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Mike Martz hired as new offensive coordinator of the 49ers

Mike Martz is returning to the NFC West as the offensive coordinator of the 49ers.

Less than 24 hours after Mike Martz came in for an interview for the vacant offensive coordinator position, the 49ers hired a familiar foe to help the struggling 49ers on offense. Martz, who is best remembered for his days as head coach for the Rams, had spent the two seasons with the Lions. The Lions were on the verge of making the playoffs, but struggled down the stretch to a 7-9 record after a 6-2 start.

Martz produced the “Greatest Show on Turf” in 1999 with the Rams. 49ers fans can remember the offensive show the team put together, producing one of the greatest offenses ever seen in the NFL. Under Martz’s guidance as offensive coordinator in 1999, and his promotion to head coach, Martz produced two NFC Champions and one Super Bowl winning team. He groomed Marshall Faulk and Kurt Warner to MVP seasons.

Martz, a garduate of Fresno State and one time coach of San Jose State in 1975, comes to a 49ers team that pondered their future after a five-win season. After rumors of possible candidates Cam Cameron, Brian Billick, and an interview with Chan Gailey, the 49ers settled for a man who has had the most recent success in the NFL.

What sets Martz apart from the previous candidates may be his familiarity with the NFC West. During the 2006 season, the Lions played against NFC West teams, so he saw them only a year removed from the Rams. Not only that, but his track record has been pretty successful running an offense.

Given the players that can produce, he can turn the offense into something that the team has been looking for.

With the Rams, Martz turned Torry Holt into one of the top receivers in the game. He kept Isaac Bruce into a consistent receiver. Under Martz, Kurt Warner became an MVP. Under Martz, Marshall Faulk had turned a stellar career into a Hall of Fame career. Faulk was not only a great runner, but turned him into an offensive receiving threat. Under Martz, the team can look into a future that may have the same results.

The team has a receiving core that can blossom. However, will Arnaz Battle and Darrell Jackson be enough? What about Vernon Davis? Can he turn them into great offensive threats?

And the quarterback position. Can either quarterback, Hill or Smith, lead the team with a throwing attack? Is there another quarterback in the future?

We know Frank Gore is a capable back, but is he healthy enough?

Martz comes into a situation in San Francisco where he has to build the offense from scratch. With the Lions, he didn’t have to struggle as they already had a great receiving core. Their quarterback, Jon Kitna, had great numbers in seasons past with the Bengals. However, since the Lions didn’t have a great running back, they became a pass first offense.

The Niners cannot go that route, and I am sure Martz won’t allow that to happen. Martz knows how to use every talent available and he will make sure that the offense can deliver. The only question, is will the players be able to follow?

I am excited for this hire. Just the fact that he has been a coach in the past, and an NFC West coach gives him an edge. But there still is a lot of things to consider before we jump on the Niners bandwagon. The team now looks into the right players for the job that Martz will run. This is where Mike Nolan has to step back and let Martz run the show. Martz knows what he has and he will develop the Niners into a great product.

Mike Nolan and Mike Martz have worked together before in the past, back with the Redskins in the late 90s. So you can expect these two to be able to work well together. I won’t look too far ahead, but if Martz succeeds, Martz could be looking into a huge contract or maybe a promotion… but that’s not something I will ponder right now.

49ers future saved? Maybe? Better offense than last year? You bet!

Side note: 49ers quarterback coach Frank Cignetti has joined Jeff Tedford at Cal to be their offensive coordinator. A little tidbit, but with Martz, we’ll be okay I believe. Ted Tollner may take that spot now, and I’m OK with it.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 8th, 2008 at 4:00 pm and is filed under Frank Cignetti, Mike Martz, Ted Tollner, 49ers, General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.