasis on scoring touchdowns.
We like Marinelli's low-nonsense style. We love he had the confidence to hire such a combustible offensive coordinator, that he didn't mind if Martz garnered a lot of attention, which he has.
Reason to hope
Martz is the one stirring the big, smoky brew of hope. The 55-year-old enigma eventually faltered as coach in St. Louis (although he was 54-33) after helping win the Super Bowl as mastermind, under Dick Vermeil, of the Rams' spectacular "Greatest Show on Turf."
His battle with the front office and his dismissal after recovering from a heart infection were controversial. Even his on-again, off-again courtship with the Lions was weird and entertaining, two adjectives we haven't used since the days of the weirdly entertaining Barry Sanders.
It's easy to get giddy about Mad Martz, who led the Rams to the top of the passing charts three straight years (1999-2001) and never lower than fifth. It's also easy to get fooled into thinking he can turn anyone, and anything, into something. After all, former grocery-store stocker Kurt Warner became an MVP in his offense.
But these are the underachieving Lions, and it can't be that simple, can it? We'll wait and see, although others have seen enough to believe.
"It feels like this offense is breaking chains off of me," said Kitna, who will start tonight in Cleveland. "He's taking the foot off the brake and putting it on the gas pedal, that's the best way I can explain it. He wants you to cut it loose. Trust your eyes. Trust the offense. I've already made downfield throws I wouldn't have made before. Even when our receiver is neck and neck with the defensive back, his philosophy is, throw that ball and our guy will go get it."
Kitna, a 33-year-old journeyman who had a few good seasons when given a chance, sounds all wound up, ready to go.
"For me, I just think this is a perfect fit," he said. "Finally, after 10 years in the league, I feel I'm at a place where my strengths are gonna be exploited."
Ask almost any player about Martz's offense, and the eyes glaze.
Tight end Marcus Pollard: "He takes common guys and makes them household names. I like to think of him as a chemist and all of us are elements on the periodic table. He puts them together and concocts something.
Backup QB Josh McCown: "His thing is, just throw the ball as if nobody's there. Whenever you have that gunslinger mentality, that's the perfect offense to be in."
If nothing else, it should mean the Lions' petrified-into-putridity approach is gone. Harrington was afraid to do anything because he knew Steve Mariucci's offense abhorred mistakes.
Cleverly, I asked Martz for his opinion of the 4-yard dump pass on third-and-6. Thin smile.
"We've said, whatever you've learned in the past has no bearing on what you're gonna learn now," he said. "This is a system, like algebra, where once you learn it, you can put things together and it makes sense. I just want them to be as aggressive as possible. If you're afraid to stick that ball in, you're gonna be late with it, you're gonna throw interceptions, you're gonna check down, you're gonna take sacks. You can't coach caution in a quarterback. If you do, you're taking the game right out of him."
The arrogant tag
Martz is intriguing, and not just because of the numbers. He has been accused of rampant arrogance, of outsmarting himself, but I'll take that over coaches who don't try to outsmart anyone.
Kitna said the Lions had 200 plays ready for the exhibition opener. This is different from previous seasons, when the Lions utilized approximately four plays and prayed someone broke a tackle.
If Warner can rise under Martz, and Torry Holt and Marshall Faulk can become future Hall of Famers, and even Marc Bulger can flourish, why not Kitna? Why not receiver Roy Williams or running back Kevin Jones?
"I think the potential here is outstanding," Martz said. "All these guys are on par with those (in St. Louis). Those were good players just waiting for an opportunity, and that's what we have here. We're not polished yet, but we will be.
"The thing with quarterbacks is, they all can throw, some can scramble, some are tall, some are short. Doesn't matter. When you put them in stressful situations, do they make plays? Do they make good decisions? Are they caaaallllm?"
He dragged that last word for effect, then stared straight ahead. Caaaallllm and scaaaarrrry? In this offense, you hope it's possible, for a change, to be both.
You can reach Bob Wojnowski at [email protected].
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060818/SPORTS08/608180327/1004/SPORTS
Bob Wojnowski
Martz: 'We're not afraid of anything'
ALLEN PARK -- One word. That's what I was looking for, one word from the Lions' new assistant guru-genius-witch-doctor-wizard, Mike Martz, to describe his unique philosophy, which theoretically will turn the offense from a collection of mangy misfits into a screeching, scoring fun machine.
One word. Among the words I thought he might say: Unpredictable. Kooky. Splendickety.
(Famished for excitement, we can lose perspective.)
This is what Martz said:
"Pragmatic." Pragmatic?
"Pragmatic," he said, a thin smile creasing his lips, the sun glinting off his dark sunglasses. "Whatever it takes, whatever works. Any risk we take is not just a risk, it's an educated risk. We're not afraid of anything. We may take a shot from our own 1-yard line, who knows."
Be still my thumping heart.
Whatever it takes? Not afraid of anything? As one of the weary witnesses to the Lions' frightening ineptitude the past five seasons, which featured that West Coast garbage that was consistently horrendous, criminally conservative and numbingly boring, I assumed phrases like those were banned.
Try to stay calm
Now, before we get carried away -- too late! -- and put too much pressure on Martz and coach Rod Marinelli, we should point out these Lions remain a half-century Work In Progress, perhaps no better than a 7-9 team.
New quarterback Jon Kitna could be decent. The top pick isn't a receiver for a change. One former Great Hope, Joey Harrington, is dabbing his wounds in Miami. Another Great Hope, Charles Rogers, seems to think he's done, which is a terrific shame. (Note to Charles: Buddy, if you can't get excited about playing in this offense, can you even get excited about playing football?)
Let's face it. Chances for a sudden turnaround are being pinned not on a shiny new player or a fancy high pick, but on the coaching staff, right or wrong. From the tough-talking Marinelli to aggressive defensive coordinator Donnie Henderson to the eccentric Martz, the Lions at least seem to have a fresh approach, which presumably includes a renewed emphasis on scoring touchdowns.
We like Marinelli's low-nonsense style. We love he had the confidence to hire such a combustible offensive coordinator, that he didn't mind if Martz garnered a lot of attention, which he has.
Reason to hope
Martz is the one stirring the big, smoky brew of hope. The 55-year-old enigma eventually faltered as coach in St. Louis (although he was 54-33) after helping win the Super Bowl as mastermind, under Dick Vermeil, of the Rams' spectacular "Greatest Show on Turf."
His battle with the front office and his dismissal after recovering from a heart infection were controversial. Even his on-again, off-again courtship with the Lions was weird and entertaining, two adjectives we haven't used since the days of the weirdly entertaining Barry Sanders.
It's easy to get giddy about Mad Martz, who led the Rams to the top of the passing charts three straight years (1999-2001) and never lower than fifth. It's also easy to get fooled into thinking he can turn anyone, and anything, into something. After all, former grocery-store stocker Kurt Warner became an MVP in his offense.
But these are the underachieving Lions, and it can't be that simple, can it? We'll wait and see, although others have seen enough to believe.
"It feels like this offense is breaking chains off of me," said Kitna, who will start tonight in Cleveland. "He's taking the foot off the brake and putting it on the gas pedal, that's the best way I can explain it. He wants you to cut it loose. Trust your eyes. Trust the offense. I've already made downfield throws I wouldn't have made before. Even when our receiver is neck and neck with the defensive back, his philosophy is, throw that ball and our guy will go get it."
Kitna, a 33-year-old journeyman who had a few good seasons when given a chance, sounds all wound up, ready to go.
"For me, I just think this is a perfect fit," he said. "Finally, after 10 years in the league, I feel I'm at a place where my strengths are gonna be exploited."
Ask almost any player about Martz's offense, and the eyes glaze.
Tight end Marcus Pollard: "He takes common guys and makes them household names. I like to think of him as a chemist and all of us are elements on the periodic table. He puts them together and concocts something.
Backup QB Josh McCown: "His thing is, just throw the ball as if nobody's there. Whenever you have that gunslinger mentality, that's the perfect offense to be in."
If nothing else, it should mean the Lions' petrified-into-putridity approach is gone. Harrington was afraid to do anything because he knew Steve Mariucci's offense abhorred mistakes.
Cleverly, I asked Martz for his opinion of the 4-yard dump pass on third-and-6. Thin smile.
"We've said, whatever you've learned in the past has no bearing on what you're gonna learn now," he said. "This is a system, like algebra, where once you learn it, you can put things together and it makes sense. I just want them to be as aggressive as possible. If you're afraid to stick that ball in, you're gonna be late with it, you're gonna throw interceptions, you're gonna check down, you're gonna take sacks. You can't coach caution in a quarterback. If you do, you're taking the game right out of him."
The arrogant tag
Martz is intriguing, and not just because of the numbers. He has been accused of rampant arrogance, of outsmarting himself, but I'll take that over coaches who don't try to outsmart anyone.
Kitna said the Lions had 200 plays ready for the exhibition opener. This is different from previous seasons, when the Lions utilized approximately four plays and prayed someone broke a tackle.
If Warner can rise under Martz, and Torry Holt and Marshall Faulk can become future Hall of Famers, and even Marc Bulger can flourish, why not Kitna? Why not receiver Roy Williams or running back Kevin Jones?
"I think the potential here is outstanding," Martz said. "All these guys are on par with those (in St. Louis). Those were good players just waiting for an opportunity, and that's what we have here. We're not polished yet, but we will be.
"The thing with quarterbacks is, they all can throw, some can scramble, some are tall, some are short. Doesn't matter. When you put them in stressful situations, do they make plays? Do they make good decisions? Are they caaaallllm?"
He dragged that last word for effect, then stared straight ahead. Caaaallllm and scaaaarrrry? In this offense, you hope it's possible, for a change, to be both.
You can reach Bob Wojnowski at [email protected].
