| |  Martz learned from the masters
By Joe Theismann
Special to ESPN.com
NEW ORLEANS -- More than any other topic this week, I have been asked about the St. Louis Rams offense. Why is it so good? Could you imagine playing with players like that?
People trace the West Coast offenses of Andy Reid, Steve Mariucci and Marty Mornhinweg to Mike Holmgren, who got it from Bill Walsh. The origin of the Rams' offense, on the other hand, goes back to Sid Gillman. It then got passed from Gillman to Don Coryell to Joe Gibbs to Norv Turner to Mike Martz.
Yes, it's the same offense I ran in Washington with Charlie Brown, Art Monk and Alvin Garrett. While the West Coast offense is more horizontal, with more crossing routes, the Rams' offense is vertical. It stretches the field and forces the defense to back up more. Even though Kurt Warner gets rid of the ball quickly, his receivers get down the field, elongating it with their speed.
To make it simple, the Rams' offense is based on a numbering system, while the West Coast offense is based on words. If they play a formation like Spread Right, it is a two tight end offense -- one tight end is on the line of scrimmage on the right side, while the other is lined up off the line of scrimmage on the left, next to the split end. So there are three receivers -- the split end and the tight end on the left, and the flanker on the right.
|  | | Mike Martz and Kurt Warner led an offense that averaged 31.4 points per game. |
It's a three-digit passing offense. There is a numbering tree made up of 10 numbers from 0-9. For example, the Rams could call a play like 428; the first number tells the split end to run a 4 route -- a 15-yard in. The tight end will run a 2 route -- a sit-down quick slant in the middle. The receiver on the strong side will run the 8 route -- a deep post.
What makes the offense unique is that the same play can be run from a lot of different formations, using motion and other personnel packages. Instead of using two receivers and a tight end, the Rams could take out the tight end and use another receiver. Or they could use four receivers. Or they could split Marshall Faulk outside, so he is running the 15-yard in. They can also vary their combinations -- like 37 22 (a 10-yard out and a corner route, with two quick posts on the other side). If someone gets hurt, all the players need to know is the passing tree. As long as they know where they are on the field, they can run the whole offense.
The advantage of using different formations and personnel is that the Rams can create matchups. It is the same thing we did with the Redskins. But there is a difference: My receivers were good; the Rams' receivers are great -- Isaac Bruce, Torry Holt, Az-Zahir Hakim and Faulk, who needs to be included in this group, since they use him as a receiver.
Aside from personnel, the other difference is Martz. He is ruthless -- a term he loves to be called. To him, it's a term of endearment. Timeouts and interceptions don't matter to Martz. He feels like his offense, if it's run properly, cannot be stopped. And he is right.
There is something people don't know about Martz: He takes things personally. If you tell him he can't do something, he will do it to spite you. He told me that if he is standing on the sidelines and sees a cornerback trying to cheat up on one of his receivers, he will go to maximum protection -- blocking with nine players -- send that one receiver down the field and just throw the ball.
He is making a statement: "Do you really think you can cover my guy one on one? Watch this." I love his in-your-face attitude. If the score is 35-0, he will still be throwing.
People get so enamored with the way the Rams throw the ball that they forget about the running game. When the Rams came off their bye week, people were calling Martz a finesse coach. So, Martz made a statement: The Rams rushed for 337 yards, with Faulk getting 183 and Trung Canidate going for 145.
Martz's offense automatically puts so much pressure on the other team's offense to hang with them. I remember talking to Peyton Manning before he played the Rams. Manning had a number in mind: The Colts had to score 35 points to win. It seemed like Brett Favre and the Green Bay Packers had that perspective, and look what happened: six interceptions and a blowout loss.
Almost every coach will say, "If we can hold the opponent to 17-21 points, we can win." In the Rams' case, teams are lucky to hold them to 30, because they average more than 32 points a game. Just with their presence -- even without running a play -- they can take another team out of its game plan midway through the second quarter.
Here's the irony: The team that gives them the most problems (Tampa Bay) is incapable of scoring 25 points a game.
It will be interesting to see how New England approaches the Rams the second time around. The first time the teams met, in a Week 10 game I did on ESPN, I thought the Patriots surprised the Rams' offense. I think the Rams felt like they could do more things against New England. Judging from the shots we had of Martz on the sidelines, though, it looked like he knew the game would be a dogfight. His players just didn't know it. Heading into Super Bowl XXXVI, they know now.
A game analyst for ESPN's Sunday Night Football, former NFL QB Joe Theismann won a Super Bowl and a league MVP award. He serves up a daily Cup o' Joe for ESPN.com throughout Super Bowl week.
|
|
|
SB XXXVI Over/Under
