Mike Martz officially has been fired by the Lions, ending his two-year stint as Detroit's offensive coordinator.  This move comes after Martz faced quite a bit of criticism for his poor playcalling at times this past season, mainly when it came to the running game.  Since Martz really favored passing the ball so much more than just handing it off, there was a lot of disagreement between he and the other coaches.  In the end, this move simply makes sense for both parties involved, as this appears to be a mutual breakup.

To replace Martz, the Lions are promoting from within the current staff.  That isn't really a surprise considering wide receivers coach Kippy Brown was mentioned as a front-runner to be the next offensive coordinator.  What is a surprise, though, is that Brown is only one coach that will be involved with the offensive coordinator job.

Although Colletto will have the official title of offensive coordinator, there is still no word yet on who will call plays during the game.  News of that probably won't come out until the Lions officially announce this decision and hold a press conference.

That press conference appears that it won't happen today, as Mike O'Hara reports that a Lions spokesman said no announcement is expected today. O'Hara also mentions what the official titles of a number of coaches would be after these promotions happen.

Even though we are still waiting on the Lions to make the promotions official, I think what we have read already is true as many different sources are basically reporting the same thing. Stay tuned for confirmation from the Lions.