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Mike Martz has been more bad scientist than mad scientist lately.
Known as the brains behind a wildly innovative offense, his once-maniacal creations have mostly just fizzled in the six years since his St. Louis teams produced the NFL's first back-to-back-to-back 500-point seasons.
As San Francisco's new offensive coordinator, however, Martz can sport his white lab jacket proudly while unveiling his most madly innovative concoction yet: Behold ... the offense of J.T. O'Sullivan!
Thanks to Martz, the unspectacular journeymen is among a handful of 49ers - yes 49ers - actually worth putting on your fantasy football roster this year.
Yes, it is true that Martz has been far from the mastermind whose Rams finished first in scoring and yards for three straight seasons, 1999-2001. In his final three full seasons in St. Louis and in two as Detroit's offensive coordinator, Martz had far more reputation than firepower. Those teams averaged 16th in scoring and 14th in yards.
Yet the normally dreadful Niners are worth a look this year because even Martz's worst teams still provide at least some decent fantasy stats.
O'Sullivan's worth a late draft pick or waiver-wire pickup because Martz has an amazing history with absolutely random quarterbacks (despite his blocking schemes that often get them killed).
As the Rams offensive coordinator in 1999 he had some guy named Kurt Warner, at the time most interesting because he had the same name as the old Seattle running back. But in Warner's first year as a starter, Martz helped the small college star/indoor league player/grocery store worker put up more than 4,300 yards and 41 scores.
In 2003, Martz, then the Rams head coach, turned the offense over to some character named Marc Bulger. Bulger went over 3,800 yards with 22 scores in his first full season - nothing on the Warner level, but certainly worthy of a fantasy start most weeks.
O'Sullivan could be compared to both.
Like Warner, O'Sullivan did time at a small school, Cal-Davis, and in a low-grade league, playing somewhere in Europe. He even has a statistical head start over Warner, with 26 career NFL throws to Warner's 11 before he became a Martz starter.
Like Bulger, he had time to sit around on NFL benches to absorb the game. (OK, so O'Sullivan had way more time - sitting around with eight teams in six years.) There's also this meaningless yet fun coincidence: Bulger was drafted in the sixth round by the Saints in 2000 but didn't stick. Two years later, the Saints took O'Sullivan, also in the sixth round.
What really makes a Martz offense go is a big-time running back, which the Niners definitely have in Frank Gore. He had an off season last year, but still went over 1,500 total yards with six scores.
