FROM TOM FITZGERALD OF THE SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE… The 49ers’ quick start has been reflected by some high rankings in individual statistics. J.T. O’Sullivan is fourth in the NFL with a 104.6 passer rating, and Frank Gore leads the league in yards from scrimmage with 412 and is fifth in rushing with 287 yards.
Mike Martz takes a ton of heat around the NFL for being too cavalier with his play calling and his choice to use the run game so sporadically. But I can tell you this from talking to people around the league for most of my career and watching tape of games in which he’s coached, he is one of the hardest coaches to prepare for each week. He has a very good passing system in place and knows how to attack the foundations of a defense. He knows how to attack the techniques in a scheme that forces a defense to react. What he has done with J.T. O’Sullivan is just short of remarkable. O’Sullivan has looked quite impressive since the Bears game this summer. I thought the hits and the pounding would take a toll on him, but even though he has been sacked a ton he has held up and made plays. Look at the Lion offense since Martz has left. They talk in Detroit about how they wanted to run the ball and today they rank last in the NFL in run/pass ratio in the first half. Perception is not always reality in the NFL. People get wrong labels placed on them and they can never shake them. Just look at the facts. Now, this is not to say that Mike is perfect, because none of us are. However, he is a very good offensive coach who will make an offense better.
