Michael Crabtree Archive

Michael Crabtree ain’t out the woods yet

By
Zuri
Published: October 16, 2009Tags:

Hey Michael, youre not out of the woods with me yet.

Hey Michael, you're not out of the woods with me yet.


When Michael Crabtree finally signed with San Francisco 49ers last week, there was a sigh of relief for owners all around (besides the Jets, I assume) because the sanctity of the slotted draft system and its capitulation that money be doled out according to draft number rather than actual value was once again preserved.

That’ll be another issue come collective bargaining time.

But for Crabtree, who foolishly had to take the money he was already offered (minus whatever he lost in the first four weeks), and which contains much fluff, as explained by ProFootballTalk.com, is at a loss.

At what loss?

Oh gosh, where do we start … Practice, bonding and building chemistry with quarterback Shaun Hill, entering the locker room seen as a selfish outsider (by outsiders admittedly) and failing the smell test come press conference time.

Nope, I didn’t like most of what he had to say. Full transcript here. I say most because he did make one point, which I think is worth sharing on this site after I blasted him for allowing his cousin to speak for him in my column for The Union.

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Why can’t Crabtree’s ‘advisor’ sit this one out?

By
Zuri
Published: August 8, 2009Tags:

Michael Crabtree doesn't appear to be the smartest guy in the world right now. It would help if his people weren't such fools.

Michael Crabtree doesn't appear to be the smartest guy in the world right now. It would help if his people weren't such fools.

Cucumbers taste better pickled.

Excuse me, but that was a brain fart. Much like the now notorious brain fart of David Wells, cousin and “advisor” to the San Francisco 49ers’ first-round draft pick, Michael Crabtree, who claimed the high-profile wide receiver was willing to sit out this upcoming season and re-enter the NFL draft if he did not receive an amiable offer in comparison to the Raiders’ Darrius Heyward-Bey. You know, somewhere in the ballpark of $38 million — or more.

The emphasis is always on more with these types. Wells, while speaking candidly about the contract negotiation, revealed a truth Eugene Parker, Crabtree’s agent, was still trying to deny: That Crabtree’s camp was willing to sit out and generally play hardball with the 49ers.

This is what happens when freeloaders enter the negotiation process.

“We are prepared to do it,” Wells told ESPN.com “Michael just wants fair market value. They took him with the 10th pick and you have Darrius Heyward-Bey getting $38 million? This week is crucial.”

Yes, in so many ways. How is Wells going to milk his cousin for the rest of his life if he has, say, only $20 million over 5 years or a guaranteed check less than the remaining California budget deficit?

Wall Street has its golden parachutes and the 49ers have its golden idiots.

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Feeling a little crabby over 49ers first round pick

By
Zuri
Published: April 29, 2009Tags: , ,


Don’t tell me I’m supposed to be happy with that first round.

I think it’s about time to end the Michael Crabtree lovefest. Hands down, Crabs, Crab cakes, or whatever you want to call him (my personal favorite is Crabfest), is the greatest wide receiver in the 2009 NFL Draft, outranking the likes of Oakland’s pick, Darrius Heyward-Bey, by a longshot and a steal at No. 10 for the San Francisco 49ers.

But was Crabs really the answer for San Francisco? I don’t think so.

While the pick both excited and stimulated all of 49ers nation into hype not seen since Alex Smith was drafted first overall in 2005, it also killed any hope for what was expected to be the selection of Smith’s replacement.

With Matthew Stafford off the board two days prior and the New York Jets taking USC’s Mark Sanchez, hopes were slim as the remaining talent was heavily scrutinized.

All the while, all the pundits overlooked little old Josh Freeman of Kansas State, selected No. 17 overall by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He was written off for playing in a poor conference, being a project quarterback and generally not being the cool character that everyone knows Sanchez portrays.

There was so much scrutiny between the Stafford and Sanchez themselves, there wasn’t enough room to bring Freeman into the argument. Not to mention the fact that the 49ers were waddling over selecting one of the top-rated tackles or linebackers, Crabs was a pleasant surprise at No. 10.

“We had a head-on issue with it,” Singletary told the media on draft day. “You’ve got Michael Oher there, you’ve got (Michael) Crabtree. So what do you do? You want to tear up something. You’d like for it to be Crabtree or it’s Michael Oher. But when they’re both there at the same time and how we had our board, Crabtree is one of the best players in the draft so you’ve got to go there.”

You can say The Crabster’s availability threw a wrench in the 49ers’ planning. Or, if you’re thinking as nefariously as I am, the Raiders ruined the 49ers’ plans by passing up on the Texas Tech phenom.

How could they? As a two-time Biletnikoff winner, he was deserving of being the first receiver picked — bad foot and all. He’ll certainly prove his worth for years to come and Old Al will have to read it in his own local newspaper to boot.

Nice.

But the 49ers were quick to jump the gun. Considering there are now 10 wide receivers on the roster, including Isaac Bruce, Josh Morgan, Arnaz Battle and Jason Hill, there won’t be enough balls to go around with all the development in the works.

The beautiful part about the NFL draft is there’s always room for redemption. The 49ers did their own version of addressing the quarterback issue and redeeming hopes in the future of the franchise’s lead role by picking up Ball State quarterback Nate Davis in the fifth round.

As Singletary put it, the guy was a steal. But don’t let him get your hopes up, he’ll have to put in at least a year carrying the clip board.

“This year, we’ve got Alex Smith and we’ve got Shaun Hill,” Singletary said. “Those two guys are competing for that job and at the quarterback position right now that’s enough to look at and focus on.”

One thing is for sure, and worthy of praise, there is a plan and there is focus. That’s promising.

Editor’s note: This column originally appeared in The Union.