Posted By: AAA (08/01/2008 7:09:52 PM)
Comment: We need to bring back Hill. Dilfer is on his retirement tour and Smith needs someone to push him. Martz will either make or complete break (so we have to start over) our Offense. This will be a pivotal year for the Niners as Nolan's and Smith's jobs are at stake.

Posted By: AAA (08/01/2008 7:07:42 PM)
Comment: Of our free agents, I'd like to see Douglas, Bajema and Sopoaga re-sign and BY and Larry Allen retire as 49ers. What would everyone think if this is what we did in the offseason: Free Agency - Terrell Suggs, Tommy Kelly (DE, Oakland), Nat Dorsey (OT, Cleveland) Draft - Duke Robinson (G, Oklahoma), WR (best player available), Jonathan Goff (ILB, Vanderbilt), QB (Dennis Dixon perhaps), Jacob Hester (RB/FB, LSU), Darius Reynaud (WR/KR, West Virginia), CB (Trey Brown, UCLA?)

Posted By: Ima Ninerfan (08/01/2008 6:01:12 PM)
Comment: Cyrus, what do you care if they overpay for Hill? It's not your money! Give the guy whatever he wants, rather than have him leave and turn into another Derek Anderson. 16280, I couldn't agree with you more!

Posted By: 16280 (08/01/2008 4:13:49 PM)
Comment: This is good news. Martz, love him or hate him will get the O going. No way he reigns over last in the league offensive output, it's just not in his DNA. PFT also is talking about Gruden possibly not being in Tampa next season. That would be a shock. Man would I love to have "Chucky" as our HC. I don't see him wanting Martz on board but he's a WCO guy and a proven winner. Good combo of offensive savvy, fierce competitor, track record. With $20M in cap room for a few new toys for the Offense and Martz to orchestrate we should definitely put some points on the board, let our D rest and improve. I still think Nolan is a dummy as a head coach but if he stays out of the way we have a shot.

Posted By: StonerLab (08/01/2008 3:49:17 PM)
Comment: I think people need to take a few steps back & not get too excited about the possibility that Hill will be the starting QB next year.Ross had some good points in regards to Hill. At best Hill will compete & make Alex a better QB. If Alex were to get hurt for any period of time next year...heaven forbid, I feel good about Hill coming in & doing a solid job in comparison of what Dilfer did this year. As for Martz being the new OC, if it is true I applaud it. This is exactly what the offense needed, a good shot of steroids if you will. For people who were concerned about Martz not having the players to execute his offense you can't expect the "Greatest show on turf" this year. You have to look in terms of a couple of years to get the skill players thru FA & the draft in order to get the offense to it's full potential. In the meantime Martz will find out what players we do have on the roster in order to start moving the offense in the right direction. Agreed?

Posted By: Michael G. (08/01/2008 1:36:52 PM)
Comment: It also has been reported by KNBR, and on the NFL Network by Adam Schafer that Mike Martz has been hired by the San Francisco 49'ers the offensive coordinator.

Posted By: KG (08/01/2008 1:32:02 PM)
Comment: Ratto had a very good point yesterday, Mike Nolan's decisions and actions are of a man who has no clear cut plan and philosophy for this team. This is another example if it's true. Yeah, let's hire Martz because his background and offense are so compatible with what I'm doing (please note sarcasm). And we thought our use of timeouts couldn't get worse....

Posted By: Lou (08/01/2008 1:30:16 PM)
Comment: Sure, Rick. Here it is: http://www.profootballtalk.com/rumormill.htm One of the commenters also said that the Rams have hired Cameron as OC. Maybe this played into the decision.

Posted By: Rick (08/01/2008 1:27:54 PM)
Comment: Hey Lou, do you have that link to PFT where it states that Mike Martz is the new OC for the 49'ers?

Posted By: Mickey (08/01/2008 1:26:16 PM)
Comment: Yahoo Sports is reporting that The contracts of about two dozen members of the coaching staff on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are set to expire. Matt do you know if Paul Hackett is one of those coaches, and what do u think of him being the OC for the 49'ers?

Posted By: Darth (08/01/2008 1:24:56 PM)
Comment: The Long ball is not a very high % play. We all saw Hill make some nice 20 to 20 plus yard strikes that had great zip and put in places only the receiver could get to. Dude had a broken finger too and no deep threat. So he may or may not be the answer but this knock on his long ball is BS until he is healthy and has a real deep threat to throw to. Not ready to compare him to anyone but Jeff Garcia had the same things said about him and we have been struggling ever since he left.

Posted By: Lou (08/01/2008 1:22:13 PM)
Comment: PFT is reporting that Martz is the new OC. My god WTH is going on?

Posted By: Ross (08/01/2008 1:07:36 PM)
Comment: I am glad to see Hill get resigned, we need good backups. Unfortunatly, he won't pan out as an every game starter. If he had to play every single game, as a starter, he would not do good. His arm is way to weak. He makes good choices, but he can't deliver the ball to the right spot on time if he is playing an NFL defense that is trying. He could come in for a couple of games and do alright with the short passing game. People are fooling themselves if they think he is the answer to our QB situation. The best case scenario is if he puts some pressure on Smith, and thus Smith excels his play. I'm not sure if Smith will pan out, although, I'm not completly convinced he is an all out bust. Hill will be a good backup, but if he is inserted to a starting role I hope he doesn't end up another Tim Rattay.

Posted By: Willie (08/01/2008 12:45:05 PM)
Comment: Hi Matt, any word if Nolan has set up an interview with Cam Cameron, and with any other candidates for the Offensive Coordinator position? Also, any word as far any other firings from the offensive coaching staff? Again keep up the good work Matt.

Posted By: Rich (08/01/2008 12:15:43 PM)
Comment: Hey Jake, actually there is word that Paul Hackett might reup with Herm Edwards, and go back to KC to be their OC.

Posted By: Jake (08/01/2008 11:55:40 AM)
Comment: Al Saunders would be a great fit, but one would think he will stay in Washington as Head Coach or offensive coordinator if Williams is promoted to head coach. Otherwise I could see him going back to Kansas City as offensive coordinator because he was a fan favorite in KC and very successful.

Posted By: fads (08/01/2008 11:30:12 AM)
Comment: re: Coryell/Gibbs. I know that, my point is that Gibbs was alreaday running that offense before Saunders joined up. But his playbook was so big and complex even compared to what Gibbs was running that it took the Redskins half a year to get up to speed. Does anyone think SF has the time or talent to go through that again? Best to go with an offensive coordinator that can pick up where Norv left off, but without complicating matters more than necessary.

Posted By: Chico John (08/01/2008 11:29:24 AM)
Comment: Matt: I think it would be a great idea to offer Trent Dilfer the vacated Quarterbacks Coach. He would be an excellent mentor and the knowledge he has should not be wasted. Of course McNOlans seem to be lacking on anything on the Offensive side of the ball, as the record clearly demonstrates.

Posted By: Pat (08/01/2008 11:28:34 AM)
Comment: Thanks Ronnie... what about Wally Pipp and Lou Gehrig? anyway, Tom Brady was only in his 2nd season backing up an near elite QB. Parcells believed Romo had a future and played him nearly the entire pre-season trying to determine that. It was not an injury to Bledsoe that got Romo his shot. Hill was our 3rd stringer, it took major injuries for him to get a shot. Dilfer was playing horribly, Hill didn't get on the field (this may be because of the finger injury). Anyway, our season was at a serious low point, Hill got no consideration. The situations don't seem similar. I do agree with you about the entire league not being great at understanding the QB.

Posted By: Weary 9er (08/01/2008 11:17:08 AM)
Comment: Thanks again for all the great work,Matt! As far as people who say that Hill is not worth keeping, they are out of their minds! The guy is one of a number on the team who have not been properly evaluated and used for the team's benefit. Alex Smith is not ready for prime time, it's just that simple. He may have a future as a QB,but we, as fans need to see more, first!

Posted By: Frank (08/01/2008 11:13:11 AM)
Comment: I think the other advantage to Shaun Hill besides his quick release is that he goes through his reads quickly delievers the ball accurately, and on time. Also, he might not have the greatest arm, but he has a quick release. Remember "Super" Joe did no have the greatest arm, but he was quick in delievering the ball, he was accurate, and hits them on stride. Now I am not saying is the next "Super" Joe, but I hope he is. My only fear with Shaun Hill is that he can either be another Tony Romo, or be another Gus Ferotte.

Posted By: Q-Bert (08/01/2008 10:56:37 AM)
Comment: Hey Matt, I have a question. Since Joe Gibbs is retiring as Head Coach for the Redskins what are the chances of the Niners receiving permission to interview Al Saunders. Whoever the Redskins get as head coach they would want to bring in their own coaching staff (that is if Snyder will let him). Also, Saunders is a disiple of the Coryell offense that the Niners are using, he has 25 years of NFL experience, and he can bring Joe Bugal along with him to coach the OL. Also, he knows who to use a RB when he had Priest Holmes in KC, and Clinton Portis in Washington. Your thoughts Matt?

Posted By: Danny (08/01/2008 10:38:03 AM)
Comment: Matt, do you really think Hill can beat out Smith for the starting QB job. It seems to me that the only thing Hill beats Smith at is having a quicker release. Is that enough to beat out Alex come training camp time (assuming both fully heal by that time)?

Posted By: Berger (08/01/2008 10:33:42 AM)
Comment: Well said Graham. I echo your thoughts. Good job, Matt!

Posted By: Ronnie - Fresno (08/01/2008 10:32:01 AM)
Comment: Pat, here is a history lesson. Dick Vermeil was crying like a baby at the postgame press conference when Trent Green got hurt in the last preseason game in 1999. I remember him saying something to the effect of "Well, somehow we have to find a way to play out this season". Tom Brady was a clipboard scrub until Drew Bledsoe got hurt. Same with Tony Romo. The common thread with all three is that NOBODY, their own teams included, saw them coming. This leaves me with a coupel conclusions. First, I'm not sure NFL organizations are as smart as they would have us believe when it comes to evaluating, developing, generating production from, or even really understanding quarterbacks at the NFL level. There are 5 good quarterbacks in the whole league and maybe 5 or 6 on a second tier. There are 32 teams with 2-3 QBs on each team. There are draft busts ever season. There are millions of cap space dollars thrown away on a constant basis. Think about it. My second conclusion is that we should sign Drew Bledsoe. His backup will then be destined for stardom once he gets hurt!

Posted By: Graham (08/01/2008 10:30:16 AM)
Comment: Just writing to congratulate Matt on managing to post every day--I'm actually starting to take it for granted. These retrospective statistical posts, also, are especially interesting, as is the OC search. Thanks for your excellent work, Matt!

Posted By: Houston 9er (08/01/2008 10:24:56 AM)
Comment: Matt, when Hill played his arm strenght seemed to be somewhat suspect. Do you think he floated some passes due to his finger injury? I know some balls came out like wounded ducks but he never really seemed to have any zip on the ball. How did his arm strength look in pre-season?

Posted By: Armchair T (08/01/2008 10:03:38 AM)
Comment: Matt, do you expect any 49ers under contract, like Jonas Jennings or Brandon Moore, to be cut or traded?

Posted By: Marco-SF (08/01/2008 9:59:14 AM)
Comment: Cant wait for robinson to be the fully time back up to gore, i like Mo Hicks but its time to let him go & Thomas Clayton will be a solid 3 too. As much as i dislike Kwame put a couple more pounds on him and place him at guard, that would soften the blow of losing smiley (too much money) and allen (too old). He def cant protect the QB but he would be a hell of a rush blocker. On Defense we NEED to keep douglas and sopoaga and wouldnt mind seeing green/strickland back as well. By keeping the Defense pretty much intact all we need is a backup LB for depth and pass rushing DL so we can focus our FA and draft on our QB/WR/OL issues.

Posted By: Matt in SR (08/01/2008 9:57:25 AM)
Comment: Hi Matt, I don't think Hill's market value is anymore than 2-year, 2.5 million. No one is going to bid for him if he reaches free agency. He played 2.5 games and had multiple injuries. I think it's foolish to pay him anymore than that. He doesn't need to be paid like a starter should he win the job. He needs to be paid like a starter if he is successful for an entire season. Do you really believe that he can outplay Alex over a season? I don't. I encourage everyone to go back and watch some 2006 game tape and you will remember that Alex did move the offense. I have been watching some of that season and man we really miss Antonio Bryant (he is the #1 FA available at WR, but he may still be suspended).

Posted By: Dean (08/01/2008 9:57:16 AM)
Comment: Matt, thanks for the article. I think Hill's situation is rare. And wonder what players are out there whom Hill's agent will find to compare it with. Any thoughts?

Posted By: Marco from Stockton (08/01/2008 9:54:54 AM)
Comment: What the 49ers need the most is a QB Coach. Not another inexperienced hire a la Hostler who was Smith's QB coach the first two years. The main problem is attracting one under what many of us think is a lame duck season. The NFL coaching communiy talks to each other. Smith has been poorly served with bad coaching. I don't know what his true potential is, but what I know is we don't have a starting QB. This will be Hill's 7th NFL season and frankly the odds he will be our saviour is low. I also worry about his durability. Hard to accept but we need to seriously look at another QB draft is the 2-4th round and I don't trust McNolan.

Posted By: Robert (08/01/2008 9:44:03 AM)
Comment: Matt, can you try to dig up some dirt on the 49ers uniform situation? About 3 months ago they were asking season ticket holders for their input. Thanks.

Posted By: Pat (08/01/2008 9:39:25 AM)
Comment: Hey Matt, what are your thoughts on free agency, in particular, the DL. Losing BY, Marques, Soap, that's a huge hit. Do you think we'll try to resign either Marques or Soap? Do the 9ers think they have enough in the pipeline, Cohen, McDonald, Fields, Oliver... is there a chance of Soap being moved to end position? thanks

Response: I think the 49ers will try to re-sign Douglas and Sopoaga. It might be difficult to bring back both of them. But, regardless, the 49ers have to sign or draft two other defensive linemen who can play right away. --Matt M.

Posted By: 9RFAFUL (08/01/2008 9:38:19 AM)
Comment: Matt: Of those unrestricted FA's, who do you see the Niners signing? My take: Smiley is a must sign, as is Strickland. Beyond that, anyone you think we need to keep in house?

Response: Hill, for sure. I'm sure they want to re-sign Sopoaga, but he is likely to get some action around the league. Douglas is a nice fit. The 49ers want to bring back Smiley but at the right price. McCloughan has made it clear his theory that guards don't warrant big-money contracts. --Matt M.

Posted By: Pat (08/01/2008 9:34:34 AM)
Comment: How is a guy on your roster this long... with you watching him every day in practice, mini camps, running scout team, preseason... and you just now figure, "hey, this guy can play, he may be our starter." and you've had him as your #3... that just doesn't make sense to me.

Posted By: razoreater (08/01/2008 9:13:45 AM)
Comment: getting gruden would be a Walshsend

Posted By: P'Nelly (08/01/2008 9:05:46 AM)
Comment: Matt, if Hill doesn't sign with us...is there any chance the Niners would go after J.P. Losman (who has publicly stated he's out of Buffalo)? Losman showed promise last year w/20+ TD's, etc.

Posted By: Pete (08/01/2008 9:04:56 AM)
Comment: Just to let you know the Coryell/Turner offense is the offense that the Niners is currently running as an offense eventhough it did not look like it this year Hostler.

Posted By: Pete (08/01/2008 9:03:06 AM)
Comment: Gruden will never come here as an offensive coordinator after being a successful head coach. The only way Gruden will come here is if McCloughan decides to fire Mike Nolan, and Hire Gruden as head coach. Only then will Gruden will come to the Niners.

Posted By: fads (08/01/2008 8:51:56 AM)
Comment: Re: Saunders: here in Washington, he was highly criticized for the complex offense he brought in and tried to ram down the team's throat (keep in mind that he was running a variant of the vertical offense of Coryell, Turner, Gibbs, etc.). I don't think we need another OC that requires the team to learn a new offense that only gets clicking midseason. I'm more intrigued with the rumors out of Tampa that Gruden might be available. Now that would be interesting.

Posted By: wsmith (08/01/2008 6:11:23 AM)
Comment: Every Redskins assistant just became available, including Al Saunders and Gregg Williams.

Posted By: Toby (08/01/2008 3:07:22 AM)
Comment: KezarMike: Nice one buddy! Lets you and me set the record straight, "West Coast Offense" my a$...its the BILL WALSH OFFENSE

Posted By: Toby (08/01/2008 3:00:36 AM)
Comment: Re: Hiring Martz - 1. He's just bombed out miserably as OC in Detroit. 2. He had success in St. Louis only when managed, by Dick Vermeil. The team went downhill after Dick left, culminating in Martz being fired again. 3. During his last year in St. Louis, Martz made some horrendous coaching decisions and/or play calls, and earned himself the moniker "Mad" Mike Martz. Do we really need Mad Mike and Mad Mike calling the shots?? 4. If we hire him, that means we will have gone from having a Bill Walsh Offense (whoever named it the West Coast Offense wasn't giving Bill his due credit), to a power running/deep ball offense under Norv, to a spread offense under Martz...??? 5. Our current personnel is a million miles away from being suitable for a Martz spread attack. We are worse at pass protection than run blocking; our receivers are the STILL the worst group in the league (4th year running); our QB situation is anyones guess, and barring the unforeseen will likely not be a towering strength next year; our best offensive player is Frank, and Martz would limit him to 10 carries per (judging by his history). So, how is Martz a candidate? And why would we waste time talking to him if he isn't a good match for us?? Is it to appease the baying fans that this "brain trust" we have are being pro-active? Or is it so they can hire a cheaper, less famous guy and blame unreasonable demands by the other interviewed OC's, citing "we did try to sign them fans, honest we did, but they were just being unreasonable"...while they palm us off with yet another second (or worse) rate coach?? Hmmm... (re-posted)

Posted By: Archie (08/01/2008 1:13:11 AM)
Comment: AthensGaNiner and Darren: as much as i hate donahue, i have to remind you guys that the donahue regime offered peterson the second highest-paid contract during his last season (second to ray lewis only)...peterson turned it down so he could test free agency. peterson injured his achilles in '04 and then played like crap (well, average at best) in '05. anyway, i was glad to see him go cuz he wasn't very good against the run and he had turned into a glorified cheerleader on the field at that point. regardless, a big reason why he's playing well in seattle is cuz he has plenty of talent around him (playing next to lofa tatupu for one). IF the niners had kept peterson, they might not have been in the same draft position they had in '07 to draft patrick "bam-bam" willis! hmm...willis or peterson? i think the answer is obvious...

Posted By: AthensGaNiner (08/01/2008 12:48:57 AM)
Comment: Darren: There's a huge difference between Hill's situation and JP's situation two years ago. 1) Hill will not command the type of money JP got. No where near. 2) Our cap situation is far superior to that of several years ago. There's plenty of room to sign Hill and still make some other pickups in FA. I right there with you on wishing something could have been done to keep Peterson around. He was my favorite player at the time. But I understand that it would have been hard for the team to fork over that kind of dough for a guy coming off of two injury marred years on the chance that he would return to his old form, and Seattle was in a position to be able to take that risk. Needless to say, it's worked out pretty good for them. But, hindsight is always 20/20, and I understand the move at the time. Do you think we can overhaul our recieving corps enough in one offseason to run Martz's system? Jackson and Battle don't fit the mold, and J. Hill and Lelie are still big question marks in my mind. I'm personally hoping to get Cameron, but I'd be interested to hear your thoughts any on personel changes to go with Martz.

Posted By: road dog (08/01/2008 12:38:48 AM)
Comment: What amount of cap $ is reasonable to assume to be set aside for the rookies of this years draft? Assuming no trades are made of course. I saw Willis got 1 vote for DPOY :)

Posted By: Travis (Culver City) (08/01/2008 12:23:35 AM)
Comment: Thanks for all the stats and research in the offseason Matt. Does all this talk intimate that the 49ers are definitely interested in bolstering the Quarterback position?

Posted By: Medford (08/01/2008 12:19:40 AM)
Comment: I still think Alex Smith is going to be a good QB first of all he needs to stay healthy. If Bret Favre could stay healthy for all those years Smith could to. He did alot of things good in 2006 forget 2007 Hostler didnt know an offense from special teams.

Posted By: Ian M (08/01/2008 12:02:52 AM)
Comment: Matt - Is Billy Volek going to be an unrestricted free agent? If so I think he could be on the same level as Hill except he has started more NFL games. I think he would be a nice fit especially if we hire Cameron since they worked together in San Diego.

Posted By: Mike in SF #1 (07/01/2008 11:52:05 PM)
Comment: According to the idiot announcers covering our season finale vs the Browns, Weinke was playing for a roster spot on the '08 team. Do you think he did well enough for the Niners to bring him back? I'm really excited to see what this kid can do! Okay, seriously now, what type of salary is Shaun Hill likely to command? You mentioned he could be the starter so the contract should pay him accordingly, but after years of making the NFL minimum, I cant imagine him turning down a guaranteed contract for good backup money.

Posted By: Mike - IL (07/01/2008 11:25:43 PM)
Comment: Matt, for future reference, what team would be a good fit for Alex Smith? I believe Alex has alot of potential if put in the right scheme. Hopefully he gets that opportunity before he ends up as the next David Carr.

Posted By: Marc - NJ49er (07/01/2008 10:43:01 PM)
Comment: Does Bob Lattinville represent any other clients on our roster Matt? Seems a little tough to factor Shaun against any other FA QBs considering his obvious disparity in playing time?

Posted By: Darren (07/01/2008 10:40:15 PM)
Comment: I will be shocked if the 49ers retain Hill and wonder why they didn't show this much caring for J Peterson? I'll also be shocked they hired Martz, simply because it is the right and logical thing for the 49ers to do, and we don't do that sort of thing. After all, why is Mike Nolan still around when he should've been FIRED?

Posted By: Cyrus (07/01/2008 10:09:04 PM)
Comment: I hope to god they don't overpay... Matt, you mentioned in the blog item you linked to in your last posting that Singletary likes to spend time in the offseason with 3 notable coaches. Any idea who is on the list this offseason? PS-- the posting I was referring to a couple of postings ago was Darren's five down from mine. Just do a ctrl-f and you'll find it. Thanks.