Over the weekend, the Sports Hernia informed us that the 49ers awarded the starting quarterback job to JT O’Sullivan, rendering Alex Smith the primary backup and Shaun Hill third string. While the decision seems absurd on the surface, it’s really not too surprising given Mike Martz’s history.

When the 49ers acquired O’Sullivan in March, Martz pretty much hinted JT was the guy:

“(O’Sullivan) is capable of being a starter in this league. He’s not a reliever, if you will. He’s not a backup. He’ll take full advantage of (the competition). He’s a very fierce competitor.”

Both O’Sullivan and Martz feel they were unfairly dismissed by the Lions, so Martz would love nothing more than to overachieve in ‘08 and stick it to Detroit, with the quarterback the Lions deemed worthless. If nothing else, there’s a reason to pay attention to San Francisco this season – either because of an overachievement or unintentional hilarity.

And just for fun, here are some outstanding Martz quotes from last season’s training camp when he was coordinating Detroit’s offense.

“We’ve spent a great deal of time so far in the running game. I think Tatum’s (Bell) really stood out, as has Brian Calhoun. Real pleased with the running game and what we’re trying to do.”

“Tatum (Bell) right now is a different level. He’s better than I thought he’d be. He’s the whole package. … He’s got so much juice to him. He can go. He’s taken our offense and learned it so well. He doesn’t make any mistakes. He’s catching the ball extremely well. He’s playing at such a high level right now.”

“Jon’s (Kitna) far enough along, we could start tomorrow. He’s playing at such a high, high level. We’re trying to be careful with him. When other guys are all (aware) of protections and routes and we’re just working through those things … there’s just nothing you can give him that he can’t do right now.”

This is why I love Mike Martz.