Not all of the people he worked with in St. Louis have his back, but new Bears offensive coordinator Mike Martz has a big-time supporter in former Rams Super Bowl head coach Dick Vermeil.
“I would stake my entire reputation on their offense improving when he takes over,” Vermeil said after learning of Chicago’s hire. “There’s nobody out there better. Nobody in the history of the NFL has come in and did what he did as a coordinator.”
Vermeil is speaking of the 1999 season. Martz moved from Redskins quarterbacks coach to Rams offensive coordinator that year, and he transformed St. Louis from the league’s No. 27 offense into No. 1 and the fourth-highest scoring unit in history.
Statistical improvements in Martz’s last two stops (Detroit, San Francisco) weren’t as dramatic, but were sizable nonetheless.
“Martz is tough,” Vermeil acknowledged. “The quarterback has to have some substance to him. But he’ll make him the best he has ever been.”