Turf Show Times

Chicago Bears offensive coordinator Mike Martz has resigned. Dan Pompei of the Chicago Tribune broke the story on Tuesday afternoon.

As you know, Martz was the offensive coordinator and head coach for the St. Louis Rams during their GSOT period. His departure from the Bears and availability will test the resolve of St. Louis sports message boards and talk radio with discussions about whether or not the Rams should bring him back. Let me stop you right there; they won't.

You don't have to read too much into statements made by the team in the last 24 hours to get that.

"I think you need to find people who are adaptable, who are smart football people who can have vision for winning that's not predicated on necessarily one play working or one scheme working," said Demoff when asked about the qualities the team is looking for in a head coach.

Owner Stan Kroenke said something even more telling his interview with the Post-Dispatch. Kroenke emphasized the need for clear accountability and well defined approach to running a football team. He compared it to a book about the New England Patriots that described the approach there, then linked it to how he's run the Denver Nuggets, his NBA franchise.

Those guys all work so well together. That's what I'm into. I like guys who work the way it's described in that book. Belichick is clearly The Guy, but there's no one afraid to challenge (his) viewpoint. They have a culture where there isn't a lot of ego. They try to come to the best solutions all the time. In the sports world, there tends to be a lot of ego.

Hmm, not sure about the ego thing with the Patriots, but you get the idea. Kroenke doesn't want another situation at Rams Park where the operation is brought down by infighting and territorial politics. That kind of stuff was famously identified with the Rams with Martz, Jay Zygmunt, et al. Spagnuolo even brought some of that to the building.