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San Francisco 49ers head coach Mike Nolan and offensive coordinator Mike Martz are heaping praise on quarterback J.T. O’Sullivan– and it’s hard not to read their praise as criticism of Alex Smith.
“He has an excellent arm, no question about it,” Martz said of O’Sullivan. “He’s very accurate, very quick with the ball. He just needs to play. He needs to develop.”
O’Sullivan was widely expected to be the third-string quarterback behind both the winner and the loser of the battle between Smith and Shaun Hill. But the 49ers say that’s not the case; O’Sullivan has a real shot at beating both of them.
“It’s a three-man race, not just two,” Nolan said.
In 2007, the 49ers’ passing game looked horrible all season, with both Smith and Trent Dilfer running the show. But then in December, Hill started two games and got significant playing time in a third, and all of a sudden the 49ers’ offense looked competent.
That Hill, who had never thrown an NFL pass until last season, would play so much better than Smith was one very bad sign for Smith, the 2005 No. 1 overall pick. The coaches’ praise for O’Sullivan is another.
May 5th, 2008 at 11:42 am
Martz also said recently that Alex Smith is the best quarterback he’s ever worked with.
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May 5th, 2008 at 12:09 pm
Please.
Martz spewed this same crap about O’Sullivan when he was here in Detroit, and when O’Sullivan played he was absolutely horrendous.
Nobody should ever listen to a word that comes out of Martz’s mouth.
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May 5th, 2008 at 12:14 pm
Martz praised O’Sullivan last year too. He loved the guy. He never stopped talking about how great he was.
Don’t buy into it. It’s just Martz being smarter than you. Obviously, Nolan is just agreeing with Martz because they are still at the whole “buddy-buddy” stage of their relationship and he’s still convinced Martz is some sort of “mad offensive genius.”
When O’Sullivan actually played last year, he was awful. Abysmal. He was a significant step down from Jon Kitna. Let me repeat that: He was a significant step down from Jon Kitna.
But for The Hand of God coming down to heal Kitna in that first game against Minnesota last year, there is no way the Lions win that game. Even God knows O’Sullivan isn’t very good. Martz is, of course, smarter than God, so what does He know…
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Rating: 3 / 5 with 2 rating(s)
May 5th, 2008 at 12:28 pm
Hmm…. Who is Nolan trying to communicate with? After one minicamp in a new system Smith is getting knocked? There is no other quarterback in the league who at his age, with the number of OCs he’s had, the number of sacks he’s had to put up with, and the lack of capable pass catching threats the Niners have had. Peyton Manning would look like a bust with these guys. You couldn’t make things less ideal.
Add to all those things a Head Coach who is consistently coming out with crap about JT O’Sillyman being in the race to start, or questioning Smiths toughness. Ridiculous!
Hill did well against who? They didn’t win any games that they shouldn’t have, given the opponent. Hill is no savior. Neither is Sillyman.
Being a 9er fan gives me a headache.
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May 5th, 2008 at 12:40 pm
In the same breath, practically, they were praising Smith as being the most impressive of the QBs in camp.
Niiiiice job.
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May 5th, 2008 at 1:16 pm
I believe Alex Smith’s days are numbered. As a longtime 49ers fan it’s sad to see how far this franchise has fallen. Incompetence in the management and ownership have really made them into a mediocre franchise. Ah I pine for the days of Eddie Debartalo Jr, regardless of how crooked he was.
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May 5th, 2008 at 1:22 pm
Smith would be GREAT under Gruden, and Simms needs to go somewhere….. yes TB does not need another QB, but Smith is a perfect Gruden fit! Simms has the gun and needs a new adress and is MUCH more ready to play and win.
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May 5th, 2008 at 1:29 pm
Alex Smith’s struggles should have come as no surprise to anyone. He never showed even as much as a plus arm, he played in a poor conference, in a system designed to inflate his numbers. I still can’t understand why teams preferred him to Aaron Rodgers, aside from the Tedford factor. Anyway, this staff’s reaction is akin to a kid being excited about getting the least rusted out, fifty dollar lemon in the used car lot. It’s not so much a commentary on O’Sullivan’s talents as it is a revelation of the lack thereof on this roster.
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May 5th, 2008 at 3:02 pm
I don’t know that I’m ready to call Alex Smith a bust just yet, I’ll give him another year. It might help if the niners offense had any threat other than Frank Gore.
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May 5th, 2008 at 3:18 pm
O’Sullivan signed on the condition he could compete for the starting job. The 49ers were mostly interested in how he could help teach the Marz system. All Nolan is doing is fulfulling his side of the deal. No conspiracy, no hidden motives, no subliminal messages to Smith or anyone else.
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May 5th, 2008 at 3:20 pm
What the 49 fans need is to talk to some Viking fans. I’m sure there’s a large number of Viking fans who are convinced that both Shaun Hill and JT O’Sullivan (both former Vikings) are way better than Tarvaris Jackson. Sure, those fans are idiots who are also pretty sure they, themselves, are better than Tarvaris Jackson, but they might be able to pump up the 49 fans anyway.
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May 5th, 2008 at 3:26 pm
This is the biggest non-story out of Niners’ mini-camp. All three QB’s were praised, so you should make sure to mention that. The beat writers covering the camps have also said that Smith has been the most impressive QB so far. C’mon Florio, I read thise site daily, but you are just conforming with the rest of the media-types when you emphasize all that is negative without ever giving much credit when something positive is accomplished. This is the society our kids are growing up in… and we wonder why they are turning out the way they are.
I’ll be first in line to say “I told you so!” when Alex Smith shows why he was drafted 1st overall.
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May 5th, 2008 at 4:23 pm
Isnt this the same O’Sullivan who couldnt make the Bears practice squad. When you cant outshine a QB on the Bears roster that speaks volumes for your future in the NFL.
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May 5th, 2008 at 5:49 pm
Actually punchypete, O’Sullivan performed quite well as a Bear but had the misfortune of being in Chicago when Grossman was doing his injury-prone thing and Orton was just drafted. Being someone that the Bears invested neither a draft pick, nor a sizable contract made it easier to let him go while the GM and coaches were trying to evaluate Rex & Kyle.
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May 5th, 2008 at 7:32 pm
Instant 49ers: I wanted to talk to you about each of your quarterbacks. Let’s start with Alex Smith. The knock on Alex has been . . .
Martz: “Before you even start that I just want to say that all sins are forgiven. I don’t know what you’re going to say; I don’t care what you’re going to say. It has no bearing. For me to evaluate him, it’s what I see out here right now. I could care less about what’s happened in the past.
Instant 49ers: Fair enough. Let’s put it this way - are you comfortable with Alex’s ability to make quick decisions and get rid of the ball on time?
Martz: “So far, he’s been extraordinary. So far, he’s been absolutely extraordinary.”
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May 5th, 2008 at 8:20 pm
J. T. O’Suckivan? REALLY?
Happy trails, Mike Nolan, happy trails. And forget the mothballs, you won’t need those suits again.
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May 5th, 2008 at 10:28 pm
I don’t know that I could honestly consider Alex Smith a bust yet, however he is teetering on the brink of “bustdom”. I don’t really think he has gotten a fair shake in San Fran, they haven’t given him much to throw at other than Vernon Davis and it isn’t terribly difficult to game plan for just Frank Gore and Vernon Davis.
In today’s NFL you need at least 2 solid RB’s and 3 solid WR’s. 1 of those WR’s need’s to be a go-to-guy in any situation. It isn’t saying much when your starting WR’s are Ashlie Lelie, Darrell Jackson, and Arnaz Battle. Jackson has always been a hard worker, but is oft injured and is the epitome of an overachiever.
I think the 49er’s made some outstanding moves on the offensive side of the ball by picking up DeShaun Foster, who when healthy is one of the better RB’s in the NFL, and adding WR’s Bryant Johnson and Isaac Bruce to their roster is fantastic. Arnaz Battle, Bryant Johnson, Bruce and Jason Hill is a VASTLY improved WR corp than the previous season. I think if Alex Smith can’t get this offense to work he will be gone in a heartbeat.
On the other side I think it is very possible to see another Tony Romo situation with Shaun Hill. Hill ran the offense extremely well when he played last year and I think his performance has raised Mike Nolan’s eyebrow significantly. Don’t be surprised if Hill beats out Smith for the starting QB job at some point (if not the beginning) of the season.
In regards to JT O’Sullivan…yea, whatever. Sean Salisbury has been raving about Sage Rosenfels for how many years now? I think it takes some QB’s a while to pick up the game and I guess it is possible for O’Sullivan to be one of those guys, but Martz hasn’t exactly been the most “humble” or “truthful” in what he has regarding player personnel. That being said, I think O’Sullivan will get a few looks this pre-season. He is certainly stepping onto a more balanced and “complete” team than what was in Detroit for the past couple of seasons. I don’t care how awesome your WR’s are, when you don’t have an OL to speak of or any running game, throwing the ball is going to be damn near impossible on any defense worth their weight.
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May 6th, 2008 at 1:42 pm
As has been stated most of the observers are saying that based on how they did in mini-camp Alex Smith was clearly the best of the 3 QBs.
You have to remember that last season is a wash for Alex Smith for week 4 and on. As soon as his shoulder was injured he wasn’t the same as he had to play throwing in pain as some defensive players on the other team noted(they were said he was grimicing in pain or grunting in pain with every throw). Playing with pain is going to distract you. Now that he has had surgery and is playing under an OC who is at the absolute worst above average he should fare much better than last season.
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