Mike Martz may be known as the “Mad Scientist” but he also should have another nickname: “The coach who can turn crap quarterbacks into 3,200-yard quarterbacks.”

Okay, so “crap” might be a harsh word. Marc Bulger wasn’t crap, he was more of a relative unknown, and Jon Kitna did have some productive seasons before his back to back 3,400-plus yard season. But Martz’s latest project, J.T. O’Sullivan, might fill the aforementioned use of the word crap.

O’Sullivan’s final numbers (16 of 28 for 256 yards, 1 TD and 2 INTs) in the Niners’ 29-17 loss to the Giants on Sunday weren’t bad, but don’t be fooled. He has zero pocket presence, bad footwork and his accuracy is below average. (And that’s putting it kindly.)

If O’Sullivan’s first half effort is any indication of his potential, than there’s no way San Fran should give up on former first overall pick Alex Smith. Not that Smith has quelled doubts that he’s a first round bust, but O’Sullivan isn’t the answer either. And Mike Nolan has to be the next head coach on the chopping block. (Enough with the suit, will ya?)

On a related topic but different note, this was a nice bounce back game for the Giants after their debacle on Monday night against the Browns. Eli Manning didn’t have an earth shattering performance, but he was solid and the G-Men got back to running the ball effectively again. I don’t know how much you can take from beating the 49ers at home, but again, they needed this after their loss to Cleveland.

There the Bears were, facing yet another opportunity for a fourth quarter meltdown. They had squandered double-digit fourth quarter leads in back to back losses to the Panthers and Buccaneers, then suffered a crushing defeat in the final 11 seconds to the Falcons last Sunday after mounting a dramatic fourth quarter comeback.

But despite the Vikings best efforts at a comeback on Sunday, Chicago was able to put an opponent away late and walked away with a 48-41 win over Minnesota. It was an unusual win for the Bears, who got very little from their defense, but managed to score two touchdowns off of Minnesota special teams gaffs, and yet another solid performance out of quarterback Kyle Orton (21 of 32, 283 yards, 2 TDs).

The Bears might be the most dangerous 4-3 team in the league right now and if they could put together more efforts like they did on Sunday (minus the brutal defense, of course), then they’re going to battle the Packers all year in the NFC North. It goes without saying though, that they need to get real healthy, real fast in the secondary in order to win their division. Because better passing teams are going to eat them alive.

Brodie Croyle claimed his starting quarterback job Sunday in Kansas City after missing most of the season with a separated shoulder suffered in Week 1. He completed 9 of 10 passes for 63 yards and promptly was knocked out of the game with a knee injury. The team announced after the game – a 34-10 Titans’ victory – that he’ll miss the rest of the season.

Croyle attempted just 29 passes in two starts this year. Talk about bad luck.

As for the Titans, they thumped a team they should have thumped and looked impressive doing so. Chris Johnson made yet another push for Offensive Rookie of the Year, rushing for 168 yards and a score on just 18 carries. LenDale White also added 149 yards and three touchdowns on 17 carries.

It’s hard not to be impressed by Tennessee this year. Their defense is playing as well as anyone in the league and while Kerry Collins isn’t lighting up the stat sheet, he’s not making mistakes and isn’t forcing passes. There’s nothing flashy about this team, but they do all the little things right and have struck a nice balance on offense. In the upcoming weeks, they face the Colts, Packers, Bears and Jaguars, so they’ll get several tests over the next month to see where they’re at as a team.