Bears hire Martz

The Bears hired Mike Martz on Monday as offensive coordinator.

Martz, 58, will rejoin former colleague Lovie Smith to run the Bears' offense. The pair worked together when Martz was the St. Louis Rams' head coach and Smith was the team's defensive coordinator from 2001 to 2003.

Smith emphasized the need for a balanced attack on offense this season, but Martz has favored the passing game over the running game throughout his career. He guided a Super Bowl champion Rams offense that was dubbed "The Greatest Show on Turf" and included great players such as Kurt Warner, Marshall Faulk, Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt.

Martz was 56-36 in almost six years as the Rams' head coach, but he left St. Louis after infighting between the coaching staff, front office and ownership. He was the Detroit Lions offensive coordinator in 2006 and 2007, and he led the San Francisco 49ers offense in 2008.

This season, Martz worked at the NFL Network, where his comments about Jay Cutler's body language created controversy. But Martz reportedly met with Cutler this weekend, and the franchise quarterback downplayed the coach's criticisms earlier this season.

The Bears interviewed several candidates and took nearly four weeks before deciding to hire Martz. The team still lacks a defensive coordinator, although that job is perceived to be less important because Smith will implement his "Cover 2" defense regardless of the coordinator.

Read Tuesday's Northwest Herald for more about Martz joining the Bears.

-Tom Musick