Lions fire Martz, divvy up his job between two assistants

By Chris Cluff  |   Wednesday, January 02, 2008  |  Comments( 0 )

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The Detroit Lions fired offensive coordinator Mike Martz and gave his job to two guys, offensive line coach Jim Colletto and receivers coach Kippy Brown. Colletto reportedly will be named offensive coordinator while remaining line coach, and Brown will be promoted to assistant head coach in charge of running backs and the passing game. The Lions also promoted Shawn Jefferson from offensive assistant to receivers coach and fired Martz's son, Tim Martz, who was also an offensive assistant.

Commentary: Running Martz's wide-open attack, the Lions ranked 19th in total offense and 31st in rushing offense (80.5 yards per game). San Francisco coach Mike Nolan reportedly had interest in hiring Martz to run the 49ers' offense, but that apparently won't happen.

Fantasy Football Impact: It looks like the Lions are planning to commit to the running game; Colletto was the line coach in Baltimore from 1999 to 2005. But who will run the ball? Kevin Jones is injured again, T.J. Duckett is a free agent and Tatum Bell rode the bench for most of this season. There's a lot of fixing to do.

Learn more about how the Lions' changes will affect players' fantasy value at RealFootball365.com.
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About Chris Cluff

Chris Cluff spent 10 years as an editor and sportswriter for The Seattle Times. He was a key figure in the newspaper's coverage of the Seahawks, particularly during their Super Bowl run in 2005. He also has written two books on the Seahawks: "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Heart-Pounding, ...
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