Martz covers a variety of topics in media session

Mike Martz met with the media today and was interesting, as usual.

Here are some of the excerpts from his session:

 

–On his $20,000 fine: “That’s something we’ll deal with but it’s not something to discuss.”

 

–On whether Shaun Hill was as perfect in the first half as his passer rating: “Close to it, yeah. I thought he was outstanding – just outstanding. To manage a game like he did there; he was impeccable with his decisions. He was relaxed, he saw things, the game slowed down for him. The things we didn’t see from him early in camp, he has a real good grasp of what we’re doing.”

 

–Before his first start you said you weren’t sure what it was going to look like. What has he shown you?

Martz: “The thing I didn’t know from early in camp and spring, he was still struggling to learn what we do, so it wasn’t going to look real good. Sitting and watching J.T. (O’Sullivan) over those weeks, he really absorbed a lot and went to school on what was going on. . . . One thing everybody knew of him when I wasn’t here is that he’d manage a game real well. We really needed that. We needed a quarterback to come in and just manage things. He did a great job of that. . . . He’s further along than I would’ve expected.”

 

–On Hill’s mechanics: “He’s not there, yet. He’s a ways away with some of that. We still need to groove him mechanically. Most of the time he’s good and then the consistency of his mechanics isn’t there yet, and we need to get that wired. He’s been doing this so long at a different way, sometimes that’s hard.”

 

–Coach Mike Singletary implied that you’re so hard on Shaun that when he gets to the game, it’s easier.

Martz: “I think that’s true with all quarterbacks who are learning to play. You really got to give them a game environment. You’re cheating them if you don’t. You have to put the pressure on them to make impeccable decisions and get the ball out quick. You work hard to try to create that environment during the week. That’s only fair to him. He’s handled that very well.”

 

–On Hill not looking great on the practice field but turning it on for games: “On Wednesdays, it’s an installation day, and he’s not going to look good. Wednesday was awful for Kurt (Warner) . . . Marc (Bulger), Jon Kitna . . . Wednesday is not a good day. We’ve installed and they’re getting a feel for the timing because there are a lot of new things. Thursday they look better and Friday they should look real good. That’s kind of how, in general, it proceeds. If you watch him on a Friday practice, he’s outstanding.”

 

–On his relationship with Mike Singletary: “I think we’re on the same page with everything. It’s really easy for him. He’s treated me outstanding. We see things the same. He’s terrific during the game on the sideline. Really, I told him the other day (that) it’s fun to have him on the sideline because he’s so under control and we have a nice exchange going during the game.

 

–On whether he knew Singletary well before he was named interim coach: “No, because he’s kind of a quiet guy . . . as I am.”

 

–On cameras catching them in what appears to be heated exchange: “It’s just so silly. The thing in Arizona was kind of funny because we were talking about maybe we should challenge that (a spot on a third-down play). He came down and said, ‘I think maybe we should challenge that.’ We were going through the mechanics of it. And I was telling him that the guy was pulling his leg back and that’s where I’m getting animated. It’s not what it was. It’s just so stupid. But what are you going to do? Then he says, ‘I wish I would’ve challenged it.’ And that’s when I patted him on the back and said, ‘Don’t worry about it. We’re all right with this.’ It’s like I said. It’s a real good rapport. We have a good relationship. Anything that’s made of that, outside of that, just isn’t accurate.”

 

–On whether the offense has been altered since Singletary took over: “No. We haven’t changed anything. We haven’t approached it any differently. Mike made it very clear when he got the job that he likes what we do offensively. It’s new for him, but he likes it. We’re both really concerned about the turnovers at the quarterback position, and that makes you want to hand the ball off a lot.”

 

–On the 49ers’ reliance on Frank Gore: “These other guys like Jason Hill, for instance, B.J. (Bryant Johnson), Michael (Robinson), they’re all starting to step up and take on a role, which takes a lot of pressure off Frank in this offense. When other guys are being accountable and able to make big plays, when you focus on one or two guys and rely on them to win the game with big plays, you may do it occasionally, but it’s not going to happen very often.”

 

–On decrease in sacks with Hill at QB: “He sees things quickly and gets the ball out fast. His decisions are quick and he doesn’t hang onto the ball. There’s no hesitation. That’s why I’m surprised. You have to really know what we’re doing to be able to do that. So he’s further along in that regard than I’d expect him to be. We had a sack last week that was a protection breakdown and had nothing to do with him, so really we should have no sacks after two games. The line has done a good job. We have to do a better job at quarterback, which he has done. The routes are better. It’s like we said at the beginning of the year, the first half of the season, they’ll learn this stuff and the second half we should really begin to grow and identify those people who can make plays and share the ball around, and make sure Frank is still the centerpiece of the offense. And that’s how we approached it, really.”

 

–On Chilo Rachal’s possible promotion: “There’s a maturity aspect involved. I’m not sure that he’s ready. But we’ll see how he handles today, too. He’s a big, powerful guy who’s kind of special, physically. . . . The reflection is nothing that we weren’t good there. It’s that this guy could end up being kind of special or else we don’t make the change there. That’s what people have to understand. This is no reflection on what was happening there. We think he might be really, really good.”

 

–On Josh Morgan’s groin: “That was a really significant injury. I’m not sure we’re going to get him back in the near future. . . . That game in Arizona before he got hurt, he was really starting to be what we hoped and thought he might be.”

 

–On Jason Hill: “What Jason’s got, he’s got some real juice. He can go. The speed involved with Josh and Jason, and the guys we have now, we’re faster than probably what I’ve experienced in the last few years even. These are big guys who can get down the field. The big deal is they don’t run fast until they’re sure of what they’re doing. Now, all that is starting to develop. The anticipation of things is good. The guys are growing. They’re getting on the same page and they’re excited about playing. When you know what to do and you’re sure about it, now you can compete. It’s taken a little bit of time, but I think that’s where we are.”

 

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