Well, here's something pretty much every member of this site saw coming. Raise your hand if you're surprised. This goes along with everything we both know about Smith's hiring tendencies, and our own gut feeling.
Chicagobears.com is reporting that Mike Martz is interviewing at Halas Hall right now.
Veteran NFL coach Mike Martz arrived at Halas Hall Friday afternoon to interview for the Bears’ offensive coordinator position.
Martz, 58, worked with Bears coach Lovie Smith in St. Louis, operating an explosive Rams offense that was dubbed “The Greatest Show on Turf.” The unit featured quarterback Kurt Warner, running back Marshall Faulk, and wide receivers Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt.
Sean Jensen of the Sun-Times is reporting the same, and says:
Martz had spoken to Bears head coach Lovie Smith early in the process, but he finally got an interview today. Minnesota Vikings quarterbacks coach Kevin Rogers is believed to have made a strong impression on the Bears during an interview Thursday, and he or Martz could compel the Bears not to wait for any assistants on the two Super Bowl teams.
Could the thing so many of us dread really be on it's way towards happening? If he's actually in and interviewing, it's closer than many of us realized. Alternatively, it could be them deciding between Rogers and what many have perceived to be their fallback option.
Also, some Kenny Kevin Rogers news after the jump.
Interesting that it'd come out on Friday afternoon, possibly to draw media attention away from it. (It's a known fact that you want to drop the bad news when people are less likely to see it.
If it's true and they make this hire, the backlash is sure to be swift. But will it be just?
In related news, there had been some talk that Syracuse might be an option for Kevin Rogers, in addition to his interview with the Bears yesterday. However, Jeff Dickerson writes that the option is off the table for him:
If the Chicago Bears are seriously interested in hiring Minnesota Vikings quarterbacks coach Kevin Rogers to be their next offensive coordinator, then another major obstacle was removed on Friday.
There had been strong speculation Rogers was considering a return to Syracuse, but the school announced Friday that head coach Doug Marrone will double as the team's offensive play-caller next season.