Smith gives no hints about Martz’s future with Bears

Coach Lovie Smith does not have an answer yet for the Mike Martz question — at least not one he’s willing to share.

Asked if he would bring his former boss and current offensive coordinator back for a third season, Smith said:

“Mike is just like the rest of our coaching staff. We did a lot of good things offensively. But right now we’re evaluating everything. Mike’s a part of that. Mike is a guy that’s been around a few years.

“I’ve got to have a chance to sit down with Mike, which I haven’t had a chance to do, to see exactly which way he wants to go and which way we want to go.”

Martz is on record as recently as last week, saying he wants to be back.

“OK,” Smith said when informed of that. “Again, I have to sit down with Mike and I haven’t done that. There’s a process that I go through each year, and we haven’t done that.”

It could happen as soon as Tuesday.

“Eventually I’ll meet with the coaches and I’ll meet with our administration and I’ll give you a better idea on what direction we’re going with everyone,” Smith said.

“Mike did a super job for us. We had a lot of injuries this year. I think you guys know how I feel about him, but this is a new year coming up, so we’ll see how that goes.”

Martz has been criticized for stubbornly staying with slow-developing, five- and seven-step quarterback drops, despite an offensive line that often was overmatched in pass protection.

Bears quarterbacks were sacked 104 times the past two seasons.

“Whenever your quarterback is getting hit, that’s a concern,” Smith said. “We have a franchise quarterback in Jay Cutler, who is as good as there is. You want to protect him as much as possible.”

Seller’s market:Like Mike Martz, special-teams coordinator Dave Toub also is at the end of his contract. But his situation is much different from Martz#146;s.Toub#146;s special teams have been among the elite throughout his eight seasons with the Bears under Smith.The organization will have to give him a raise or risk losing him to any of several teams that would be willing to pay for proven production. Toub has also been mentioned as a head coach down the road.#147;As many of our coaches as possible I would like to return,#148; said coach Lovie Smith, who is allowed to hire his own staff. #147;Dave has been here every day that I#146;ve been here, so I think it#146;s pretty safe to say that I kind of like what he does, and he likes it around here.#147;But Dave has goals, too, that he would like to get accomplished. And every coach on our staff, especially coaches who have been on the staff for eight years, you would like to see them take another step.#147;One of the things Dave would like to do is be a head football coach, and hopefully he has that opportunity some day.#148;Vote for Martz:Wide receiver Roy Williams, who played in Martz#146;s Lions offense in 2006 and #146;07, wants Martz back.#147;That#146;s my comfort,#148; said Williams, who will be an unrestricted free agent in March. #147;I think that#146;s everybody#146;s comfort. I think Jay (Cutler) has progressed under Mike Martz.#147;(Cutler) had a tough first year, but this year he got it. It takes awhile for people to learn this offense, and he got it. I don#146;t think we should change because we#146;d be starting over again.#148;Sigh of relief:Brian Urlacher#146;s MRI on Monday confirmed the Bears#146; original diagnosis of a sprained MCL (medial collateral ligament) in his left knee, and it also revealed a partial tear of his PCL (posterior cruciate ligament).There is no ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) or cartilage damage.Urlacher was injured late in the fourth quarter Sunday.FBN24272443Bears WR Roy Williams finished with 37 receptions this season. He says it wouldnÂ’t be smart for the Bears to get rid of offensive coordinator Mike Martz after just two seasons.Associated PressFBN