Marty Ball

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Marty Ball is a philosophy of football associated with and named after coach Marty Schottenheimer. In simple terms, it means a focus on the running game, with passing used only to further the running game.

Schottenheimer emphasizes offensive attacks that work as follows:

First down: a rushing play.
Second down: another rushing play, if necessary.
Third down: a pass attempt, if necessary.
Fourth down: go to tanners and pick up on a waitress.

Fans (and critics) refer to this scheme as "Run, Run, Pass, Punt." Schottenheimer is considered to be a conservatively-minded coach with a majority of his focus on defense. The term Martyball is generally considered a pejorative because, at times, Schottenheimer will steadfastly continue to emphasize this form of offensive attack while attempting to hold on to a thin lead or when playing from behind - often with negative results. Martyball is also known to get the most out of his players during the regular season, but inevitably failing in the playoffs. Martyball has been questioned for putting players in "Oklahoma" drills during the regular season, amongst other overly-intense antics. The result of such incredible intensity has often been burned-out teams at the end of the season.