Excerpts from Marty Schottenheimer's book
 

This is one of the best football books you'll read. It's truly fascinating.

More to come.

I got it for Christmas. Didn't start a post.

Marty is a great guy. An amazing life and contacts.
It always surprises me about how these guys come in contact with each other at some point. (see the Hayden Fry article in this weeks DSM Register)


The book is an easy read.

The Dick Haley story blew my mind.

Also Marty's wife is a saint, and he might be the nicest guy ever in professional sports. Which is why everyone hated AJ Smith so much.

Rex Ryan sent Marty the game ball from that playoff win.

Interesting stuff.

Marty thought he was being paid $1500 for that WFL scouting report, and was really mad when he got $125 in the mail.

He later asked Arnsparger about it and he said Marty misheard "50 or 100." He threw in $25 because it was the best scouting report he had ever read.

That's pretty funny.

Based on Todd Haley's story and this, it sounds like studying film and scouting is one of the least lucrative jobs a person can have.

What chapter is devoted to Lin Eliot?

I haven't gotten that fair.

I'm eagerly anticipating the section detailing how horrified Marty was when he learned he had gained me as a fan.

Meh. Let's hear about the only thing we care about: why he left KC. Go into detail Marty, or else your book is just another 4th grade book report for my son.

The things I'd most like to hear from Marty would be:

1. The team's discussions of whether to draft Derrick Thomas, Broderick Thomas, Deion Sanders, or someone else.

2. The cut or release that he most regrets. (Chiefs only.)

3. How close was the Gannon/Grbac decision?

4. The non-pro bowl player that he thought was most deserving.

5. Why did they never draft a quarterback?

6. Joe Montana - what was it like to work with him?

7. Toughest loss and most satisfying win.

ROFL

lmao
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I bet that the ending is very conservative.

lmaolololol/thread.
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The key lime pie bit makes me smile.

I actually met Marty and Carl by accident in 1987. I was on lunch break from a construction site on 40 Hwy in Independence and stopped at the "Steak and Shake" to grab a sandwich. I happened to be wearing a Chiefs sweatshirt. The server tells me: "There's your new coach". I looked behind me at the next table and there they were. Marty waved and motioned me over. In total, I think he had only been in town for a week or so.

We shot the crap for about 10 minutes. Pleasant man. Carl didn't have a lot to say but was all right. Seemed like a down to earth, decent man. I was a fan of Marty from that day on.

I just lost it when I read number 3.

Organic chemistry was a notorious weedout class when I was in college.

Does he talk about porking cocktail waitresses at Tanners?

Tell us about the gleam Marty the gleeam

Marty was Browns coach then. You must mean 1989.

Does he talk about why he never put a contract out on Elway?

Yep....Give me a break, I'm an old, old man...but it WAS 1989

You'd have to think this one is either it or damned close to it.

Damn I got goosebumps watching that.

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I met Marty once at Derrick Thomas' birthday party (I lived in Chicago at the time and, coincidentally, DT and Neil Smith's publicist lived up the street so she got me in) before the Denver playoff in 97. He was very generous with his time, pulling me aside to get away from the music that was blaring to walk into the common area of the old Arrowhead Club at the stadium where the party was held. Spent probably 10 minutes talking - about all kinds of things including the 95 playoff loss. Seemed to be a great guy.

That would certainly be a good guess.

It seems, though, like a lot of times there was some win that was meaningful even though the fans didn't know it. Some game where they had to change the whole game plan on the last day or everyone was sick with the flu or something like that. Or where somebody mouthed off on the other team and got put in their place.

Was that the game where Elway scored the go-ahead TD like 3 times but it kept being called back?

I would imagine that it would be a win against the Raiders.

Merely passing isn't going to cut it. You have to get an A.

I think Marty being our favorite head coach (at least for the somewhat younger crowd) is the one thing Chiefs and Chargers fans have in common.

He's a great coach and he's awfully nice in person. I met him one at Seau's restaurant (he was leaving as I was arriving). I was probably 18. He stopped and had a nice little conversation with me.

Great guy. Wish we never got rid of him.

I am definitely down for a copy of this book...I hadn't even heard of it, but now I will definitely head right out to buy it.

I think Marty was definitely a super-class man. He had flaws just like any human being does, but he was a first rate coach and motivator.

Not just Elway,he threw a td pass first that was called back because the receiver had stepped out of bounds,then there was a penalty for as i recall illegal formation and then he finally ran in it.

I was personally at that game sitting with 200 other KC fans and after Elway ran that go ahead td in the Bronco fans were ruthless but we all know who got the last laugh.

Id have to go Bobby Ross over Marty, for Charger fans anyway.

Marty had his warts of course when it came to being conservative on the coaching front but he was by far my most favorite Chiefs coach. I wasn't alive for Stram. Championships or not, Marty made Kansas City Chiefs football something special. Just the environment was second to none.

We need more excerpts from Marty's book.

It was a very quick read. I got the kindle version for my iPad for $7.68 Probably about what it's worth. I couldn't believe this thing went through a publisher at least 20 typographical errors in it.

That being said, even the hardcore Chiefs fan will learn some stuff on Marty and the Chiefs but not a lot. The author fast forwards through several segments in time with a paragraph or two when that's when you wish he would have spent a whole chapter.

Is there a chapter dedicated to evaluating skank waitresses and where are the best ones? Shoneys? Waffle House?

Man, joe was only good because he had a good run game and a defense. See all those short check down passes.

What is the name of the book?

you DO realize that the editing process and/or publishing process for eBooks is completely different than it is for print books, yes? they catch a LOT fewer errors. you can't blame that on the print publisher, that's shoddy transcription on the company that did the eBook (I know this as I've rarely come across an eBook that didn't have a lot of typos and/or other errors)

Sid Gillman or Don Coryell would be the best all time SD Coach.
Bobby Ross isn't even in the conversation.

Oh man, here's a cool story.

Everyone knows about Marty's midnight rule. You move on to the next game by midnight following the last one.

Well, his wife invented it.

Brian was sitting in the car whining about HS game that he had lost and Pat got tired of it and told him he was going to shut up about it by midnight, or else.

Then she told Marty and he was like "Hey, this is cool, I'll use this with my professional football team called the Chiefs."

So holy shit man.

I am about to post some more but here is a good one:

Marty went to see Derrick Thomas at the hospital several times when he was trying to recover. He would go with him to therapy every time. On the drive home he would break down crying every time.

He said **** the donks anytime you get a chance! Sign Dumervil!

Watching Marty at DT's HOF induction was moving. He clearly loved the kid.

Cool story, bro.

1. Tony Dungy was Marty's first choice to be DC after Bill Cowher left. He actually promised him the job and then changed his mind at the last minute to hire Dave Adolph. Marty apologizes profusely every time he sees Dungy to this day.

2. Marty and Carl used to go bowling alleys, luncheons and breakfast meetings across the midwest, including Nebraska and Iowa, trying to drum up interest in the Chiefs.

3. When all had Marty had was DeBerg and ancient Ron Jaworksi in his first year, he said he felt more comfortable with that than "two 22-year olds." LMAO

4. Marty was like the Phantom of the Opera in position meetings. He would show up out of the darkness at completely random times without anyone knowing he had entered ther oom.

5. The KC Times ran a very stupid article Marty's first year after a HS football game was over. The headline was "Marty's son loses, too," in reference to Brian Schottenheimer, who was a QB.

6. After the Chiefs and Browns tied in 1989, people inside the Browns org. referred to the score as Marty 10, Marty 10.

7. Marty predicted that rookie Tim Grunhard would last longer than he would in Kansas City. Sho nuff.

8. The audio meters that measured sound at Arrowhead usually had a needle bouncing up and down throughout the game. The needle stayed at max the entire game against the Bills in 1991.

9. After the Bills pounded the Chiefs in the playoffs that year, Lamar consoled Marty after the game by saying "hey we outscored them if you combine the two games."

10. When Brian Schottenheimer transferred to Florida, everyone called him "Young Schotty."

11. The Cardinals offered Joe Montana $5 million more than the Chiefs but he turned them down because the Cardinals suck.

12. The Chiefs wanted to start Marcus Allen at FB at first and tutor Harvey Williams.

13. Marcus later presented Marty with a photo of himself bleeding in a Chiefs uniform, and signed it "I told you I'd bleed for you!"

14. Requests for Arrowhead press credentials more than doubled when Montana arrived.

15. Marty was shocked Willie Davis caught the game-winning TD at Denver in 1994. He said "Willie drops that 9 times out of 10."

16. Marty would rant about the Raiders during Raiders week and call them nasty names, and one time he said "they're all a bunch of SOBs and they've always been that way." Art Shell was in the room at the time, and Marty stopped, and said "oh, no disrespect intended." Then he went on with his rant some more.

17. Rich Gannon says he learned more about football from Marty than anyone else in his life.

18. One time during camp Gannon threw a pass that was tipped and picked off. Marty chastised him and Gannon said "hey it was a decent pass, it was tipped." And Marty responded "If it was a good pass, it wouldn't have been tipped."

19. During the Chiefs ill-fated last possession against the Broncos in 1997 playoffs, Elvis Grbac's headset malfunctioned and he could barely hear Mike McCarthy. So he called all the plays himself. That ended well.

20. After the 1998 MNF meltdown, Carl told the locker room the team had disgraced themselves and the entire city. Lamar Hunt stood nearby with his hands over his face.

21. Andre Rison nearly got into a fight with a reporter later that year.

22. Marty was originally going to return for the 1999 season, but changed his mind during the offseason. Lamar, Carl and Steadman all begged him to stay. And to this day, Marty has second thoughts about it and wonders...what if.

23. The Patriots, Saints, Jets and Packers all tried to hire Marty before the Redskins did in 2001.

24. Marty went to see Derrick Thomas at the hospital several times when he was trying to recover. He would go with him to therapy every time. On the drive home he would break down crying every time.

25. Dan Snyder gave Marty a 4 year, $10 million contract. He never earned more than 750k in one year with the Chiefs. Cha-ching, baby.

26. Redskins player personnel director Vinny Cerrato was a dick to Marty. He told him "Dan may be listening to you now during the preseason, but wait until I get up into the owner's box during the regular season. Then we'll see who he listens to." Marty had him fired.

27. Deion Sanders retired because he didn't want to fall in line with Marty's rules.

28. Brian had to ask Marty several times if he could interview for the QB Coach job in Washington. When Marty finally relented, they had an interview which was interrupted because Marty wanted to interview Chris Palmer. Brian got up at 4 AM the next day to finish the interview...and was hired.

29. The Redskins tried to cut corners and save money by taking people out of the media guide, like the head groundskeeper. Marty insisted everyone be included, and told them he'd pay for it himself if he had to.

Does Marty mention how it felt to finally win a Pro championship?
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You don't want to here this, but I am going to say it:


Marty deserved a Super Bowl. It's a tragedy he never got it.

The what? :spock:

The Kansas City Times.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kansas_City_Times

I think Marty wins a SB if he stays in KC.

They would have retained Rich Gannon most likely, because Grbac was horrendous in 1998.

Marty also basically admitted in the book he learned from his personnel mistakes in 1998.

Why am I not surprised that the NFL in general loves Marty? He'd hand all the other teams free wins in the playoffs, after all.

Huh. I'll be damned.

I was done with Marty and Carl as soon as they put in Grbac over Gannon. That cost us our Superbowl right there. I can still remember thinking that was the dumbest thing ever. Still irritates the crap out of me.

#11 - Cardinals offered Montana $5 million more than KC... wow, it really wasnt about the money for Joe, he just wanted to win... he'd suffer coming to an ascending, respectable team to close things out, but he sure as hell wasnt going to stoop to some total dump like the early 90's cards LMAO

*elvis softly hums* memoriiies, pressed between the pages of my miiind...

#15 - Willie Davis drops that 9 times out of 10... yikes, those are some tough words for a former player, we apparently werent the only people lamenting the lack of any real stud receivers for Joe.

God bless Marty, he fielded the most consistent winners we've had in a looong time... those were the days, atleast for me.

That was a Monday night game IIRC. Was at that game, fun times.

Marty used to punt on fourth and inches. Drove me batshit crazy. Did I mention he had Marcus Allen at the time?
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It was tiny and worthless. I'd have to grab it off the driveway everyday when I came home from school, especially in the winter, or it would be covered in ice, snow and my Dad's car.

I don't think anyone missed it.

Marty was as likable as any coach around.

But he didn't deserve a SB.
He is the reasin he never got one.

There can be no doubt. Marty was the greatest "regular season" coach of all time.

Yep.
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Amazing that Rick Gosselin wrote for it.

That Redskins stuff is hilarious. Some people hold up Snyder as this great owner but all the little ways he cuts corners and pushes the envelope to make an extra buck are hilarious. If he was the Chiefs owner for the last 15 years this place would've chewed him into pieces.

After Brian Schotty and some gal named Gemmi (who later became his wife) started dating, they went on a "road trip" with some assistant coaches and two other girls from the business side of the operation to go see Marty and Pat in Charlotte.

People got wind of it and everyone freaked out about "ethics" and "violations" and blablabla. Snyder made everyone sign a new code of ethics...and coaches couldn't "fraternize" with people from the business side...oh but they "grandfathered" in Brian and his future wife since they had been dating for awhile.

You aren't supposed to say its ****in name in the open. ****in jinxer.

The only note on Lin Elliot is that no one was talking to him after the game and he got out of there as fast as possible.

lol
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Sadly, you're probably right. Marty's by all accounts a good guy and all, but it's idiotic that so many Charger fans worship him so much when he's probably only the fourth-best coach in team history, behind Coryell, Gillman, and Ross.

As the years pass I find myself slowly becoming a Carl Peterson mark. I'm losing my ****ing mind.

In retrospect he was a master marketer and uh, financial success strategist.

If he had been 10 percent better as a talent evaluator he's probably got a SB ring.

And he was a dick, but man he was our dick.

I actually remember that because I read both papers everyday. I was the Sports Editor of the Junior High newspaper (grade 7-9) and sports writing was a passion. I had a newspaper route just so I could have a subscription to Sports illustrated and read Dr. Z. when I was eleven.

I clearly remember reading the newspaper the day after the NFL draft because in those days, the only player announced on local TV was the first round choice.

Ah, the 70's.

ends badly

9. Carl and Marty had their first interview together getting lost driving around Kansas City. They almost ran out of gas.


A lot of Marty's drives in Kansas City ran out of gas

Marty would not have done well in the aughts?

He did OK in SD.

He's like the Peyton Manning of coaches. Rapes in the regular season, but has a rough time in the playoffs. If Marty was our coach when we played Peyton in the playoffs in 2003, both teams would have lost due to a skud missile hitting the stadium or something.

That was 2004: Herm versus Marty.

They went to overtime in the playoffs because both teams were playing not to lose.

Lol. "You play to not lose the game!"

Carl Peterson knew his audience better than any GM in the NFL. He's actually a fascinating individual. I'd love to have been a fly on the wall of his negotiations with Tait's agent.