Martz takes Lions' offensive coordinator post after all

~ The Rams' former head coach brought a couple of his assistants from last season as well.

ALLEN PARK, Mich. -- The Detroit Lions hired former St. Louis Rams head coach Mike Martz as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach on Wednesday.

The announcement came nine days after Detroit coach Rod Marinelli and team president Matt Millen interviewed Martz for the position.

Martz said Feb. 2 that he wasn't taking the job because "it just didn't work out with the money."

Contract terms were not disclosed.

The Rams fired Martz on Jan. 2, the day after St. Louis finished a 6-10 season. He sat out the last 11 games recovering from endocarditis, a bacterial infection of a heart valve, but was cleared to return to duty the day before his six seasons as Rams head coach ended.

Martz led St. Louis to the playoffs in four of his five full seasons, including a Super Bowl after the 2001 season, and helped the franchise win its only Super Bowl title as offensive coordinator in 1999. The Rams went 51-29 in the regular season and 54-33 overall during his five full seasons as head coach.

St. Louis ranked among the NFL's top 10 teams in total offense during six of the past seven years, ranking first from 1999 to 2001. The Rams' passing offense has not ranked below fifth in the league since 1999, and was also first from 1999 to 2001.

The 54-year-old Martz also interviewed for head coaching openings in New Orleans and Oakland, but said last week after initially turning down the Detroit job that he'd be happy taking a year off.

Martz's first NFL job was with the Los Angeles Rams as an offensive assistant in 1992 and 1993. He was the team's quarterbacks coach in 1994. He was wide receivers coach in 1995 and 1996 after the franchise moved to St. Louis, and was quarterbacks coach for the Washington Redskins in 1997 and 1998.

Also Wednesday, Marinelli announced the hiring of Wilbert Montgomery as running backs coach, Pat Carter as tight ends coach, Joe Cullen as defensive line coach and Shawn Jefferson as offensive assistant.

Montgomery set seven franchise records while playing for the Philadelphia Eagles from 1977 through 1984 and finished his playing career with the Lions in 1985. He has been a St. Louis assistant the last nine seasons, serving as running backs coach from 1997 through 1999 and 2003 through 2005 and tight ends coach from 2000 through 2002.

Carter, who played 10 seasons with the Lions, Rams, Houston Oilers and Arizona Cardinals, also was an offensive assistant on Martz's staff in St. Louis last season.