My Take on Marty Then And Now.................

[bulldog]

The more I see of Marty this season the more I am convinced that the coach we saw in the offseason and training camp was not the same Marty Schottenheimer that had posted almost 150 wins in 15 seasons as coach.

I think at some point he himself realized that and that is why we have seen more flexibility in the gameplan and playcalling and a closer relationship with the players, especially the younger players.

In 1998, Schottenheimer had just come off a 13-3 year and brought back a team of mostly veteran players who had been with him for years in KC. According to what I am understanding now, he allowed the 1998 team a lot more freedom and exceptions to the usually difficult regime he had in most offseasons and camps. He was trusting HIS veterans to prepare themselves for a potential Super Bowl run.

Instead the team collapsed to 7-9 and the characteristic discipline that was a trademark of the Marty teams in previous years was eroded as first Dale Carter and then Derrick Thomas, Wayne Simmons and the anti-character Chester McGlockton did things on and off the field to embarrass the coach.

After quiting, I imagine he stewed about the ending in KC. Especially that Monday Night game where the Chiefs players committed a series of personal fouls on consecutive plays, seemingly beyond the control of the coaching staff to restore order. It was a game I saw and was very ugly.

Fast forward to 2001. Marty has another chance to coach a team with perhaps more talent than the one had in KC. His buddies Vermeil and Cowher tell him there's a lot of talent here, it just needs better control and discipline.

Marty convinces himself that he won't repeat his 1998 debacle with the Chiefs and decides to implement a plan to control and account for almost every action of people in the organization. He is determined not allow anyone to strike out as a lone wolf and embarrass him. The rumors of a lack of respect and discipline for the previous coaching staff only reinforces Marty's idea that this team needs a Marine style boot camp.

Once camp begins Marty implements his systema and sees resistance from some of the veteran players. He has released some individual spirits like Larry Centers before camp and figures in time the vets will come around.

The preseason games are ugly. The opening 3 games are ugly. Marty begins to realize the team is headed into a spiral and something has to be done. Perhaps a player or two has mentioned to coaches on the staff that the team wants to have an air it out session. The KC game is the clincher.

The meeting is held.

I don't think any 'biblical revelations' were made in that meeting. But I think as a result of the meeting, Marty realized that his approach implemented as it was with little buy-in from the players was a tactical mistake.

Yes, discipline and organization were the goals and that was not negotiable. But how that was to be established and how the coach would relate to the players in general were issues that needed to be rethought.

And I think as a result, Marty went back to review what had made him successful in the past. He was known in Cleveland as a players' coach not a martinet. In KC he developed loyalty over time from players that were brought along in the system and understood why certain decisions were made.

So, Marty basically went back to being himself. Not the self he had crafted and tried to project when he first came to town, that of an aloof, distant, unemotional robot that wouldn't change any detail of his program down to how long each blade of grass had to be on the practice field. But the self that had won all those games and garnered loyalty from players that still think highly of him 10 years after they have left the NFL.

Of course, having LaVar Arrington become your strongest supporter on the team and being out front to run interference doesn't hurt either

[Ignatius J.]

I don't think anyone was comfortable in the beginning. And that rubbed off on everybody.

I think marty made the right choice in the beginning though. While I am beginning to agree that Marty's hard nosed approach was overboard, it was better to have him going too hard on the guys than too soft. Marty made mistakes, but he was in a pretty uncomfortable position. A change in management is difficult anywhere, you have to earn respect. There was a lot of animosity in that locker room toward just about anyone, and picking up a new coach who wanted things done his way was probably not what everyone wanted. This team was a major letdown last year, and i don't care who you are, that messes with you. It puts you in a state of mind where it's difficult to accept hard grungy work from a guy you just met.

Coming in to a new place as the head guy is tough, and marty could not afford to set a precedent for players openly questioning the coach. Sure he made mistakes, but i think his biggest blunder was not letting the players know why he did the things he did. That airing out session did not result in major modifications to how he ran the ship. (whether or not it affected playcalling you be the judge. In the end it certainly did, but I doubt that anyone here can argue that a player said give me the ball and marty said sure) Mostly though, that meeting opened the lines of communication and everyone got the chance to take a deep breath and be heard. I think marty got the most out of that session because after listening to the players, the players felt they could listen to him, and that's really what marty needed all along.

I think that the whole thing bred the closer relationships with the players which then allowed marty to get comfortable. After that he was able to call the games the right way because he could comfortably nestle himself into the zone.

To end with the most controversial part of the post, I think that the success we are seeing now was built on the foundation that marty established with his tough no-nonsense "my way or the highway" attitude. Marty put the fight back in this team. Sure Arrignton helped, but Arrington was the right hand man in this revolution, the flagbearer if you will, but marty made sure that everyone knew there was only one general. I think marty put that above everything else and although it caused a shakier start, look where we are right now compared to vermeil. butch davis is looking good too, but right now the skins are the team to beat.

Go marty.

-DB

[bulldog]

the only thing I wish he had done over was to get rid of Jeff George. He didn't fit in to what Marty wanted the Redskins to become, a tough, hard-nosed, leave it on the field type of team.

you can quibble about the depth on the DL or his selection of Greer as a free agent, but really those decisions don't make or break a season.

but the qb position because they guy handles the ball on 100% of your offensive plays is the key to your team.

thankfully, the Cowboys decided to commit suicide right away by releasing Banks and allowing him to become a free agent at the right time.

The best way for Quincy Carter to have come along would have been to sit behind Banks for a year or two and then get his shot, assuming he really has NFL ability.

Throwing him in like Jones has only makes it more likely to retard his development.

[joe]

Nicely reasoned Bulldog. Clearly Marty has matured as a coach as the season progressed. Perhaps he forgot some of the crucial things that made him successful in the past and needed to be reminded. Just as clearly, he needed to be reminded, or perhaps shown, that Jeff George is not a good QB. We paid the price for that early on, but all seems righted now.

[bulldog]

isn't it curious how teams with dire situations at qb have not turned to Mr. George? I wonder why............

[redman]

Originally posted by bulldog:

And I think as a result, Marty went back to review what had made him successful in the past. He was known in Cleveland as a players' coach not a martinet.

The most impressive thing about your post, bulldog, is the use of the word "martinet" on a football message board. Props to you!

I think you're right about this, and the players, who are of course closer to the situation knew this sooner, as evidenced by this :

Marty keeps his emotions in check

By Jody Foldesy

THE WASHINGTON TIMES

The doors of the Redskins' locker room remained open while the last few players came in from the field. Schottenheimer, the coach so stoic after wins and losses that reporters sometimes wonder if he watches the same games they do, went into the coaches' changing room and emerged after a few moments.

He was ecstatic. His hair stood on end, having been snarled by wearing a winter cap during the game. He pumped his fists and charged into the players' area.

"We beat those [expletive]," yelled Schottenheimer, whose team had just won its fourth straight after an 0-5 start to the season.

The doors were shut. Ten minutes later, Schottenheimer walked up to the podium in the interview room. He was absolutely emotionless. He looked as though he had been watching grass grow for the past four hours.

"We're 4-5, and I prefer to look at it that way," Schottenheimer said. "We have a lot of work ahead of us. But the fact that we've found different ways to win I think is the most important thing for us."

Several Redskins interviewed privately this week conceded that Schottenheimer regularly displays emotion, particularly in the days leading up to games and in the moments after victories. Two players, in fact, called Schottenheimer the most emotional coach for whom they have played.

That's almost impossible to believe for reporters and fans, who week after week listen to Schottenheimer attribute absolutely no significance to any given game and watch him act as though nothing can excite or surprise him.

Schottenheimer's only previous public displays of emotion had come during training camp, when he sometimes would yell at the team or force it to repeat certain drills. But the coach seemed aware of being watched, and some of his outbursts even appeared contrived.

There also have been moments when Schottenheimer has shown emotion during interviews, at times even being moved to the brink of tears. But he invariably asks reporters not to print details of such conversations.

In sum, Schottenheimer, who worked as an ESPN analyst during his two years away from coaching, seems to have gone to great lengths to create a persona in Washington. And players say that persona has had a positive effect — his even keel helps them to stay focused on upcoming games and forget past outcomes.

One player even laughed as he recalled how strange it felt to be 0-5 and still upbeat about the team's prospects. Players were joking with each other in the week following the "Monday Night Football." They were relaxed as they prepared for the Carolina Panthers, whom they beat in overtime after a fourth-quarter rally.

Schottenheimer's figurative injection of Thorazine apparently comes during the team prayer in the locker room following games. Prior to the prayer he might show emotion; by the time it's over, players say, he appears to have moved on completely. Shortly after that, he emerges to the public and says things like he did after last weekend's enormous 13-3 win at Philadelphia.

"We're .500," Schottenheimer said. "We'll move forward from here."

Most of Schottenheimer's emotion comes in days leading up to games. Players say he is just as emotional in current practices as he was during training camp, if not more so. And his emotion apparently peaks just before games — though that was not the case at Philadelphia, where he allowed the game's significance to speak for itself, according to players.

In terms of post-games, the Denver outburst might have been Schottenheimer's biggest. One player this week speculated that Schottenheimer was particularly happy to win at Denver, where he had lost 10 of 12 times in his career with the Cleveland Browns and Kansas City Chiefs.

Schottenheimer's often-subdued approach appears particularly suited to a team led by several high-character veterans. These players don't want to hear too much rah-rah stuff, and they know enough in down times not to point fingers. Players say that Schottenheimer never needed to tell anyone not to blame others during the slide — he simply told them to keep their spirits up and to believe in their abilities.

Players, it should be noted, did not reveal too much about Schottenheimer's private side when interviewed for this article. They seemed to like the fact that he doesn't share everything with the public. One player said the team likes the way its coach keeps things "in-house," adding that it ultimately adds to unity.

I will bet you, bulldog, that Marty actually told the team about his experience in Kansas City, and admitted that he was overreacting, albeit 3 years later. The team was willing to forgive and forget, not only because they want to win, but because they believe Marty can make them win.

I also believe that Marty is a much more inspiring coach than people give him credit for. Think of all the people who you've loved to work with and for in your life. I guarantee that there's one common thread that runs through them, however different their personalities are: passion for what they do.

Marty has that passion, and it's for winning. We've seen it on the field after the Giants win, when he screamed to Donnell Bennett within earshot of a mic, "We're on a f'ing roll, baby!", and we now have the anecdote from the Wash. Times article I quoted above after the Denver game. And players will respond to that because they love to win too.

Forget about Norv Turner. He's gone, and I think the team is well past him now. (Amazing in and of itself, for a coach that was here for 8 years to have left such a little legacy on a team.) This is Marty's team, and they're proud to be so. And they're "on a f'ing roll, baby!"

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"Loosen up, Sandy baby. You're just too damn tight!" - John Riggins to Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor

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"I fear we've awakened a sleeping giant, and filled him with a terrible resolve."

- Japanese Imperial Admiral Yamamoto, after hearing that the Japanese declaration of war failed to reach the U.S. government before the attack upon Pearl Harbor

[NavyDave]

I still believe J George is injured.

It took a while but the players have taken their sip of the Marty KoolAid.

[redman]

Bufford posted this in another thread. It's a 1 min, 30 sec clip of Chris Mortenson being interviewed by Dan Patrick regarding the Redskins. It sounds like the national media is starting to get it about our team. Not to say they won't be the first ones to pile on if we lose 2-3 in a row . . .

------------------

"Loosen up, Sandy baby. You're just too damn tight!" - John Riggins to Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor

----------------------

"I fear we've awakened a sleeping giant, and filled him with a terrible resolve."

- Japanese Imperial Admiral Yamamoto, after hearing that the Japanese declaration of war failed to reach the U.S. government before the attack upon Pearl Harbor

[redman]

For your entertainment.

------------------

"Loosen up, Sandy baby. You're just too damn tight!" - John Riggins to Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor

----------------------

"I fear we've awakened a sleeping giant, and filled him with a terrible resolve."

- Japanese Imperial Admiral Yamamoto, after hearing that the Japanese declaration of war failed to reach the U.S. government before the attack upon Pearl Harbor