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Mike Martz is at it again.
Shortly after the Chicago Bears upset the San Francisco 49ers on September 11, winning 19-10 on opening day in a game that was waterlogged from the get-go, Martz, who currently works as an NFL analyst and insider for The 33rd Team, gave his postgame analysis, which once again involved heaping heavy criticism on Bears starting quarterback Justin Fields.
It was the second time in three weeks Martz took aim at Fields and the Bears. First, in his August 23 column, Martz wrote: “Fields is a guy that makes a lot of mistakes and is not particularly accurate at times. He’s not a quick read-and-react guy, and he’s on a horrendous team. But I don’t know if I’ve seen an offense that bad in talent since the 0-16 Detroit Lions (in 2008). They just don’t have anybody there.”
Now, after Chicago’s 1-0 start, he has Fields in his crosshairs again.
Martz Says He Was ‘Shocked’ By Bears
Fields and the Bears didn’t start out well against Trey Lance and the 49ers. Chicago didn’t score at all in the first half but played solid defense throughout, keeping Lance, who was making his third NFL start, off-balance the entire game.
The Bears made some halftime adjustments, scoring three touchdowns on offense in the second half while winning the turnover battle 2-1 when safety Eddie Jackson came through with a clutch interception with 9:52 remaining in the game.
Fields also played better as the game progressed. After going 3-of-9 for 19 yards and an interception in the first half, the second-year QB went 5-of-8 for 102 yards and two scores in the second half, displaying his athleticism on plays like this 51-yard TD pass to wide receiver Dante Pettis:
Despite the improvements made by Fields and rest of the team, Martz didn’t sound impressed.
“I’m just shocked — shocked at the Bears,” Martz said about Chicago’s performance.
Bears Looked Improved in Opening Day Win
Martz’s comments are puzzling at best, considering the Bears not only didn’t lose Week 1, but came back to win the game. They played disciplined football, committing just three penalties all game (San Francisco committed 12), and it was a definite team win, with young players and veterans alike contributing.
Still, Martz seems to think the Bears have no talent around Fields, once again invoking the Lions, who lost Week 1 to the Philadelphia Eagles, 38-35. “Fields is going to have to shoulder it [all], and he did a good job of that particularly in the second half, but, ultimately, when you look at them compared to Detroit today, when you watch the two teams play, it just seems like Detroit’s made a huge leap and the Bears are still gonna kinda muddle around,” Martz said.
Martz is best-known for his tenure with the Rams, where he coordinated one of the most dominant offenses in NFL history in the Greatest Show on Turf, a loaded group that featured Hall of Famers Kurt Warner, Marshall Faulk, Isaac Bruce and Orlando Pace, among others. Over his two decades coaching in the NFL, Martz also served as head coach of the Rams (2000-2005) and offensive coordinator of the Bears from 2010 to 2011.
He was a great coach and remains a well-respected offensive mind, but his recent Bears takes feel simply out of touch.
If Martz wanted to fully analyze Fields’ performance, you’d think he’d want to include every play, including the good ones. Perhaps he’ll do that next time.
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