ST. LOUIS (AP) - Mike Martz was fired as coach of the St. Louis Rams on Monday after a 6-10 season in which he missed the final 11 NFL games because of a heart ailment.
The Rams started the season 2-3 before Martz was sidelined with an infection of the heart lining. Assistant Joe Vitt replaced him for the rest of the season, which ended on Sunday with a 20-10 win over Dallas.
Martz is the second NFL coach to be fired following the last round of the regular season. Minnesota dumped Mike Tice, and Houston is expected to sack Dom Capers on Monday. Kansas City's Dick Vermeil retired on Sunday.
Martz coached the Rams for more than five seasons, leading them to playoffs four times and to the Super Bowl after the 2001 season. The Rams lost the title game to New England.
Martz was under contract through 2006, when he was scheduled to earn $3.25 million (?2.75 million).
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Martz was hired as offensive coordinator before the 1999 season, and his "Greatest Show on Turf" offense led the Rams to that season's Super Bowl championship. He took over as coach when Dick Vermeil retired two days after the Rams beat Tennessee in the Super Bowl following that season.
His greatest skill was his knowledge of quarterbacks. Kurt Warner, a former Arena League and NFL Europe quarterback, took over in 1999 when Trent Green was injured and was voted league MVP that year and again in 2001.
After being hurt, Warner was replaced in 2002 by Marc Bulger, who held the job. Bulger, a sixth-round draft choice in 2000 by New Orleans, had been spotted by Martz before the draft and the Rams signed him when the Saints let him go.
