Meet a Pair of New Bears Bloggers on Patch

Greetings! This is the first post from the new Patch blogging team of Jake Buss and Tim Shaunnessey! We will be covering your Chicago Bears this season with blog posts here on the Patch site. The two of us will be offering our opinions and insights as the season rolls along, and if any of you readers send us your thoughts we will gladly address them here.

Let’s get right to it then...with Mike Martz and the Bears.

Last year brought about a new era in Chicago Bears football: the era of the passing game. This can be attributed to the hiring of offensive coordinator Mike Martz, one of the most widely respected minds in the realm of offensive play, and a decidedly pass-centric coordinator.

Martz is certainly a veteran, having served as offensive coordinator for the Detroit Lions ('06-'07) and the San Fransisco 49ers ('08). His most prominent position, however, was head coach of the St. Louis Rams, where he masterminded arguably one of the most productive offenses in NFL history from 1999 to 2001. Martz is infamous for calling a largely pass-only offense, calling nearly 70 percent passing plays throughout his career. All in all a rather curious choice for the Bears, who have always claimed to be a run-first franchise.

Midway through last season it was apparent the Bears' offensive line simply could not block their play-calling scheme at the time; one which entailed seven-step drops from quarterback Jay Cutler and deep routes down the seams from their ever stumbling wide receivers. Thus Martz adopted a scheme where nearly 70 percent of the calls were for passes. Lovie Smith was less than ecstatic with this change in approach, and after some friction play calling evened out at about 50 percent running, 50 percent passing.

Chicago's off-season acquisitions seem decidedly Martz-influenced. The Bears brought in former Cowboys wide receiver Roy Williams who played in a pure Martz system through 2006 and 2007 with the Detroit Lions. Another acquisition was Marion Barber, most likely brought in to pass block out of the backfield in an effort to keep Jay Cutler perpendicular to Soldier Field's grass.

The Bears also traded Greg Olsen, which may be the most telling example of really who is calling the shots at Halas Hall. The former first round pick fell out of favor with Martz, partially due to a general lack of talent but mostly because Mike Martz does not use tight ends, meaning the Bears’ tight ends are essentially glorified offensive tackles.

What do you think of Mike Martz’s performance thus far as offensive coordinator for the Bears? Do you anticipate him bowing to pressure from Smith and continuing with a more run based offensive, or will he exert his own style more prominently this season?

Let us know in the comments or at jakeandtimblog@gmail.com!