The-Hogs.net - Washington Football Discussion, Redskins to Commanders Era

Martz sees good karma in these Rams
By Bryan Burwell
Of the Post-Dispatch
07/23/2005


In the waning weeks before the most important training camp of his professional coaching life, Mike Martz took an accidental trip down memory lane. At the start of a lengthy summer vacation, he and his wife, Julie, flew to San Diego on a house-hunting expedition, in search of the perfect vacation home. Yet after several frustrating days filled with too many houses with rotten views, shocking asking prices or both, their real-estate agent suggested they take a look at a "fixer-upper" that was about to go on the market.

"He starts to describe where it was," Martz said. "And I looked at him and said, 'I think I know this place.' "

The old house actually sat just behind the church where Mike and Julie Martz were married nearly three decades earlier. So as they approached their old stomping grounds, Mike and Julie both started grinning like giddy school kids, because it was the first time they'd returned to the church since their wedding day. And if that wasn't already enough of an emotional rush, the arousing stimuli was about to go off the charts.

"We'd been seeing all these houses with outlandish price tags and so-called 'ocean views,' " Martz said as he retold the story last week at Rams Park. "Well they were only 'ocean views' if you bent your neck around six different ways, the leaves fell off all the trees and the wind was blowing really hard so that the one tree bent way back . . . and then if you squinted reeeealllly hard . . ."

By now, they were inside the old house, and as they opened the sliding glass doors, they couldn't believe the view from this otherwise unimpressive old home that sat snugly on the edge of this hillside. It was an unexpected, breathless panorama of both city and sea.

"It was unbelievable, just breathtaking," Martz said. "And to top it all off, it's right behind the church where we got married? How's that for luck?"

If you are into such ethereal things as luck, omens and karma, then don't you wonder if the successful but highly controversial Martz, entering his sixth season running the Rams, can keep this karmic joyride floating dizzily into his most significant training camp and season in his tenure as head coach?

His defenders see no reason to think the good times won't continue to roll. They like to remind you that he led the Rams to the postseason for the fourth time in five seasons last season. They'll tell you he has the fourth-best winning percentage of any active head coach in the regular season.

Yet they also will tell you they know his critics are lurking, swiping at him because of his lightning-rod personality and his unconventional, gun-slinging offensive style. Yet now both friend and foe are in full agreement.

Justifiable or not, if he doesn't win big, this season could well be Martz's closing act in St. Louis. Martz knows what they are saying, too. But he acts as if the heat on his neck is a sun lamp, not a bonfire.

"You can't help but hear it in the national media, and yeah, I am puzzled by it," he said. "But I understand that my personality may be such that I rub some people the wrong way. But whatever it is, my whole focus now is (only) how these players feel. If I got my guys, it doesn't matter what anybody else thinks. If I can get my guys to play for me, that's what's important."

Coming off an often rocky 8-8 season that on reflection was a reconstruction project and included a surprising late-season surge to the playoffs, a lot of positive renovations continued during the offseason. Steven Jackson was promoted to starting tailback. Pro Bowl offensive tackle Orlando Pace signed a long-term deal and won't be a training-camp holdout. The defense and special teams were completely overhauled, and the rookie draft class has several intriguing prospects.

With training camp opening on Thursday at Rams Park, Martz sounded as if he's convinced the karma will continue to flow. "Am I certain we will be good?" he said. "There's no such thing as certain, but everything I've seen in the spring leads me to anticipate that things will be better . . . All and all, I think we have a chance to be very competitive."