As I was about to head out the door, the press release was issued announcing the firing of Mike Martz as offensive coordinator:
The San Francisco 49ers announced today that offensive coordinator Mike Martz has been dismissed from the coaching staff.
“After an evaluation period I felt it was best to go in a different direction,” said head coach Mike Singletary regarding the dismissal of Mike Martz. “This was not an easy decision because I appreciate Mike Martz, and I enjoyed working with him. He is a true professional, and I wish him the best in the future. I do recognize the need for a long term solution on the offensive side of the ball.”
The last sentence speaks the most truth about this. I would have had no problem with another year of Martz as the OC, but he was not a long term solution. I'm quite intrigued to see who gets brought in to interview. Let the search begin.
EDITOR'S UPDATE 2:45PM: Martz released a statement:
I had an outstanding conversation with Mike Singletary this afternoon. I believe he will be an outstanding head coach in the National Football League. I wish him nothing but the best. I am not what he is looking for offensively. I understand that. This is just a part of professional sports.
Matt Maiocco had a particularly interesting quote from Martz:
"We should be a top-10 offense," Martz said. "I feel that we're either a top-10 offense or I failed."