Vic Carucci thinks poorly of Josh Morgan?

Originally posted by Psinex:

Originally posted by Chief:
"5. San Francisco 49ers: First, they have to find a quarterback. But regardless of whether Alex Smith or Shaun Hill fills the spot, the 49ers absolutely have to find a go-to target, and given the other possibilities -- Josh Morgan and Isaac Bruce -- it is hard to imagine anyone besides first-rounder Michael Crabtree in that role.

Although coach Mike Singletary would love to have a power-oriented scheme that leans heavily on the running of Frank Gore (with relief from third-round pick Glen Coffee), the Niners made Crabtree the 10th overall pick because they saw him as the game-changer their offense didn't have. They also are counting on him to help their unaccomplished candidates to start at quarterback deliver more than they could without him."
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Can someone help me make sense of that comment?

Josh Morgan has a lot of promise, but until he has five to ten 100 yard games next season, people won't take notice.

lets just put it this way. Morgan has given us the absolute bare minimum to generate this kind of Niner fan excitement

Real simple. Carucci thinks Crabtree is better suited to be the "go to" receiver than Morgan.

You are inferring from his comment that he thinks poorly of Morgan. I didn't interpret it that way.

Originally posted by DaveWilcox:
Real simple. Carucci thinks Crabtree is better suited to be the "go to" receiver than Morgan.

You are inferring from his comment that he thinks poorly of Morgan. I didn't interpret it that way.

really?

it is hard to imagine anyone besides first-rounder Michael Crabtree in that role.

Originally posted by 9erfanAUS:

Originally posted by billybonka:
he's right.

he was impressive in preseason last year and was marginal at best during the regular season.

I disagree.

Rookie WR. Played in 12 games.

2008 stats

Incomplete grade? Sure. Marginal as a part-time non-starter? Nah.

Morgan looks promising and has impressed when healthy, but it is too soon to anoint him as the second coming or a bust.

Oh, and happy b-day bb!

Vic Carucci is a regular host on sirius NFL radio. I listen to it all the tiime and it is quite clear he doesn't have a clue. Its pretty bad actually, when callers ask good questions about there team you can tell he doesn't really know and make stuff up.

Pat Kirwan and Tim Ryan are Huge fans of Morgan and predicted a big season from him. Pat said during training camp last year that he couldn't help but watch Morgan durring the radio show, he just has IT.

I think your title is misleading. It is uncertain if Carucci "thinks poorly" of Josh Morgan. He maybe thinks Morgan is a number two receiver, which might be the case in the end.

With 20 receptions last season, it is only speculation that Morgan will become a "go to" player. He hasn't proven anything yet.

All of this being said, I believe that Morgan will have 50+ receptions this season, and Crabtree will struggle to break 35. Look for 2010 to be the season where both guys put it together at the same time. If Smith can raise his game to a new level, and V. Davis learn how to run routes correctly, we might actually have a passing game for the future.

Lots of ifs.

I think it's a pretty fair comment by a member of the mainstream media to make. In fact, I'm pretty impressed that Morgan HAS gotten the attention he's received, given that as a few people have pointed out already, it's not like he lit it up. The analogy I can think of is when we beat Denver a few seasons ago in the finale, I remember the TV announcers talking about Brandon Marshall, in the same way: saying he had potential, but they were skeptical and hedging a bit. They weren't about to praise him as Denver's next #1 and elite receiver, even though that's exactly what he became. Writers and pundits benefit from being skeptical and showing no love until there's production.

In fact, given that Morgan's a sixth round pick, I think it's amazing that so many people know his name. I saw him in the ESPN mag as a top fantasy sleeper for this year. So I think we can say "HA, TOLD YA" if Morgan explodes next season, but until then we have to shut up and take the lack of respect. After all, if I were a major sports writer, there's no way I would stake my reputation on some 6th round pick who made a few nice catches for a team w/o a settled starter at qb. Even if Vic did think Josh is gonna be good, he's likely to tone down his comments.

Originally posted by NineFourNiner:

Originally posted by 9erfanAUS:

Originally posted by billybonka:
he's right.

he was impressive in preseason last year and was marginal at best during the regular season.

I disagree.

Rookie WR. Played in 12 games.

2008 stats

Incomplete grade? Sure. Marginal as a part-time non-starter? Nah.

Morgan looks promising and has impressed when healthy, but it is too soon to anoint him as the second coming or a bust.

Oh, and happy b-day bb!

thanks!

Originally posted by Marvin49:

Originally posted by lamontb:
What's so hard to understand We all think Morgan will be good but it's not like he lit it up out there last year to where these national guys are gonna say he's a legit game changing WR.

Totally agree.

I like Morgan, but I didn't see last year anything that made me think he was the next great 49ers WR.

I would LOVE to be wrong, but I just didn't see it last year. He rarely got much separation and he seems to lumber a bit when he runs. He isn't very smooth.

He did make some good catches in traffic, but I think the jury is very much still out on him.

Though I agree, it's not like Carucci's beliefs aren't founded in the fact that Morgan is still very unproven, there was a lot of reason for him to look lumbery last year. After his staph infection, he had a groin injury that he played through. That being said, I believe Morgan fits the #2 role perfectly and will only be the top target as long as Crabtree takes to get accustomed to the offense and the nfl.

Originally posted by billybonka:
he's right.

he was impressive in preseason last year and was marginal at best during the regular season.

again there's a reason he didn't make a big impact last year. His injuries set him back, but he did make some big plays when he was semi-healthy and given the opportunity.

J. Rice didn't start to show his potential as a receiver until his 2nd year so it would be amazing if Crabtree has more than 15-20 catches this year. However, if he is legit, look out in 2010. Crabs #1 Morgan #2 Hill to fade and #3 will be up for grabs. The reason Morgan looks so good now is because he has been up against crappy WRs. Big Fish, little pond.

Bottom line......Crabtree has done nothing in the NFL yet and Morgan has shown flashes, when healthy. Neither can be annointed at this time. We have been so starved for the talent of the old days that many on this board are quick to practically deify a player if he even shows a smattering of promise, and sometimes even if it's just "potential" they see. I believe they will both blossom, but it's more a fervent hope than anything tied to reality.

Originally posted by smashmouth51:
J. Rice didn't start to show his potential as a receiver until his 2nd year so it would be amazing if Crabtree has more than 15-20 catches this year. However, if he is legit, look out in 2010. Crabs #1 Morgan #2 Hill to fade and #3 will be up for grabs. The reason Morgan looks so good now is because he has been up against crappy WRs. Big Fish, little pond.

Jerry Rice had 49 rec, 927 yrds, 3 tds and averaged 18.9 yrds per reception his rookie year. I'd call that showing potential.

Josh Morgan is legit! I think we might actually have a top 5 receiving corps this year.