Among the things he said:
--Heitmann is having a fantastic season and would be worthy of Pro Bowl recognition if the 49ers had a better record. Martz said in 17 years of coaching in the NFL, Heitmann is the best center he's coached -- "by far."
Martz also said Heitmann has been the most consistent 49ers offensive lineman.
What makes Heitmann special, Martz said, is his powerful hips and his quick hands. After the snap of the ball, Heitmann is able to get his hands on the nose tackle with astonishing speed.
Heitmann seemed uncomfortable talking about himself when told of Martz's comments. However, he did say he thought he was playing better than he has in past season. (And Heitmann was the 49ers' McKittrick Award winner the past two seasons.)
"Coming off the broken leg, there were some issues with mobility (last year)," Heitmann said. "Now, I've gotten that back."
Obviously, Heitmann has a big task on Sunday when he faces the Jets' Kris Jenkins.
--Martz addressed the switch that has seemed to occur. Earlier in the season the run blocking was good and the pass-protection, well, not so much. Now, it's been reversed.
"When teams face us, what's the first thing they're going to take away?" Martz asked.
The answer was No. 21.
"Yeah, they're going to take 21 away," he said. "So when teams line up to take 21 away, they're not going to rush the passer, are they? Now they've created some good things with us in the passing game. . . . You just have to be able to transition in and out of the passing game and the running game when that happens.
"That's why we do what we do. One week, he might rush the ball 15 times, and the next week he might rush it 32 times."
--Asked Martz if he's thought ahead to next season . . . if Mike Singletary were to get the head-coaching job, would Martz want to be back on the staff?
"Today is just enough in itself," Martz said. "I'll worry about tomorrow when it gets here. A month from now, who knows what's going to happen. I enjoy every day. I'm not trying to be cute or avoid your question. I've been in this too long to worry. If you start worrying or looking down the road at all those things, you don't really enjoy what you're doing. I'm having fun here with what we're doing."
--Has San Diego State made any contact with Martz about the opening?
"This came up in Detroit, and this time of year you go through that," Martz said. "The only thing I'll say, and this is important to me, the only job I'm concerned about is the job that I have. I'd never discuss another job, no matter where it is. It's just not appropriate for me. It's not right. I'm happy with the job that I have and I'm trying to do the best I can with it, so we'll just leave it at that."
--Martz left the door open for Barry Sims to challenge Adam Snyder at right guard tackle. Martz declined to say which player will start this week, but he said Sims was playing very well when he got hurt.
* * *
Didn't Martz also say J.T. O'Sullivan was the best QB he ever coached?
shows how much i know when i watch the games as i have been very critical of his play. He seems to get pushed around a lot and allows quick penetration in the backfield but maybe those plays require a G to crack down or something.
Martz says this about everyone he coaches. Our O-LINE is one of the weakest in the NFL. Every game we lose is lost up front. McCloughan has done a terrible job at his most important job, getting lineman. Frank Gore makes them look good, not the other way around.
I think you meant right tackle, not guard (re. Snyder vs. Sims).
Thank you for this post Matt. A number of uninformed posters/fans on this blog have been calling out Heitman all season long. Its obvious to me anyone who has said that doesn’t know anything about NFL O-line play and certainly doesn’t pay attention to their supposed team (49ers). Instead – it’s the typical fan knee jerk reaction and to call out one of our best players only made those posters football IQ look very small. I believe more than a few of you have asked for him to be cut this offseason. Heitman is here to stay and SHOULD be here to stay. He is a very very good Center and deserves his due.
Barry Sims to challenge for the starting spot at RT? Unbelievable. It just shows how weak we are at RT if Sims is even mentioned as possibly starting. He was repeatedly beaten in the games he started. If I were Hill, I would beg for Martz to stay with Snyder. Not that Snyder is any good at RT, but he sure is a lot better than Sims, and that's not saying much. Sims needs to be cut immediately after the final game. We need a stud OT in the draft. A top 15 pick should land us a quality OT for the future.
It's too bad we all can't be as smart as you Mr. Mike. I and many others have called out Heitman because it appears opponents easily push up the middle especially on short yardage plays. Since, as you've informed us, Heitman is so good it must be the guards who get pushed back so easily. Since you're such an astute talent evaluator, why don't you educate the rest of us mortals on who is responsible for the poor line play.
Matt,
My sons and I are High School football fans. I actually remember Heitman from high school since he was one of the best players in Houston as a senior. When the 9ers signed him I looked him up to see if he was the same player I rembered from Katy. Wikipedia has the following entry for Heitman...
"He is the third of four sons born to his parents, Mike, a veterinarian, and Carolyn, a registered nurse. His brother Mike is a well-known chicken rancher in the Waller/Hockley area, and likes drinking cervezas at local taquerias mostly.?
I've always wondered if Heitman wrote that himself. Matt, can you ask Eric if he penned this entry himself.
The dreaded vote of confidence
Mike#2- I've criticized Heitmann and stand behind that. I don't think he needs to be cut, but I don't think he needed to be extended, either. Obviously, the 49ers at one point or another had their concerns or they wouldn't have drafted Cody Wallace #4. I would argue the 49ers have been a poor short-yardage team throughout the majority of his tenure, and while that is not all on him, the line seems to collapse quite frequently on up the middle blitzes.
There's more to playing center than physicality, but for my money I'd rather have someone in the Newberry mold, and it just so happens that Cal is about to spit another one out.
By now we have learned that you don't take anything Martz says seriously. It's all fluff for the media.
BHF, I agree completely. Trent Dilfer and Mike Martz are cut from the same hyperbolic mold. They both lean toward the "best ever" comments. Dilfer has his Jim Hostler and Martz has his JT O'Sullivan.
A friend of Bob McKittrick is a friend of mine. Heitmann is a warrior and a niner class act. Yes, he's missed a few plays, and so has Dermontti Dawson and Mike Webster. No, I'm not comparing Heitmann in talent level to those guys, but he's been a stalwart since Newberry left the team.
Houston/Virus - Since we have had a revolving door at the Guard spots the last few years do you really need me to answer that question? Our best Guard was starting for the Miami Dolphin’s until he got hurt last week and was placed on IR. Our other starting Guard retired. When a team decides to start a rookie Guard from SC for his first game on the road against the Cowboys, a team with one of the best front 7’s in the NFL, the writing is on the wall. We have problems at Guard, just ask Frank Gore off the record.
Virus – Cody Wallace was drafted as an insurance policy for Heitman’s broken leg. It was a good hedge to make with a 4th round pick. Obviously when the 49ers extended Heitman’s contract to 2011 last month, the writing was/is on the wall that Wallace will not be a starting Center on this team, barring injury, for some time.
I stand by my critique of Heitman as well - which is not so much that he can't play, but the fit with our system. I think he is an outstanding 'quick' center...a McKittrick guy through and through. If we would adopt the WCO and play on the line much like it was 1984, he would indeed maybe be all-pro. I just think asking him to tee off and play smashmouth neandertal football is wrong. Thats not really playing to his strength. He isn't a guy who is going to manhandle someone straight ahead.
My take is, either replace him with a guy who fits your style, or better yet, go back to the WCO and get a group of linemen (like Staley) who also fit that mold. Its an identity thing.
As for Martz's credibility... he pretty much blew it with the stupid comment about Sims playing well. Sims is terrible. Even worse at his position than JTO was.
Maybe it wouldn't be such a bad thing is Martz goes to SD State or Podunk U and Singletary gets his own guy as OC next year after all.
I used to have a lot of respect for Martz. His Detroit experience, though, gave me pause. Then, when he spoke of JTO's greatness, I began reconsidering. And when he kept heaping lavish praise of our terrible OL, he lost me completely.
But his high marks for Heitmann are the topper. Eric used to be pretty good -- beforte the injury -- but he was horrid last year, and hasn't been that much better this season. He's always getting killed on the gaps, he's still verrrrry slow afoot, and his shotgun hikes barely get to the QB before his man does (they're like slo-pitch softballs). So this little Martz idiocy takes the cake.
More talk from a team heading towards its sixth in a row losing season. They pretty much have lost any credibility. Heitmann is a good NFL journeyman, but All-Pro, get real! Ask Alex Smith how good he was when he got injured in what is appearing could be career ending. I don't know what worst, their record or our accepting this mediocre performance year after year and paying for it.
Amazing how the fans like to criticize everyone on the team. I agree with Martz, Heitman is a good center, and I agree that he has played well for the most part. I am not sure what people seem to be seeing, but when i have a watched a game this season I have seen a much improved OL this year which everyone is blaming for the sacks. What people don't seem to realize is many of those sacks aren't the Oline fault, they are the QB. JTO held onto the ball way too long and got the sack because of it. No O Line can hold a block forever and JTO seemed to need that. With Hill in the game we have had fewer sacks because he gets rid of the ball and doesn't just give up the easy sack like JTO did.
jagniner81: I don't know which OL you've been watching, but I seriously doubt it's the Niners'. Heitmann -- as noted by another -- nearly got Alex Smith killed last year; he's still terrible oin covering the gaps. He's about the worst shotgun hiker one can imagine.
And the rest of the line's been terrible, too. Tho the current QB moves better and gets rid of the ball better than JTO, he's still uinder constant pressure -- even when the Nioners keep tight ends in to block.
But the real story is on run blocking, where the line is simply atrocious. Last week was a great example: Gore works his tail off -- as is recognized by the opposition's MLB -- and yet he's held to 2.8 yards per carry. There were simply NO holes created.
And have you watched the Niners try to run in the red zone? It NEVER works. Now what can that be besides the OL?
It's nice to say optimistic things -- especially about a team that's just ridding itself of Nolan's presence -- but one still needs to keep things real.
If you really want to be fair, Frank Gore has missed more than his share of passblocking assignments. Also he is not making the best decisions when he hits the line. He has ran into the back of his own linemen many times where just to the right or left is a HUGE hole. I think they underestimated the functional usefulness of a solid fulback.