Bee staff writer Matthew Barrows is at 49ers headquarters in Santa Clara as the team prepares for the season. Read his blogs daily at www.sacbee.com/ninersblog. Following are excerpts from Wednesday.
It's becoming clear why quarterback J.T. O'Sullivan is excelling in coordinator Mike Martz's offense. The two men are cut from the same cloth. They're both precise and hyper-demanding – of themselves and of others. Things got a bit testy today between Martz and a member of the media (not a newspaper guy) when Alex Smith's progress was raised during a group interview:
Question: … It's supposed to be a fair competition and you almost feel like Alex should have been able to play a half with the starters …
Martz: First of all, let me tell you this … and let's get this straight: There's nothing fair about this league. All right? If you establish yourself as an incredible player within a quarter of the game, then that's just the way it is. There's nothing fair about this game. Understand that first of all, OK?
• O'Sullivan certainly hasn't been confrontational with the media. But reporters quickly have found out that their questions have to be precise or else O'Sullivan will ask them to repeat or rephrase them in a way that he can understand them. I thought it was also interesting that at different times today, (Martz and O'Sullivan) answered the same question in nearly the exact same way. The question was whether it was important for O'Sullivan to develop chemistry with wide receivers Bryant Johnson and Ashley Lelie, both of whom have been injured for most of August.
First, O'Sullivan: "It's a trust thing where they trust me to put the ball where I'm supposed to and I trust them to be where they need to be."
Then Martz: "It's not so much chemistry as it is a trust issue."
• Funny exchange: Coach Mike Nolan was saying that he'll continue to wear his business suit for home games. For away games, he can wear everything but the suit jacket, which he has to replace with a Reebok product such as a windbreaker.
Matt Maiocco (of the Santa Rosa Press Democrat): Like Mr. Rogers?
Nolan: The Mr. Rogers look. … That's good. You just talked me out of it.
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