SANTA CLARA, Calif. — If one were to make the case that Mike Martz's offense exposes its quarterbacks to an unusual amount of punishment, exhibit A would be the 49ers' Sunday opponent, Jon Kitna.

The Detroit quarterback was sacked 114 times in two years under Martz. He absorbed a monstrous — and often replayed — shot from 49ers cornerback Shawntae Spencer in 2006 that lifted him off his feet and onto his back. Last year he spent two quarters on the sideline with a concussion during a game against Minnesota before returning in the fourth quarter to lead the Lions to an overtime win.

Through the 2006 and 2007 seasons, he was the poster boy for shoddy pass protection.

Far from resenting the abuse, however, Kitna on Wednesday said it was a reasonable price to pay for throwing for 8,276 yards, his gaudy two-year total under Martz.

"Like I always said the last two years every time that question came up, I'll take a few more hits or having to get hit more often if it means that you're going to have chances at bigger plays," Kitna said during a conference call. "But again, that's a philosophy that Mike employs. He wants to get that ball in that 20- to 30-yard passing range."

After watching J.T. O'Sullivan get sacked eight times in Seattle, 49ers fans are asking whether their new quarterback will be subjected to Kitna-like beatings.

Martz's offensive system typically sends every available receiver — including running backs and tight ends — on pass routes, meaning there are few players remaining to pick up blitzers. Martz's reliance on downfield passes also requires the quarterback to hold onto the ball an extra beat or so.

O'Sullivan already has been sacked 12 times on the season and the 49ers — who set a franchise record last year with 55 sacks allowed — are on pace to give up 96 sacks this season.

O'Sullivan placed a lot of the blame on himself, saying he needs to get rid of the ball more quickly or simply throw it away.

"I think they're all correctable," he said. "A lot of it falls on me. Obviously, you don't need to be a football guru to know that I took some unnecessary sacks."

O'Sullivan said he tried to learn something from all the quarterbacks he's played behind during the past six seasons. During his one-year apprenticeship under Kitna in Detroit, the one thing that jumped out was Kitna's grit.

"He's probably the toughest guy I've been around, just as far as standing in there, making the throws and coming back in there week in and week out," O'Sullivan said. "I took a lot from that. He's got a lot of respect from me for that. ... This offense is about standing in there and making some tough throws, and he does it."

Kitna noted that despite all the sacks, he still managed to start all 16 games both seasons under Martz. And at a thickly built 6-foot-2, 225 pounds, he seems ideally constructed to withstand punishment.

The question is whether O'Sullivan can do the same.

A weight-room devotee, O'Sullivan has virtually the same dimensions as Kitna and so far has shown a knack for scrambling and sidestepping the hardest tackles. But one of the results of being a career backup is that you really don't know if you're durable or not.

"I think time will tell with me," O'Sullivan said. "I think everybody hopes that they are. But it doesn't really matter what I hope. It's how things work out."