Rams coach Sean McVay takes negative comments from Mike Martz in stride

[Wolf.17]

 knows that questions about his age and criticism about his inexperience as a head coach are going to be part of the story line.

So Rams coach Sean McVay on Tuesday took in stride critical comments attributed to Mike Martz, who was offensive coordinator for the St. Louis Rams team that won the Super Bowl in the 1999 season, and head coach of the Rams during a run to the Super Bowl in 2001.

In an upcoming book, “Blitzed: Why NFL Teams Gamble on Starting Rookie Quarterbacks,” Martz is quoted by author Thomas George about McVay, 31, and Rams quarterback Jared Goff, 22.

"What is he, a couple of months older than Jared? They hired a buddy for Jared,” Martz was quoted in an excerpt published Tuesday by SB Nation. “The NFL has nothing to do with being the friend or the buddy of the quarterback. You've got to coach them and work them hard with respect. But buddy? And this guy is a quarterback expert? An offensive expert? Wait a minute while I puke.”

Martz said during a Los Angeles radio interview that he “would never say something like that, ” and that the quote was “kind of embellished.”

“The tone of it, I understand it and I agree with it, but I just would never express it like that,” he said.

George later issued a statement saying the quotes culled during a 48-minute interview with Martz were “completely, 100 percent accurate,” according to ProFootballTalk.com.

McVay said after practice that he was aware of the comments and that Martz had said they were taken out of context. He said he met Martz once briefly at the NFL scouting combine and had “a huge amount” of respect for what Martz accomplished as a coach.

“Can’t say anything but good things about what he’s done and what kind of coach he is,” McVay said.