Can Jay Cutler and the Bears Rise with the Addition of Mike Martz?

Mike Martz hasn't always been known as the easiest guy to get along with. It's not necessarily that he's mean, arrogant, or brass.

He's just stubborn.

He loves to air it out. He passes to set up the pass. His offense thrives on blowing the other team's offense out of the water, making fewer mistakes, and, quite literally, simply scoring more points than the opposition.

It worked in St. Louis when he was the offensive coordinator under Dick Vermeil, and it worked again when he took over as the Rams' head coach the following season. And really, until everything blew up in St. Louis, it kept on working.

Martz led his offense to a No. 1 finish in the rankings, leading the league with 526 points (fourth-best in league history at the time), and the Rams eventually ended the season with a 23-16 win over the Tennessee Titans in the Super Bowl.

Vermeil moved on, and Martz continued on with the Rams' "Greatest Show on Turf" ways, leading the Rams to a 14-2 record and another Super Bowl appearance.

After losing to the New England Patriots, Martz's key cog in the offense, Kurt Warner, struggled with a finger injury, which hurt his accuracy (his main strength and a vital key to the offense), forcing Martz to eventually turn to backup Marc Bulger.

After finding much success with Warner in his first three seasons, Martz turned the little-known Bulger into an overnight sensation, keeping the Rams' offense near the top of the league, while also remaining competitive.

However, it was soon apparent that, while Martz is one of the great offensive football minds in the league, he may not be best suited to run an entire team.

Martz latched on with the Detroit Lions in 2006 after six seasons at the helm with St. Louis. He quickly turned Jon Kitna into a star quarterback while helping the Lions (perpetual doormats) into a surprisingly potent offense.

The Lions still only finished 3-13 that season, but Martz helped the passing offense finish seventh in the league and had all of Michigan praying for the playoffs in 2007. In fact, the offense's extraordinary growth even had Kitna guaranteeing 10 wins and a playoff spot.

The Lions looked like they might have done just that in 2007, as Martz guided a pass-heavy offense to an impressive 6-2 start, despite Kitna's inability to effectively read defenses and make decisions on a consistent basis.

The Lions slid the rest of the way, struggling to protect the quarterback, and finished 7-9. Despite an obvious overall improvement on offense, Martz was criticized for lacking balance in his offense and not focusing on the run game enough.

Martz took his most recent job the next season as offensive coordinator with the San Francisco 49ers in hopes of molding former first-round pick Alex Smith into becoming the elite talent he was hoped to be when he was drafted.

Unfortunately, Smith suffered a shoulder injury in the preseason and missed the entire season. This propelled Martz to lobby for J.T. O'Sullivan, a quarterback he had on his roster when with Detroit, who then became the 49ers' starting quarterback for the beginning of the 2008 season.

O'Sullivan struggled mightily, which led to a change at quarterback, and ultimately led to Head Coach Mike Nolan being fired. This in turn led to interim coach Mike Singletary letting Martz go, as Martz was criticized for the second consecutive season for being unable to lead a balanced offense.

Now, Martz is joining Chicago Bears Head Coach Lovie Smith's staff (whom he coached with in St. Louis) in an effort to give an at-times anemic offense a much-needed lift, while pairing star quarterback Jay Cutler with a fresh offensive perspective.

But, as all skeptical writers and fans continue to suggest, there are concerns that are raised with the "Cutler vs. whoever-the-offensive-coordinator-is" debate, as well as Martz's inability—or even reluctance—to put together a more balanced offense.

So, does that all go away with Martz signing?

There's no doubt it's a straight-up "50-50" answer from most people right now, but here's a perspective that will have the Chicago faithful feeling better about 2010.

Cutler Is Stubborn, but So Is Martz

While you'd think this would work against them, it probably won't.

Martz is stubborn in the fact that he doesn't necessarily believe that you have to balance an offense a "certain way" to be successful. And really, he's right. Even more than him just being "right," there's proof in his offenses with the Rams and the way the Detroit Lions started in his second season with the team.

The difference in Chicago? Cutler is by far a better quarterback than O'Sullivan or Kitna, and it's extremely arguable that he's already as good as (if not better) than Bulger was in his prime.

And even if you don't buy the Cutler hype and think that Bulger was underrated (he wasn't), then it's at least difficult to deny Cutler's physical tools and ability to produce great numbers in an offense that curtails to his abilities.

Enter Martz, and we're suddenly looking at the very real possibility that Cutler's 2007 numbers (and confidence) returns.

Of course, much of Cutler and the passing game's issues also are attributed to the shady offensive line play, passive play calling, and a dismal rush offense. But this isn't a finger-pointing game: At least not if the Bears are to turn back into winners.

So if we're being reasonable with our expectations, we should be able to safely assume that Cutler should be able to cut back on the turnovers, make quicker reads and throws, and post better overall numbers.

And if this works, the whole "Cutler vs. the coaches" argument will be void. It simply won't be an issue.

However, Martz is just one piece of the puzzle.

It'd be foolish to look at this signing as the "missing link," when in reality, it's just the beginning of the right moves Chicago needs to make to get back to the playoffs.

Actually, the "right moves" started last year by acquiring Cutler. Now he has an offensive guru who can make him play to the best of his abilities.

The drama will die. The whispers will cease. And finally, at long last, the Bears will be a potent, offensive machine that isn't to be messed with.

But, in the name of the 2007 Detroit Lions and even the 2007 Denver Broncos, a great offense—or even a vastly improved one—can't cure all ailments.

The offensive line needs work, the defense as a whole needs a good, hard looking into, and Martz, in some form or another, will have to address the abysmal rushing attack.

All in due time, Chicago fans.

Martz may not be the final piece who pulls it all together, but he's the start that Chicago needs.

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