Rams' McVay responds diplomatically to Martz's criticism
Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay was unfazed Tuesday by criticism lobbed at him by former Rams head coach Mike Martz.
Martz featured in a book titled "Blitzed: Why NFL Teams Gamble on Starting Rookie Quarterbacks", which is scheduled for a September release. ESPN obtained excerpts of the book, where Martz rips into the 31-year-old McVay due to his relative youth and inexperience.
"What is he, a couple month older than Jared (Goff)? They hired a buddy for Jared," Martz said. "And this guy is a quarterback expert? An offensive expert? Wait a minute while I puke."
McVay became the youngest head coach in NFL history when the Rams hired him on January 12, and didn't appear upset whatsoever by Martz's remarks.
"Coach Martz is a guy that I have always had a huge amount of respect for with what he’s accomplished, especially with just being an offensive coach,” McVay said via Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio. "You look at the production of offenses that he's been a part of, so as a fan of coaching - I don't know Coach Martz, I met him real quick at the Combine a handful of years ago. Like I said, I have a lot of respect for what he’s accomplished and I can't say anything but good things about what he’s done and what kind of coach he is."
McVay suggested that Martz's remarks could've been taken out of context, a contention that author Thomas George rejected.
"I certainly have an understanding and an awareness of how things can kind of get changed around and until I actually heard that directly - if he said that then everybody is entitled to their opinion and I can understand that and the bottom line is this - I’ve never been a head coach before, I haven’t won a game, I haven't done anything,” McVay said. "So, it's going to be a great challenge and we’re confident with the guys that we do have. I know that it’s going to be a great learning curve and I'm not going to pretend to have the answers to things that I don't know. But what I am going to do is continue to look at myself critically and try to be the best head coach and leader that I can be for this team and this organization."
Martz is best known for his stint as offensive coordinator on the Rams' lone Super Bowl-winning team in 1999, before becoming the team's head coach for the next six seasons. The veteran coach led the Rams to Super Bowl XXXVI, where they were upset by the New England Patriots, entering the game as 14-point favorites.