See ya later, Sid.

The offense called "The Greatest Show on Turf" that took the St. Louis Rams to a Super Bowl championship has a long and storied heritage. Sid Gillman, the Hall of Fame coach of the high-flying San Diego Chargers of the early AFL, is where it all started.

"The big play comes with the pass," he would tell anyone who would take time to listen. "God bless those runners because they get you the first down, give you ball control and keep your defense off the field. But if you want to ring the cash register, you have to pass."

When Don Coryell was coach of Dan Fouts and the Chargers in the 70s and 80s, it was called "Air Coryell." Man, was that fun to watch. I can still see Fouts hitting Kellen Winslow on a quick slant.

Led by Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Fouts, the Chargers' record-setting offense led the NFL in passing yardage six straight seasons from 1978 to 1983 and again in 1985. San Diego, which led the league in scoring in 1981 and 1982, averaged an astonishing 28 points per game during a span of 57 games from 1979 through 1982.

The "vertical offense" that is now an Oakland Raiders tradition comes from tyrannical owner Al Davis, who served as an assistant coach under Gillman with the early AFL chargers.

"Sid Gillman brought class to the AFL," Oakland Raiders managing general partner Al Davis once said of the man he served under on that first Chargers team. "Being part of Sid's organization was like going to a laboratory for the highly developed science of professional football."

Dick Vermeil brought this offense to the Philadelphia Eagles in the early 80s. My first Strat-O-Matic team had Mike Quick as one of its cornerstones, and that system made him a fantastic receiver. One year, his card was restricted for number of uses because of how good the stats were.

I saw Sid Gillman's legacy coming right at me in a game at Busch Stadium (sniff) against the awful St. Louis Cardinals Football Team. We sat in the bleacher cheap seats in the right corner of the end zone. On the first play from scrimmage, a bomb to Mike Quick resulted in a touchdown. Now THAT was pure Gillman. From that day forward, every time I started a Strat-O-Matic football game, I'd call a Long Pass to the Flanker. If you played me today, I'd do it again.

When Dick Vermeil came to the St. Louis Rams, he said in three years they'd win a Super Bowl. Lots of coaches say that, but he made it happen. When Vermeil came out of retirement to coach the Rams, he brought Sid Gillman's offense with him. The press called it "The Greatest Show on Turf," and it was dazzling to watch.

When Mike Martz took over as head coach, they called it "Max Q." This was an arrogant name, taken from NASA terminology. An article in ESPN Magazine described Kurt Warner drawing offensive plays from memory on a blank page. This page had only Xs and no Os. In the Max Q offense, there was only you. What they did didn't matter. It could be arrogance, or it could be focus.

I love offense. I love passing, and I love points being scored. I love Sid Gillman, and I've follwed his legacy for over 20 years. Today, Mike Martz was officially fired in a front office spat, and Dick Vermeil is retiring. Sid, if you're listening, I believe your genius is only sleeping. Some other coach will find it and breathe life back into it. We'll meet again, Sid, don't know where, don't know when.