Mike Singletary Tabs Jimmy Raye As New San Francisco 49ers Offensive Coordinator

Excuse me if you’ve heard this before San Francisco fans, but you have a new offensive coordinator.

His name is Jimmy Raye.
           
Raye, 62, was hired by San Francisco head coach Mike Singletary over the off-season to replace the fired Mike Martz. Raye is the fifth offensive coordinator for the 49ers in the past five years.
           
Martz, Jim Hostler, Norv Turner and Mike McCarthy all lasted one year at the helm of the San Francisco offense. While McCarthy and Turner left to take head coaching jobs with Green Bay and San Diego respectively, Martz and Hostler were fired for internal reasons.
            
So now the job is Raye’s.
            
The veteran coach, who has been in the NFL since 1977, has been with 10 different teams over those years, holding the offensive coordinators post with four of them. His latest job, running backs coach with the New York Jets, is one he held for the past three years.
             
While the offense has a new leader yet again, the style of play may also change under Raye’s command.

Singletary has already said he wants Raye to use more of a running offense this year, far different from the wide open passing attack that was brought in by Martz just a year ago.
              
And why wouldn’t Singletary want to run the ball.
              
Running back Frank Gore has cracked the 1,000-yard mark in three of his four seasons as a pro, with his high-water mark coming in 2006 when he rushed for 1,695 yards. With the quarterback situation up in the air, Gore is the only sure thing the 49ers offense has going on paper.
              
A battle for the quarterback position is expected between incumbent Shaun Hill, former number one draft pick Alex Smith, and newly drafted Nate Davis from Ball State. While Hill had a successful season last year (181-of-288 passes for 2,046 yards with 13 touchdowns and eight interceptions), Singletary said Smith would get a shot at competing for the starting job during pre-season. In his brief career as a starter, Hill is 7-3.
               
Smith hasn’t seen action since a shoulder injury sidelined him early in the 2007 season and recently agreed to a few contract changes, which allowed him to stay with San Francisco this season.
               
Two newcomers figure to hold key roles in the success of both Raye and the 49ers offense. Offensive tackle Marvel Smith and rookie Wide Receiver Michael Crabtree will both be asked to take the pressure off of Gore and Hill.
               
Smith, an eight-year veteran with the Pittsburgh Steelers, signed with San Francisco in the off-season after being released by Pittsburgh. A back injury in 2007 limited Smith to just five games in 2008. If he is healthy, he is expected to give Gore somewhere to run
                 
Crabtree, the heralded wide receiver from Texas Tech fell to the Niners at the 10th pick of last month’s draft. Crabtree caught 41 touchdown passes in his two years as a Red Raider and gives Hill, or whoever wins the starting job, an automatic long ball threat.
                 
No matter what kind of offense Raye unveils August 14th against the Denver Broncos, he is sure to be in the spotlight while trying to prove he was the right pick.