More Coaches Bite The Dust

NFL.COM Reports:

Mike Martz was fired as coach of the St. Louis Rams after missing most of the season because of a heart ailment.

The Rams started the season 2-3 before Martz was sidelined with an infection of the heart lining. Joe Vitt replaced him for the rest of the season, which ended on New Year's Day with a 20-10 win over Dallas that left the team at 6-10.

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.

and

The Saints fired coach Jim Haslett, the day after ending a 3-13 season overshadowed by the hurricane that devastated New Orleans and forced the team to abandon the city.

Saints spokesman Greg Bensel said Jim Haslett was relieved of his duties Jan. 2 morning, and that general manager Mickey Loomis would discuss the situation at a news conference.

Haslett, the 2000 NFL Coach of the Year after leading the Saints to the only playoff victory in team history, had one year left on his contract. He was 45-51 in six seasons with New Orleans and had the second-most victories in team history behind Jim Mora's 93.

and

Green Bay fired coach Mike Sherman Jan. 2, a day after the Packers finished their worst season in 15 years.

"At the end of the day I felt like we needed to go in a different direction," Packers general manager Ted Thompson said at a news conference.

Mike Sherman is gone after one subpar season in Green Bay.
The Packers closed their season with a win over Seattle Jan. 1 as Brett Favre threw his first touchdown pass in five games, but finished with a 4-12 record.

Sherman's first five years brought success but not another title in Green Bay. His record was 53-27 in the regular season, which was good enough to tie Steelers coach Bill Cowher for fifth among NFL coaches in their first 80 games. Sherman finished 57-39 in six seasons.