Tue Jan 8 18:26:04 2008

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49ers hire Martz as new offensive coordinator

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San Francisco, CA (Sports Network) - The San Francisco 49ers hired Mike Martz as their offensive coordinator Tuesday, landing one of the NFL's top offensive minds.

According to a report in the San Francisco Chronicle, Martz has been hired to replace Jim Hostler, who also was fired last week after the 49ers matched a franchise low and finished last in the NFL with 219 points.

Martz, who was fired by the Detroit Lions last week after two seasons as the team's offensive coordinator, will look to revamp an offense that finished dead last in points per game, yards per game and many other offensive categories last season.

Considered one of the NFL's best offensive minds, Martz was the offensive coordinator for the Rams in their Super Bowl-winning season of 1999. The Rams racked up 526 points that season, the fifth-most all-time.

Martz moved on to the head coaching job in 2000 and led the Rams to a Super Bowl appearance after the 2001 season. His final season as head coach in 2005 was cut short by 11 games due to a heart ailment.

He is San Francisco's sixth offensive coordinator in six years.