Wed Jan 2 16:58:02 2008

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Lions fire Martz

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Detroit, MI (Sports Network) - The Detroit Lions have fired offensive coordinator Mike Martz.

Martz, who confirmed the move to the Detroit Free Press, was in his second season with the Lions after a six-year run as head coach of the St. Louis Rams.

Detroit had a 6-2 mark at the halfway point of the season, but then suffered through a six-game losing streak before completing the campaign with a 7-9 record. Three times during the losing streak, the Lions failed to score more than 14 points.

Considered one of the NFL's best offensive minds, Martz was the offensive coordinator for the Rams in their Super Bowl-winning season in 1999. The Rams racked up 526 points that season, the fifth-most all-time.

Martz moved on to the head coaching job in 2000 and led the Rams to a Super Bowl appearance after the 2001 season. His final season as head coach in 2005 was cut short by 11 games due to a heart ailment.