SANTA CLARA — Offensive
coordinator Mike Martz has a number in his mind.
He would like to get the ball in the hands of his
playmakers, such as tight end Vernon Davis and receiver
Isaac Bruce. But he believes he must get the ball
repeatedly to one player, in particular: running back
Frank Gore.
Bruce was shut out in his 49ers debut on Sunday, a
23-13 loss to the Arizona Cardinals. Meanwhile, Davis
caught three passes for 51 yards, including a 37-yard
reception, which is longer than any play in which he
was involved last season.
“How much he gets the ball will be predicated on
what’s happening offensively in terms of the
defensive structures and match-ups,” Martz said
Thursday. “If we have the opportunity for him to
make a play then we’ll do that, but don’t
worry about anybody but Frank on how many touches they
get.
“Frank has to touch the ball, He’s got to
be one of the very, very elite in this league. We know
we have to feature him and find ways of getting him the
ball. Isaac and Vernon and all the other guys,
they’re all good players and they’ll have
their opportunities. But (Gore is) the only guy that
you go into a game and say, ‘You know what? This
guys needs to touch the ball X amount of times.’
”
When asked if Martz has a number of plays he wants his
running back’s hands on the ball for every game,
he answered, “Yes, I do, (but it’s) nothing
that I would ever share with you guys.”
Gore figures to be play an integral role against the
Seattle Seahawks when the teams meet on Sunday at Qwest
Field. Gore has enjoyed two of his top four rushing
games against the Seahawks, including a club-record
212-yard performance in 2006.
He opened the season in a big way, rushing for 80 yards
and a touchdown on 11 carries in the first half against
the Cardinals. But in the second half, when Gore
usually gets stronger, the 49ers were held to just 14
offensive plays. Gore carried just three times in the
second half for 16 yards.
“It was frustrating, coming back out we went over
everything we had to do,” Gore said. “It
was so frustrating that we couldn’t get back out
there. The passing game was starting to open up.”
There should be more opportunities for the passing game
to open up against the Seahawks, as clearly their No. 1
goal is to slow down Gore.
“In my mind, if they bring eight men in the box,
we’re going to throw the ball,” 49ers
quarterback J.T. O’Sullivan said.
“That’s the way the majority of offenses
would work. I’m all for it.”
Martz generally liked the way the 49ers’ offense
worked in the opener, though he did notice that the
receivers were lacking some crispness — a
possible result of Bryant Johnson, Arnaz Battle and
Bruce being held out of so many practices during
training camp.
“With our starters together, that was their first
outing together and we weren’t always on the same
page,” Martz said. “That will get a lot
better each week. Having those guys all together, is a
big deal.”
Martz said some routes weren’t run properly, as
they did not get the proper depth on some of their
patterns. Martz said O’Sullivan had a strong
game, and shows a good command of the offense. In fact,
he said O’Sullivan was not to blame for his
interception on a pass intended for Battle.
“We had a broken route,” Martz said.
“We didn’t run the right route. The ball
was thrown where it needed to be thrown. So obviously
that wasn’t his fault.”
Said Battle, “We have to be able to make
adjustments on the move. We have to play fast, and
everybody has to be thinking the same thing that the
quarterback is thinking.”
(pressdemocrat.com)