There are few guarantees in life, but Marshall Faulk is not hesitant about declaring an addendum to the list, along with those well-known certainties about death and taxes.


The 49ers hired Mike Martz as offensive coordinator this week, and Faulk is confident he will provide an immediate improvement. Of course, it is almost impossible for the 49ers to get much worse.

The 49ers ranked last in most NFL offensive statistics this season. And not surprisingly, the Niners' quarterbacks were one of those at the bottom of the rankings.

Third-year pro Alex Smith struggled. Veteran Trent Dilfer looked to be at the end of his career. Shaun Hill provided the best play from the position in his 10 quarters of action before sustaining a back injury that prevented him from taking the field in the season finale.

"You'll see a much better quarterback with the 49ers -- I can guarantee that," Faulk said Wednesday in a telephone interview.

When asked if he was talking specifically about Smith, the No. 1 overall pick of the 2005 draft who has yet to prove he is the answer, Faulk said it really didn't matter if it were Smith or Hill or anybody else.

"I'm talking about the quarterback position," he said. "(The 49ers) will have better play at the quarterback position, period."

Faulk spent all seven seasons in Martz's high-powered offense with the St. Louis Rams. He rushed for more than 1,300 yards in each of his first three seasons with Martz, and was named NFL Most Valuable Player in 2000. Faulk also caught at least 80 passes in his first four seasons with the Rams before injuries began to limit his playing time.

When Faulk found out the 49ers hired Martz, he immediately called his former coach to offer congratulations, as well as a few opinions about the 49ers' offensive personnel.

"There is going to be a lot of hard work, and I'm not just talking about out on the (practice) field," Faulk said. "I'm talking about when you leave for the day, taking film home, looking at your playbook. It's demanding. If you're not astute or you don't grind at it, it's going to be a problem."

One of the knocks on Martz is that he de-emphasizes running backs. Most point to the way he used Faulk in Super Bowl XXXVI, in which the Rams lost to the upstart New England Patriots, 20-17.

Faulk touched the ball 21 times in the game, accounting for 130 total yards. What is often forgotten is that the Rams outgained the Patriots 427-267 in that game.

Faulk said his rushing yards with the Rams began to drop off when the club lost a couple offensive linemen and the "defense became a liability." He said Martz was merely doing what was needed for the Rams to win games.

"I touched the ball a lot," he said. "People feel you have to run the football to win ballgames. Until a team comes out and does what we did or what you see the Patriots doing, you realize that's not always the case. It's about winning ballgames.

"I think he's going to do whatever he feels needs to be done to win ballgames. If it's running 40, 50 times, he'll do it. If it's throwing 40, 50 times, he'll do that. He gets a bad rap for not running the ball. You look at the situation. Sometimes it doesn't dictate running the ball a lot."

Niners coach Mike Nolan, who interviewed Martz on Monday and hired him a day later, said the evidence suggests the 49ers' new coordinator knows exactly how to use running backs.

"(Martz) has a very thorough offensive attack," Nolan said. "It utilizes the personnel extremely well. I think it's unfair what some say about the run, because obviously, when you have the player of the year as a running back in Marshall Faulk, Mike utilizes running the ball pretty well."

Frank Gore figures to be the central figure in the 49ers' offense -- even above the yet-to-be-determined quarterback. Gore has rushed for a combined 2,797 yards the past two seasons while also leading the 49ers in receptions both years.

"This will be the first time Mike's had a back like Frank who is capable of running the ball inside as well as Frank does," Faulk said. "So it's going to be a learning curve for him. Frank's probably never had an offensive coordinator who has asked him to know so many plays and know so much about the game in order for the team to be successful.

"There's going to be some pressure on Frank's shoulders to handle a lot of things and wear a couple of different hats for the team to have success. I believe, in knowing both of them, they're going to welcome each other. I think they'll probably have a great relationship. I'd be surprised if they don't."

One advantage with Martz's wide-open offense, Faulk said, is that Gore will not face a steady diet of defenses geared specifically to stop his ability to run. With the 49ers' more varied passing attack, Gore should benefit from fewer eight-man fronts and more space to run.

"He's a phenomenal offensive mind," Faulk said of Martz. "The things they're going to do will blow your mind. It'll blow the players' minds."

You can reach Staff Writer Matt Maiocco at 521-5492 or matt.maiocco@pressdemocrat.com."The things they're going to do will blow your mind."

Marshall Faulk, former Rams running back