ST. LOUIS Oct 11, 2005 - Mike Martz has been ailing for weeks, feeling well enough to lead the St. Louis Rams from the sideline but not well enough to live up to his own expectations. On Monday, Martz decided he'd had enough.
The 54-year-old coach announced he's taking an indefinite leave of absence, hoping to recover from an apparent heart infection that an initial round of antibiotics couldn't cure.
The antibiotics that Martz began taking Friday didn't seem to help, Shaw said, but he didn't know if any additional procedures would be necessary. Severe cases of endocarditis can require open-heart surgery.
Assistant head coach Joe Vitt will take over as coach. Martz told his players during a brief but emotional team meeting that he would step aside, Vitt said.
Martz spoke with a raspy voice after Sunday's 37-31 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, but sounded optimistic about his health. Still, he said that in retrospect, he should have allowed offensive coordinator Steve Fairchild to run the show.
"I wasn't myself this week, the game plan wasn't clear for me," Martz said. "It's over with now, but I just feel what happened to me has affected this team, and that breaks my heart."
Martz was first hospitalized Sept. 30 with what was thought to be a sinus infection. He coached two days later during a 44-24 loss to the New York Giants.
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