Sounds like the 49ers will soon be known as having one of the most unprofessional management offices in football. First the HC finds out he is fired during the season through a leak, now the OC. Good job Yorks! Everyone will be lining up to get a job here now.

Bad decision Singeltary. I love what you have done with the 9ers this year, but this is horrible. Martz did a great job with this offense, and this is how you repay him. I really hope they have a good replacement in mind. I like Scott Linehan. He won't get a head coaching job anytime soon. Also, just because San Diego made the playoffs does not guarntee Truner his job back next year. They still enourmously underachieved. bring back Norv. The players already know his offense, and he will never be a head coach again.

This is no way to treat Mike Martz, he worked hard for this team, he may not have been perfect, but he has definitely improved the offense. If they're gonna let him go, they damn well better somebody good to replace him.

I have to agree with Finalyst totally. Whoever is leaking this info is an organizational weaklink and should be fired immediately because it demeans the whole organization. (Unless it was Singletary's agent.) What do you think Bill Walsh and Eddie D would have done if this had happened during their tenure? At least one head would have rolled. Here's a chance for Jed to show he deserves to be team president.

Those that want to keep Martz: do you want to keep him GIVEN THE FACT that he wants to leave at the next opportunity, like Norv Turner did?

I disagree alwaysfaithful, this is the move that had to be made to correct a mistake that was made last year. Singletary has to approach the offseason as his chance to install the offense he will have throughout his 4 year contract. But, with NFL coaching movement the way that it is, he also has to assume he will need more than 1 OC during that 4 year stretch. So he has to ask himself, can anyone other than Mike Martz run the Mike Martz offense? If the answer is no he has to go in a different direction and find a scheme that can be installed that will survive more than one OC. The problem over the last few years isn't that there's been a new OC every year, it's that there's been a new system every year. In order to create some degree of continuity you have to be able to either promote from within or find outside coaches who can come in without changing your entire playbook and terminology. Decide on the scheme you want, then go out and find the best coaches to fit that scheme.

That's kind of disturbing, I'm afraid the front office is made up of clubby, yes men. I would like to believe that Singletary displayed enough leadership to handle a "team of rivals" approach to his coaching staff.

Nevertheless, Singletary will need to hire a strong offensive coordinator, who unfortunately, has to meet the approval of the front office.

Ouch. I'm on the fence about Martz, but this is no way to run an organization. How do the GM and President not have any contact with the OC? This team is terribly dysfunctional, but that only proves that Singletary is the only man for the job.

"I don't know why this is happening," Martz said. "But I'll move on. There is a way to do that stuff. When the season is over, you go do what needs to be done. But don't drag me through the thorn bush." Jeez--where's my violin! Give me a break! When Martz joins his next team, he'll badmouth the 49ers the same way he badmouthed the Lions when he was hired here, and the same way he badmouthed the Rams when he was hired by the Lions. My guess is that he wants out so that he can be free to run his seven-step-drop, quarterback-killing, turnover-prone, weak-in-the-redzone, boom-or-bust offense as he sees fit.

Martz was hired by Nolan not Singletary. It would have been very easy for Singletary or McCloughan to state the obvious that the situation has changed since Martz's hiring and all parties need to sit down together and discuss/ assess the current situation and see where all parties stand given the current situation (i.e. new head coach, new philosophy). This would have left every option open. Maybe Martz doesn't want to come back if he feels his hands would be tied, maybe Mike and Mike works great as is, maybe Singletary wants Martz back if they can agree on how things will go moving forward, maybe they just decide to part ways, whatever, but it doesn't need to appear to leave Martz swinging in the breeze. This is common professionalism in the business world.

I am deeply divided on this if Martz is gone.

On one hand, he was a short-timer coming into SF due to his fully acknowledged desire to be a head coach.

On the other hand, he did a lot of great things for the Niners this year and IMO, you DO NOT get rid of a guy unless he falls into one of two categories (or both):

1. He is a detriment to the team. I think Martz handled Singletary's vision of the offense with great restraint. We became one of the best ball control offenses in the league. Our rankings went up, but that's not saying much compared to last year. Still, Martz was more successful than not this year.

2. The organization has a CLEAR UPGRADE/REPLACEMENT not only in mind, but in place to replace the predecessor. I would bet money now that that Singletary and McCloughan DO NOT have a replacement selected yet.

Based on the above, this move is highly questionable. Why are we opting to DISRUPT the great things we were onto the second half of the season?

One thing I can assure anyone reading -- Singletary better avoid the trap of thinking because he is the HC, he knows it all. He needs to avoid over-thinking things, and allow solid, EXPERIENCED people to come in and support him.

The LAST thing we need is an inexperienced HC with an inexperienced OC. If that happens, we can kiss our playoff chances goodbye for a good 1-2 years.

The next big decision will be Hill and the same logic applies -- don't overthink this, Jed/Scot/Mike. Go with the guy who has proven he can win! No one is going to convince me there is a guy in FA or the draft that is going to give this team a better chance to win out of the gates than Hill.

Shaun has earned his stripes and I think I speak for most fans when I say that the job should be his to lose, new OC or not.

Let's all band together and cry for Mike Martz, why don't we? Seriously people.

is it too much to ask for the 49ers to handle this the right way? Im not the biggest Martz fan but, instead of leaking things to the press handle like professionals and talk to Martz first! This pattern of things not being done professionally like the Nolan firing needs to end..

I mean, I swear. 49er fans sniff the smelly underbelly of MILD success (SEVEN AND NINE, PEOPLE!), and all of a sudden every link to that MILD success MUST be maintained at all costs!

49er fans. The most spoiled and sentimental of all time.

Aaron, continuity is key. Keeping Martz instills continuity. 7 O.C in 7 years? Come on that is very disruptive to a team. Plus you talk about different schemes? Schemes are not only coaches but you have to have the right personnel to run them. What mistake did they make last year? Improvement and progress is what I see made with the arrival of Martz. The last time the offense was this good was when Norv Turner was around. Guess what, Turner and Martz run the same scheme, its basically Don Coryell's (Air Coryell) offense. I believe both Martz and Turner learned from Ernie Zampese. Turner just tweaked it to add more run. Martz is more true to the Air Coryell system. Im sure Martz can adjust if the Sing wants more running. Keep Martz, you have the personnel and you have the offense with one year of experience with his offense under their belt.

There are pros and cons to keeping him and to firing him.

The pro is, of course, that he's a great coordinator. And that consistency is exactly what the team needs. Martz staying would make the Niners a serious contender for a playoff spot in 2009, and that's good.

But there is a downside. Martz has not been shy about making it known that he has head coaching aspirations, and bringing the Niners to the playoffs would get him noticed. Plus his contract would be over. So Singletary would have to find a new coordinator for 2010 anyway, and on someone else's schedule rather than his own. Which is how the team ended up with Hostler.

Keeping Martz would signal a commitment to winning next year. Firing him and hiring a coordinator who's not going to jump ship after one more season signals a commitment to building a staff that's going to stay together. Both have their benefits and I'm not going to be unhappy with either situation.

Great. Another system for the offense to learn. Another learning curve to overcome. Another slow start as the team adjusts. Another 7-9 season ahead?

Indiana Jim, LOL so you think changing O.C is gonna bring us back to the promised land huh? You think were gonna be the old niners who dominated the NFL by going to a different scheme of the POWER RUNNING game? Yep firing the O.C will change that we're gonna be 14-2 next year by changing schemes and O.C's. LMAO. You must be living in the past glory days if you think changing O.C's is going to be the answer. So break it down Indiana what O.C is going to improve this offense???? Which NEW O.C is going to change the niners into a juggernaut?

I don't really care about Martz. What concerns me here is that Singletary supposedly has autonomy over his coaching staff, but it appears as if the front office is forcing his hand, I find that troubling.

I still think that Singletary needs to hire a really strong coordinator who will command the respect of both coaches and players that's why I think he will hire a retread like Chan Gailey, linehan or Chris Palmer. A dark horse I like is David Lee, QB coach of the Dolphins.

Lol, you're miserable. This team has been bad for six straight years and it's had a new OC each of those years (and even before that). Fans are hoping for a new formula called "continuity". It would be nice to try and keep a team with a little momentum intact going into next year. Also, it's horrible if they treat Martz this way because it makes the Niners look more like the Raiders and the way their ownership handles things.

I am not a Martz fan. I think his offense and especially his play calling is seriously flawed. Having said that, the way this situation has been handled has been terrible. If you're going to fire the guy then just do it already. I've got to think the way this is happening could potentially hurt the 9ers chances of hiring a top notch OC prospect. I mean who would want to go to an organization with such apparent mismanagement, miscommunication, and back-stabbing.

Armchair --

I concur that the most important thing is now is for Singletary to bring in experienced guy, someone who understands Singletary's vision but doesn't need to be babysat.

No more blind leading the blind! (a la Nolan/Hostler). Singletary is NOT an offense guy, and I pray he doesn't try to be.

hostler is avaible?

maybe the yorks wanna call him up for the vacancy...or even better what about Mike Nolan?

During the course of my many years in sales management I learned (perhaps the hard way) that you talk staright to people and just put it on the table. Families are affected by all of this and for the NFL Network to be reporting this is bush league. I did not always agree with MM ( I mean after all I played Pee Wee league football and therefore am an expert) but he worked hard and gave what he had to the organization. Scotty Mc..........grow up. Need to man up as the GM. Very disappointing behavior on the part of Niner mgt. And Coach Sing............take charge no one should be treated like dirt. Be az pro and be professional when dealing with people. Treat others as you would like to be treated...original I know.

There are two issues here: (1) should Martz return in 2009? and (2) is the new Jed York front office going about this professionally? Nobody can say say that martz didn't improve the offense. This was the best offense in SIX years...and it was accomplished with marginal quarterback talent. Give Martz credit for working miracles with NFL castoffs. And, you cannot applaud this move without knowing who Martz's replacement is? That is like cheering wildly for the unknown behind door #2, when you have already won a vacation for two to Hawaii. Door #2 could be a burro. Besides...leaking this news before sitting down with Martz is unprofessional. Is that what we want? A bush league front office like the have over in Oakland?

So who is the Rat in the front office who keeps leaking sensitive information? First Nolan, then Singletary, and now Martz. Whether Martz is fired or not this is classless and needs to stop now. Let us know if you have any ideas Matt. We've got your back.

Matt, do you have any comments or insights into the leaks. We've seen Nolan and Martz firing leaked. We knew Singletary was going to get hired before it happened. Is this common, or is there 1 person in the organization who is doing this. It is pretty bad...!

O.K. So, this makes a little more sense now as to why there was all the confusion back when Martz was rumored to be a candidate as Niner O.C., and Mike Nolan was saying one thing and Scotty Mac was saying another. Apparently, the front office never liked Martz to begin with. Sounds like Nolan stuck to his guns and hired Martz anyway. Oh well, hope the next coordinator thebest of luck and can get off to a good start.

I wouldn't rule out Brian Billick as OC or even Jim Fassel. Singletary knows them both from his time in Baltimore. Both are proven OCs and are both available now.

Billick has the advantage of being version in the WCO but favours a run heavy, pound it straight ahead style offence that most believe Singletary favours too.

I think Martz did a reasonable job - but most defending him are forgetting how horrible the offence was last year under Hostler (basically anything was an upgrade this year), how bad Martz's playcalling for JTO was this season (the guy fumbles the ball when hit so great idea Martz to keep calling 7 step drops (didn't they go out with the Ark?) and the biggest crime is that he didn't utilise Gore. He had one of the top 5 backs in the league and the rushing offence still lagged in 27th in the league - and thats even after Singletary told him to crank up the runs.

Martz for me showed his true colours in the Miami game - the running game is working, time is on the clock but yet he called 21 consecutive pass plays (and accordingly the defence just keyed off on the QB and won the game for Miami). What was terrible about that was when Martz was asked about calling so many passes back to back he said that he didn't realise. So he either was lying then or doesn't give a hoot about any semblance of balance, keeping the defence honest / off-balance. My frustration with his use of Gore and the running game was boiling over before that but after the Miami game I lost respect for him as an OC.

Jed is the one that doesn't like Martz. He's the one leaking all these stories via his pal Kawakami. I'll bet you $100 Singletary has been told he can hire any OC he wants except Martz.

Jed is a sneaky spoiled brat. Watch out for more of this BS.

Good points-he doesn't run the ball and he's a biga gambler. I'm not the biggest Martz fan either but he's better than what they've had in the past few year (aside from Norv). I'm afraid this team will regress if they have to learn another new system though. Billick is an interesting thought. At least it will be an interesting offseason...

Smart comments by Jack Acid. Ever hear the expression "too smart by half"....you know, someone thinks they are way smarter than they are about something. York, younger and elder "live" this expression, starting with firing Mariucci and easing Bill Walsh out of the building. Scot Mc does not appear that much brighter. The team lucked out with Singletary just "being here" already, but this thing with Martz is an inauspicious start. So, the guy marches to a different drummer. He is the most "sure thing" to get a QB going since Walsh (who turned EVERY QB to gold, from Greg Cook, Virgil Carter, K Anderson, Dan Fouts, Guy Benjamin, Steve Dils, Turk Schonert, Steve DeBerg, Joe Montana, Steve Young...and ALL those great backups...Kemp, Bono, etc. (remember Deberg set a record for pass comps in 1979). Martz takes a market checkout guy (Warner) to record setting league and SB MVP, a 6th round pick to the top of the league stats (Bulger), a journeyman (Kitna) to 2 4,000 yard seasons, another journeyman to a starting position on an NFL team (JTO - and he had a couple of good games, hey - he is who he is) and another journeyman - Hill to very good success - LAST TWO GAMES - GAME WINNING DRIVE DOWN THE STRETCH!!!!!!!!!!! So, now we have to watch Martz go to maybe the Raiders and turn Russell into a 4,000 yard, 30 TD guy or even worse yet, to Seattle to work for Mora, or back to the Rams, or any number of teams that realize that to win, YOU GOTTA MOVE THE FREAKING FOOTBALL.

I must say, I do have mixed feeling about this, as we NEED some offensive continuity, as everyone and their mama knows by now...BUT, Sing is NO FOOL, and obviously has a VISION. Hopefully for the 9ers sake it's a VISION QUEST! Team Execs are fired up, the players are fired up, the fans are fired up, shoot, even the media's fired up! This BETTER be the LAST time our seasons ends in December. The only "next season" talk I wanna hear about from now on is "SUPER BOWL" next season!! That's the way it was, and ALWAYS SHOULD BE! GO F**KIN' NINERS!

It's interesting that we're complaining about the leaks on a website that perpetuates them. Matt Maiocco has no reason to bring this up with the 49ers management because it would put the writers out of a job if they didn't have these leaks. Still, it'd be nice if he reported the fans disdain for the leaks anyway, in the name of responsible reporting.

At any rate, we're going about it the wrong way.

Billick as OC???? No doubt based on the sparkling Ravens offense we've seen over the past decade. This is as dumb as Holgrem as GM.

I am kind of leaning both ways as Martz. For one he has brought the offense back to a respectable level. There still needs improvement, but with continuity they will get better. The other side that I see is that he has openly said he wants to be a HC again. If he was willing to sign a document that states he will not jump ship for a HC job then I say keep him. The problem is that Singletary needs an OC that will stay with the team during his time with the team.

YEAH .. way to go Mike !!!!!!!!!!!!

The leaks are the disturbing part to me. Other than that I am not sure what Martz is upset about but here is how I view this. First, I have heard Singletary say he has had lists in place of who he wants his coaching staff to be when he gets an opportunity. He deserves the chance to hire who he wants if you are going to hold him accountable for winning. Also for Martz to say Jed York told him he was not in favor of hiring him in the first place says it all to me. Third, if you are going to bring Martz back the only way it makes sense is if he makes a multiyear commitment and he isn't going to do that because he wants to be a head coach again. They need to bite the bullet and end this revolving door at OC and start building some continuity. The Martz hire never made sense from that standpoint and thus this is the last big of Nolan caused chaos that needs to be flushed down the toilet. I am not concerned about who they hire or what system they put in. Singletary will make sure everyone is accountable for executing their assignments. That is the best part of having Singletary.

I am very concerned with the lack of continuity in offense coordinators. As we saw this year, it takes time for players to learn and get on the same page with a new offensive scheme.
I thought Martz did a very good job improving the Niner offense this year, and he and Singletary have consistently complimented each other. I not clear why this has happened, and as others have said, we better have a known better alternative if we are canning Martz.
Finally, if we are going to move to a run oriented attack (the thought makes me sick), one of our first 3 picks better be a running back. Even though Gore is super, we are one injury away from making any Niner run focused attack impotent and completely destroy our season. I would like to see an unexpected move by the Niners like drafting Wells or Moreno 10th, or Shonn Green in the 2nd or 3rd. The other top needs are NT and RT. I think we can move Goldson or one of our young big corners to FS and succeed.

this is no way to treat an OC that has gotten this team's offense rolling, since Norv...

I really hope they don't fire him. Things are FINALLY WORKING AGAIN

Thats ridiculous Kezar Mike . . . how did he do with JT O'Sullivan???? To compare Mike Martz to Bill Walsh is insane.

I'll give Singletary the ability to make things happen but not for strategic planning. I think firing Martz may be his first rookie mistake. Maybe he has someone in mind but if he doesn't get anyone from a top tier team the 49ers are in for a 50% record in '09 IMO.

To me the deep risky throws are more entertaining. They work in other clubs with receivers who go after the ball. JT would have been more successful with aggressive receivers and a better OL. Even with all the success Hill had he is not the lock in QB. Maybe Dr. Frankenstien could put JT's arm, Hills head, and Smith's perceived potential, LOL.

BTW, Jed said on a radio interview he likes Martz but leaves decision up to "Sing".

Hey let's have some faith people. Aside from the 2 minute offense/time management, Singletary has been excellent in assessing and making big decisions. If Martz is indeed gone, then let's rest assured that Mike Sing has got it handled.
Mike Sing is a master of knowing his personnel. Martz pushed his offensive system on players that are not play-makers. Calm the heck down and watch Singletary in action. I support his decision! Now, can I have some tickets Mike!!

RealFan --

I don't support the idea of Billick much, but in his defense, he wasn't running the offense when he coached in Baltimore (mostly Matt Cavanaugh and Jim Fassil). In fact, the year he fired Fassil mis-season and took over playcalling, the Ravens offense actually performed much better it carried them into the playoffs.

I think Singletary has someone else in mind, and I'm concerned that it will be someone that raises more questions than they answer. I don't say that meaning "bad", I say that meaning "unknown".

It just leaves a bad taste in my mouth when we finish the season on a high note, then CHOOSE to regress because let's face it, there's little way to quantify firing a mostly-successful OC and expecting the situation the following year to IMPROVE. I don't care WHO is here next year, chances are great they will be less effective than what Martz would be coming into a second year.

I just hope Singletary knows what he's doing, because this decision alone could set the tone for his entire tenure.