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Things are clicking for J.T., 49ers offense

To say the 49ers' offense has improved over the past couple weeks is quite an understatement. It looks as if things are beginning to click for the players in Mike Martz's offense.

* * *

Just arrived back in my hotel room, and I see my article for tomorrow's paper has already been posted online. Headline: "O'Sullivan makes his best case yet for starting QB."

And here's my 49ers notebook: "Special teams not so special."

* * *

Here's coach Mike Nolan's postgame explanation on why he pulled O'Sullivan out of the game at the start of the second quarter and replaced him with Alex Smith:

"We had hoped to get Alex to work with that first-unit line, to protect him. And were were hopeful that it worked out the way it did so that we didn't have to keep that first-unit line in that long in the second half. As it worked out, we were able to get him (Smith) in sooner and then, as you witnessed, we left our like in there for most of the third quarter."

* * *

Prior to the game, I sat down with GM Scot McCloughan. Here is some of that interview (remember, this interview was before the game):

Question: What kind of role do you have in what's going on with the QB situation?

McCloughan: With my responsibilty as general manager, I have say in all the roster moves that go on -- additions, subtractions. I do not step in when it comes to the coaches making decisions on starters or who's the first backup at certain positions. I'll sit in on meetings to hear the reasons why or why not they think a guy can do it. But that comes to the head coach and the coordinators and the position coaches.

Question: How do you think O'Sullivan has played this training camp?

McCloughan: He's done really well. J.T. and Alex both made improvements, which is great. They're becoming more comfortable with the system. The one thing that's been tough for all three quarterbacks is the receivers they're throwing to on a consistent basis. We've had guys we plan on playing key roles in our offense being nicked for a couple weeks. But I think J.T.'s having a good camp and it's proving out in practices and proving out on the field.

Question: As general manager, would you be disappointed if Alex is not the starter?

McCloughan: I wouldn't say so much disappointed. When I first came here as director of player personnel and we had that first pick, I had a vision of what I wanted the team to look like. Of course, the quarterback was very, very important. It has not transpired that way for one reason, two reasons, three reasons, who knows. But the one thing I respect is that Alex is out there competing for a starting job. He's working hard at it and he's getting better and learning the system. The one thing that you can measure for vice president/general manager is wins and losses, not so much who's on the field and who's not on the field. But we invested financially and a lot of confidence in Alex, drafting him first pick in the draft, which is hard on anybody coming out. It's hard to live up. But do I think his career, if he's not the starter, is over? Absolutely not. I still believe he's going to be a good quarterback in the NFL.

Question: Is Alex's career with the 49ers over if he's not the starter?

McCloughan: I wouldn't say that, no. Absolutely not. As you're well aware, if J.T. wins the starting job, I expect Alex to keep fighting and I'd be disappointed if he doesn't keep getting better and better. You never know when you're going to need a second quarterback to play.

Question: What about next year for Alex?

McCloughan: You do it season by season. You'll see how this season goes. And we'll address that next offseason.

Question: Are you pleased with the roster, overall, and how it shapes up?

McCloughan: I am. The one thing I felt good about last year coming into the season and it didn't come close to transpiring like I anticipated was the offensive line with the starters and the depth we had. I did not think we came close to performing up to our talent level. Who knows what reasons for sure. There were two or three different ones (reasons). But I don't think this year from a depth standpoint were as good, but I feel good about our starters and our key backups. But with the other positions, I feel good. I think you've seen some of it in this preseason games with our second group going in, and some of our third group. We're going to have some tough decisions with our 53-man cut. And we'll have some tough decisions about our eight-man practice squad, who we want to keep. We have some young guys we really like, but we can't keep all of them.

Question: The roster does look better than it has been, but still the overriding question is production at the QB position. Is that something that concerns you or keeps you up at night?

McCloughan: Well, it does. In my past, I've been with good teams and I've been with bad teams. I feel from our talent standpoint and our coaching standpoint, we have the right chemistry here to win games. We have not come close to winning the amount of games that we'd like. Again, if you can pinpoint one or two things, we'd definitely do it and fix them. One year it's been something, another year it's something. The quarterback in an offense is the key guy. We do need to get good production out of the quarterback play. But also when we took Alex, and if J.T.'s our guy, the guys around him have to make the plays they're supposed to make, and the superstars make their big plays when they can. If we do that, we'll be OK on offense and we'll have some production.

Question: When do you expect David Baas back?

McCloughan: There's a good chance he'll be cleared on Monday. He's ahead of schedule. Things are going really good. It'll be good to get him back in the mix. He's been doing some individual stuff, with some punches against bags. The doctors are going to look at him again on Monday. If they clear him, he'll be ready to go 100 percent.

Question: Tony Wragge has played so well, is there a chance he can fit in at left guard or right guard?

McCloughan: I think there is. The versatility with Tony is that he's played both guard spots and he's also played center. I think our job is to get the best five on the field. Tony has done a really nice job. He goes out the first day and to this day, he's the same player every day. He knows what his strengths are, he knows what his weaknesses are, and our coaches have identified those, too. They put him in positions to be successful, and he's been a professional from Day 1.

Question: Is this team going to win with this defense?

McCloughan: I think so. I like the defense a lot. I think we saw it last year. Now, they were on the field too much, but I think you saw a lot of positives with the defense. We have a tough schedule early against some pretty good offenses. But I like our defense quite a bit. I like the players on our defense, the fact they play as a unit. Coach (Greg) Manusky has done a good job of getting them all on the same page. They're all back with coach Manusky being the one who talks to them most of the time, same voice for a second year. So they feel comfortable in the system.

Question: Is the pass rush a concern?

McCloughan: It's a concern from the standpoint that we haven't done it in the regular-season games in the past. It's something we've shown in preseason, but again, it's preseason. We have to out and show in the regular season -- not just one week or two weeks -- but game-in and game-out we have a chance to get to the quarterback.

Question: Are you thinking Justin Smith and Ray McDonald are the two guys who really step up?

McCloughan: We had Justin for what he is. He's a football player, and if he stays healthy he's going to get his sacks. Ray is going into his second year and I expect good things out of Ray. When we drafted him in the third round, we thought that. Sometimes it takes a guy a year to learn how to play in the NFL. I think he's taking the step to be a good football player for us. Manny Lawson is back healthy. I think you see it with Tully (Banta-Cain) and with Rod Green . . . even with Patrick (Willis) blitzing some more. It's going to have to come from a lot of different guys. We don't have one guy who can put his hand on the ground and know that he'll get double-teammed and still get 10 sacks. We got a bunch of guys on defense that are all on the same page, and they'll have opportunities to make plays.

* * *

There will be no immediate all-81 player rundown from today's game. As far as playing time, the following healthy players were listed as not seeing action: WR Jerard Rabb, DE Louis Holmes, DT Joe Cohen, G Ramiro Pruneda, DL Atiyyah Ellison and WR Cam Colvin. (LT Chris Patrick was also listed, but I can confirm that he entered the game in place of Joe Toledo with 8:55 remaining in the game.)

* * *

OK, it's off to bed for this ol' boy. I have an 8:05 a.m. flight out of Midway. Good night.

* * *

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Posted August 21, 2008 7:16:14 PM
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Comments | Add Comment

Posted By: art e. sanchez (23/08/2008 4:49:46 PM)
Comment: Hi Matt, i've come respect your honesty and assessment of the 49ers over the years. I know that ultimately its the Niner brass who will make the final decision on who the starters will be, but can you give me your opinion on who you would chose as starters on both offense and defense?

Posted By: JC in SC (22/08/2008 4:20:37 PM)
Comment: Thanks Mike; really like Manusky, but thought Nolan had a hand in defensive scheme/play calling. Maybe that was only the debacle b4 manusky came in? Go 9ers!

Posted By: mike in MD (22/08/2008 3:50:41 PM)
Comment: JC..if I'm not mistaken part of the requirements Manusky asked for in getting him on-board was for the Defense to be entirely his. He calls all the shots. Maybe Nolan gives him some suggestions & ideas. So really Nolan is pulling a Joe Gibbs when he brought in Al Sanders to do all the Offensive playcalling. All Nolan does now on gameday is to manage the games. Matt..am I correct in saying this?

Posted By: JC from SC (22/08/2008 3:00:01 PM)
Comment: Wow! What a show last night. Could 9ers promote Martz to co-HC? Or, wouldn't it be great if Nolan would accept demotion to DC? Wonder if our D would be crappy if Nolan weren't here? If Nolan were fired, we'd most likely lose Singletary and likely cause delay in Willis elevating his game to HOF status (almost feels silly after just 1 year). Either way, I am afraid 9ers lose Martz after end of year if 400 yds/game is achieved in reg season. For now, '08 is what its all about, baby! Can 9ers surprise? Let's roll...

Posted By: shobbrobb (22/08/2008 1:09:06 PM)
Comment: ALEX SMITH WINNING 2 SUPERBOWLS?DID I REALLY READ THAT?ARE LOBOTOMY'S STILL LEGAL?

Posted By: mike in MD (22/08/2008 12:34:18 PM)
Comment: Totally agree Marco. The key is the OLine. Martzs' plays need that TIME for them to develop. I love how he attacks the Defense, spreads the field with the WR's & keeps them guessing with a BALANCED ATTACK. I really hope he keeps this close to 50/50 run-pass combo. We have the personnel that fits this & we're more lethal keeping that balance. Man the OL is giving us what..somewhere around 3-6 seconds + of protection?? They've been awesome so far. It's looking like major injuries take about a whole season for the player to get back to 100% form & Heitman deserves a ton of credit. He took a lot of BS/heat last year. Big props Eric. I don't hear much about Foerster, he must be making a difference along with Martz's playcalling, confidence, & reputation. I believe that a lot of it though is still Martz. I could just picture him in practice..."when we call this pass play, Frank this is the guy you have to key on & on this run Davis your responsibility is this, Keasey/Norris focus on this man"....etc, etc. The man just KNOWS OFFENSE & EVERYONE'S ASSIGNMENTS. And I love the QB's actually reading the Defense on the pre-snap. It looks like they really have been coached up on what to look for. What a night & day difference a legit OC makes. I've got to give props to Bruce..he looked silky smooth & confident in those routes, still strong with the speed & looks to be developing chemistry w/JTO quickly. I think he makes any QB look good as long as long as the QB can run the Offense effectively. The other thing that has me salivating is I hope Martz keeps adding plays for VD. As long as he can make the catches those intermediate to deep vertical routes where he outruns/outmaneuvers the LB's & safeties looks like it will constantly BE THERE FOR THE TAKING. If VD can run the proper routes & make the catches I picture him being a wicked weapon & having that breakout year. He's been busting his tail & doing the right things & hope this can come to fruition for him. Right on VD!

Posted By: Mike in Marin (22/08/2008 12:26:46 PM)
Comment: Matt,do you think there is any chance for Goldson to beat out Roman? It looked like roman was letting receivers get behind him last night. Any thoughts on that?

Posted By: Andrew from Rishikesh (22/08/2008 10:56:19 AM)
Comment: Hi Matt, It appears Mike Martz is making his presence felt as each game passes. If the offense continues to thrive under JT and Martz is offered a head coaching job at seasons end with the possibilty of JT following him will the 49ers dump Nolan and hire Martz.

Posted By: Rame (22/08/2008 10:08:48 AM)
Comment: Hey Reggie, Just knock the ball down. Don't try to catch it. JUST KNOCK IT DOWN!! Rame

Posted By: SB from SF (22/08/2008 9:52:11 AM)
Comment: That is one of the most ridiculous excuses Nolan has come up with to date. It is obvious to just about everyone that O'Sullivan is the most capable QB that the 49ers have at this point to run to offence. He knows the system better, his accuracy is better & he has better intensity than Smith or Hill. JTO needs as many reps as possible before the season starts on order to get ready. The only possibly excuse Nolan should have for pulling him is not wanting him to get injured. How Smith is still even in the running to be the starter is a complete mystery? It is virtually impossible for Smith to hit a receiver on the numbers at this point. Matt, do really think that there is any chance someone other then O'Sullivan starts for the 49ers on opening day?

Posted By: Joe S. (22/08/2008 9:39:56 AM)
Comment: Matt, Balmer has been very quiet. Can we expect anything from him this year? Does he figure to be in the rotation on the defensive line?

Posted By: Alameda Bill (22/08/2008 9:38:07 AM)
Comment: Could of sworn I saw Louis Holmes get in the backfield and force the QB to pull the ball back down and eventally get sacked

Posted By: bert (22/08/2008 9:36:36 AM)
Comment: What's the deal with the special teams?!? They were good last year, did something change?

Posted By: Alan M (22/08/2008 9:33:05 AM)
Comment: I'd like to see if I can get an answer on this? What would the short/long-term salary cap impacts be on cutting Alex Smith right now? Shaun Hill is a decent #2 and probably has the confidence of his teammates more than Smith. If we're a year away, why not take the hit now and get it out of the way. Can we still get under the cap if we cut him?

Posted By: mike in MD (22/08/2008 9:30:01 AM)
Comment: Matt..as Berger pointed out, do you think McCloughan will go after Haynesworth next season? Reading up on him he seems to have his act together now. 6-6, 320 lbs, the man is unstoppable & will draw a double-team most all the time. He seems to fit exactly what McCloughan is looking for. I hope he goes after him & a NT in the 2-3rd Round next year. Franklin/Fields is just not cutting it.

Posted By: notthepublisher (22/08/2008 8:18:56 AM)
Comment: Matt, how come we can't add any comments?

Posted By: Terry Coats (22/08/2008 8:06:21 AM)
Comment: Matt, Some writers suggest that Alex Smith's style doesn't mesh with Mike Martz' system requirements (ie. quick release, aggressive demeanor). If that is the case, was Nolan clueless to that fact when he hired Martz? Could he have hired someone who would have been more favorable to Smith? Thanks for the interview with McCloughan.

Posted By: Marco from Stockton (22/08/2008 7:33:41 AM)
Comment: There is no doubt the Niners are a better offensive team, particularly the O Line. JTO looked good and Alex was OK, but the real reason is the play of the O Line allows the QB options.

Posted By: StonerLab (22/08/2008 6:48:56 AM)
Comment: Matt, I have to say the 49ers offense was pretty impressive last night from the 1st drive. The make shift O-line did a great job of man handling a pretty good Bears defense, Frank Gore was able to find the holes easily & pick up chunks of yardage. It's obvious that JTO has earned the starting job at QB & just wanted to give out a few more kudos. I thought RB Clayton did a very nice job last night & I think the 49ers need to keep him. He's much improved & more of a decisive runner than he was his rookie season. Both FB's did a very nice job & in my opinion that's going to be 1 of the tougher decisions for the 49er Brass. J. Hill & the new guy Ziegler played very well & as you stated Matt Ziegler should make the practice squad if he isn't snatched up by another team. The kid has alot of upside & reminds me of, dare I say a Chris Henry type reciever. Now for the bad, the ST's was horrific & let's hope that it will get alot better once the roster is set. In my estimation ST's accounted for 17 of the Bears points last night. Throw in the gimmie TD on the last play of the game I thoght the defense did pretty well except for Roman not being in position to make a play on the Bears 1st TD.

Posted By: Rich, DE (22/08/2008 6:01:22 AM)
Comment: Matt, at the end of the game, we saw Mike Martz shake hands with the Bears' coach. Do you know, or have you heard, if Nolan shook hands as well? Any bad blood still?

Posted By: NinerfaninFortWorth (22/08/2008 5:58:57 AM)
Comment: I am an Alex Smith supporter, but after watching his performance with the "healthy #1's" I think it's time to part ways and try to work out a deal to trade him for Billy Voleck in SD; while paying some of his salary to entice the Chargers to approve the trade. He's lost confidence and I think Norv will help him regain in with a new start in his hometown. Matt, I know you have pull and could get this to someone in management that could investigate the option. The worst thing they can say is no...

Posted By: ninerbob (22/08/2008 1:49:53 AM)
Comment: Why is Nolan being such a stinker about naming JTO the starter? Also, Someone on the radio made a good point that, despite the offensive coordinator issues, Alex has had a better shot at being an NFL quarterback then either of the other 2 QBs. So why do people think there is some kind of conspiricacy against him? The 49ers are looking like total idiots because he hasn't panned out. People (Ralph B. of KNB-) seem to think the 49ers wanted to hand the job to JTO on a silver platter. Clear the air Matt, let us know what you think.

Posted By: Wes (22/08/2008 1:48:17 AM)
Comment: Holmes was in there too, he was pressuring the QB in the fourth when Hanie got sacked by Ramsey

Posted By: sush (22/08/2008 12:25:44 AM)
Comment: matt hope your flight and trip there go well. i live in chicago and was going stop by the hotel where the 9ers were staying, but work got in the way. not sure if you guys were also staying there too. anyways, i watched the game a 2nd time and alex didn't seem as bad as he initially looked. yeah he did miss a handful of throws, JT does look sharper, but i am encouraged by the progress of all 3 qbs. it was also great to see us run some screens that were successful. my concern at this point is why the offense if sputtering in the red zone. with the anticipated announcement coming very soon, can you give us an idea of what the players think of alex & jt perhaps off the record? thanks and keep up the unbelievable work. eventhough im in chicago i feel like i know more then my buddy in oakland.

Posted By: Graham (21/08/2008 11:31:36 PM)
Comment: Matt, GREAT interview. The voice we haven't heard in depth for a while, pointed questions. Thanks for this.

Posted By: MontanaFan (21/08/2008 11:31:03 PM)
Comment: The 49ers are going to look stupid if JT takes them to 6-10, then Smith goes to Tampa and Gruden and Smith team up for a couple SB wins. Added insult to injury is a Charlie Frye led Seahawk team trouncing us. OUCH. Wake me in April of 09

Posted By: ninerindallas (21/08/2008 11:26:12 PM)
Comment: Matt, do you know when the last time the 49er offense put up over 400 tards?

Posted By: Chris (21/08/2008 11:26:05 PM)
Comment: Is it just me or did anyone else get a little deja vu with all those dropped balls? Especially by Josh Morgan. I'm really looking forward to seeing what he can do, but that was a little discouraging.

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