Martz to NFL: “Eat Our Dust”

MIke Martz is feeling generous with his praise. He's gushing over Jay Cutler's footwork. He's suggesting Roy Williams can catch 80 balls. Give him a few more minutes and he'll convince you he could hold the all-time high score on Centipede ... if he wanted to.

This kind of chest-thumping is par for the course for Martz. His track record suggests that yes, he can make an offense more potent. But he also puts enormous pressure on his own team's defense. Winging it down the field is great, but unless you punch it in the end zone, you're just racking up a lot of three-and-outs.

Martz made a name for himself as the architect of The Greatest Show on Turf. But Jay Cutler is not Kurt Warner. Matt Forte is not Marshall Faulk. Roy Williams and Devin Hester are not Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce. Soldier Field is not wherever the Rams play.

Soldier Field collects rain and snow. It's some of the worst turf in the league. And when the wind blows, you could have a literal cannon for an arm and you wouldn't be able to get the ball more than three yards from the line of scrimmage.

Bears fans would love to have a little spark in the offense. And maybe they'll get it this year. But come November, the Bears will need to be able to grind it out on the ground. The jury's still out on Forte and the offensive line. 

But it's a sure bet Martz is in love with them. Every player he touches is gold. Or so he believes. 

The only question is whether Martz can stash his ego to grind out a 6-0 victory by running 50 times a game. The greatest players in the world don't matter if you can't get the ball in their hands.

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