Is Crabtree Overrated ?

Originally posted by dtg_9er:

Originally posted by Sims84:

Originally posted by Wodwo:

Originally posted by Sims84:


That is true, although Crabtree has only amounted to 4 of the 41 turnovers we have had since he has been on the team and one was a fumble in his 2nd game of his career and hasn't fumbled since but watching Greg Jennings and James Jones drop quite a few catchable balls this season only for the QB to keep believing in them and going their way leads me to believe that with enough opportunities, Crabtree will be VERY DANGEROUS.

He will drop passes just like every other receiver does but let's hope the 49ers can start getting some luck on their side and the ball just doesn't pop into the air on their dropped passes

I'm not worried about it. After Crabtree knocked the rust off, he became pretty reliable.

He did have the most passes thrown his way this season.

Isn't there some old rule about a wide receiver's third year?

I think he'll be catching a much higher percentage of those targets next season.

If there is a season....

I agree although it took Vernon Davis to his 4th year until he broke out even though he plays a different position, his seam route was really hard to defend

I invision a lot of drags and crosses with Vernon Davis in the WCO. Plays that if they want to take away that seam, they will still be out matched by trying to keep up with him dragging across the field Hurry up September. I just want to be able to fast forward like the movie "Click" without the consequences

Agree with all you are saying about Crabtree's ability and potential, but still want to see him finish his routes. That may be a matter of coaching as I would have been showing him film for hours after games pointing out missed opportunities. He needs to understand that QBs will find him sometimes as a last resort…if he continues to play. One of my favorite aspects of Walsh's teaching was what the receivers were to do when the play breaks down…run with the QB and find the opening, either coming back or laterally across the field. I believe Harbaugh will be demanding in this regard.

One of the reasons I believe the offense did not play well in the past is that the OC had no real power. They were all working for defensive minded head coaches.

I am confident Harbaugh will bring Crabtree much closer to the level expected of a guy who was projected to go in the top 3 in the draft. MC will have to sit and study guys like Clark and Taylor and how they used their bodies and arms to both shield the ball and catch it. My biggest criticism of him this past year was that he seemed to have no idea what to do when they play broke down. That is part lack of experience and part coaching. Another season should help both of those.

I get it that this team needs better QB play, however, to say that MC ONLY needed better QB play is to not understand the game.

Originally posted by dj43:

Originally posted by dtg_9er:

Originally posted by Sims84:

Originally posted by Wodwo:

Originally posted by Sims84:


That is true, although Crabtree has only amounted to 4 of the 41 turnovers we have had since he has been on the team and one was a fumble in his 2nd game of his career and hasn't fumbled since but watching Greg Jennings and James Jones drop quite a few catchable balls this season only for the QB to keep believing in them and going their way leads me to believe that with enough opportunities, Crabtree will be VERY DANGEROUS.

He will drop passes just like every other receiver does but let's hope the 49ers can start getting some luck on their side and the ball just doesn't pop into the air on their dropped passes

I'm not worried about it. After Crabtree knocked the rust off, he became pretty reliable.

He did have the most passes thrown his way this season.

Isn't there some old rule about a wide receiver's third year?

I think he'll be catching a much higher percentage of those targets next season.

If there is a season....

I agree although it took Vernon Davis to his 4th year until he broke out even though he plays a different position, his seam route was really hard to defend

I invision a lot of drags and crosses with Vernon Davis in the WCO. Plays that if they want to take away that seam, they will still be out matched by trying to keep up with him dragging across the field Hurry up September. I just want to be able to fast forward like the movie "Click" without the consequences

Agree with all you are saying about Crabtree's ability and potential, but still want to see him finish his routes. That may be a matter of coaching as I would have been showing him film for hours after games pointing out missed opportunities. He needs to understand that QBs will find him sometimes as a last resort…if he continues to play. One of my favorite aspects of Walsh's teaching was what the receivers were to do when the play breaks down…run with the QB and find the opening, either coming back or laterally across the field. I believe Harbaugh will be demanding in this regard.

One of the reasons I believe the offense did not play well in the past is that the OC had no real power. They were all working for defensive minded head coaches.

I am confident Harbaugh will bring Crabtree much closer to the level expected of a guy who was projected to go in the top 3 in the draft. MC will have to sit and study guys like Clark and Taylor and how they used their bodies and arms to both shield the ball and catch it. My biggest criticism of him this past year was that he seemed to have no idea what to do when they play broke down. That is part lack of experience and part coaching. Another season should help both of those.

I get it that this team needs better QB play, however, to say that MC ONLY needed better QB play is to not understand the game.

Weird, Crabtree's ability to improvise and come back to help the QB was one of his strong suits at Texas Tech. Too bad it's missing now. He must be frustrated by the lack of consistency at QB...if he gets his head in the game I wouldn't worry about that part of his game - he's shown he can do it. He and Graham Harrell had a very good rapport...Crabs often came back when Harrell was flushed from the pocket, and ad-libbed when coverages weren't what the QB expected.

Originally posted by cestmoi:

Weird, Crabtree's ability to improvise and come back to help the QB was one of his strong suits at Texas Tech. Too bad it's missing now. He must be frustrated by the lack of consistency at QB...if he gets his head in the game I wouldn't worry about that part of his game - he's shown he can do it. He and Graham Harrell had a very good rapport...Crabs often came back when Harrell was flushed from the pocket, and ad-libbed when coverages weren't what the QB expected.

I know I've seen him do this multiple times, so he does do it. He may give up on some plays, but I think he looks to help out the QB most of the time.

I can't confirm it, though.

What I can confirm is that Crabtree had more passes thrown his way than anybody else on the team.

Also... IIRC, Crabtree played QB, so he knows how to help the QB.

Originally posted by Wodwo:

Originally posted by cestmoi:

Weird, Crabtree's ability to improvise and come back to help the QB was one of his strong suits at Texas Tech. Too bad it's missing now. He must be frustrated by the lack of consistency at QB...if he gets his head in the game I wouldn't worry about that part of his game - he's shown he can do it. He and Graham Harrell had a very good rapport...Crabs often came back when Harrell was flushed from the pocket, and ad-libbed when coverages weren't what the QB expected.

I know I've seen him do this multiple times, so he does do it. He may give up on some plays, but I think he looks to help out the QB most of the time.

I can't confirm it, though.

What I can confirm is that Crabtree had more passes thrown his way than anybody else on the team.

Also... IIRC, Crabtree played QB, so he knows how to help the QB.

I wonder how many of the problems in the pasing game were due to poor management of players? I don't mean typical coaching situations but making sure the QB and WRs are talking to each other effectively to create a good rapport. Some players do that by themselves (Dwight Clark stuck like glue to Joe Montana) but others need to have their feet held to the fire...poor analogy perhaps.

It seemed that Smith could read VD and his route running last year, and was doing better with Morgan; but was not as in sync with Crabtree. I do not have any stats for this but it was just an observation from watching the games and the body language on the sidelines.

Coaches often need to be psychologists, finding ways to turn players attitudes around.

Originally posted by Wodwo:

Originally posted by cestmoi:

Weird, Crabtree's ability to improvise and come back to help the QB was one of his strong suits at Texas Tech. Too bad it's missing now. He must be frustrated by the lack of consistency at QB...if he gets his head in the game I wouldn't worry about that part of his game - he's shown he can do it. He and Graham Harrell had a very good rapport...Crabs often came back when Harrell was flushed from the pocket, and ad-libbed when coverages weren't what the QB expected.

I know I've seen him do this multiple times, so he does do it. He may give up on some plays, but I think he looks to help out the QB most of the time.

I can't confirm it, though.

What I can confirm is that Crabtree had more passes thrown his way than anybody else on the team.

Also... IIRC, Crabtree played QB, so he knows how to help the QB.

He did on occasion but was often late or didn't come back at all - inconsistent.

Originally posted by dtg_9er:


I wonder how many of the problems in the pasing game were due to poor management of players? I don't mean typical coaching situations but making sure the QB and WRs are talking to each other effectively to create a good rapport. Some players do that by themselves (Dwight Clark stuck like glue to Joe Montana) but others need to have their feet held to the fire...poor analogy perhaps.

It seemed that Smith could read VD and his route running last year, and was doing better with Morgan; but was not as in sync with Crabtree. I do not have any stats for this but it was just an observation from watching the games and the body language on the sidelines.

Coaches often need to be psychologists, finding ways to turn players attitudes around.

Well, if it means anything, I read multiple reports that Crabtree and Alex stayed after practice to work on chemistry during the season.

Beyond that, I can't say anything about personal relations.

It did appear that Crabtree improved over time.

His target to catch ratio certainly improved. He still had some bad moments, but that's normal.

Also, I didn't notice any significant difference in Crabtree's statistics when we switched quarterbacks, but I stopped tracking it... I think around week 12.

I'd look into the stats, but I don't think it will tell us anything about next season. That's all I really care about now.

We've got coaches in place that will teach Crabtree the right way to do things... if they get a chance to coach him this offseason. Stupid CBA.

Originally posted by dj43:

He did on occasion but was often late or didn't come back at all - inconsistent.

Yeah, I think this is accurate.

I did get the feeling that he wasn't exactly excited to be on the field at times.

Based on the things Baalke and Harbaugh have said, I don't think that will be a problem next season. I know Baalke specifically commented on the fact that wide receivers have a hard time getting excited when they start to feel that they aren't involved in the offense.

Originally posted by Wodwo:

Originally posted by dj43:

He did on occasion but was often late or didn't come back at all - inconsistent.

Yeah, I think this is accurate.

I did get the feeling that he wasn't exactly excited to be on the field at times.

Based on the things Baalke and Harbaugh have said, I don't think that will be a problem next season. I know Baalke specifically commented on the fact that wide receivers have a hard time getting excited when they start to feel that they aren't involved in the offense.

That is a problem with any skill position on just about any team. Davis has a problem at times and Gore DEFINITELY has a problem not getting the rock, especially not getting the ball in favor of someone else.

I don't see it as a problem though, they are skilled players for a reason, get the ball in their hands and let them do their thing

That will all change with the WCO, plenty opportunities to go around

[ Edited by Sims84 on Feb 2, 2011 at 05:11:31 ]

Originally posted by Sims84:

Originally posted by Wodwo:

Originally posted by dj43:

He did on occasion but was often late or didn't come back at all - inconsistent.

Yeah, I think this is accurate.

I did get the feeling that he wasn't exactly excited to be on the field at times.

Based on the things Baalke and Harbaugh have said, I don't think that will be a problem next season. I know Baalke specifically commented on the fact that wide receivers have a hard time getting excited when they start to feel that they aren't involved in the offense.

That is a problem with any skill position on just about any team. Davis has a problem at times and Gore DEFINITELY has a problem not getting the rock, especially not getting the ball in favor of someone else.


I don't see it as a problem though, they are skilled players for a reason, get the ball in their hands and let them do their thing

That will all change with the WCO, plenty opportunities to go around

Even the great Jerry Rice complained occasionally. Just the nature of the job. You run around like crazy for 5 or 10 minutes without seeing a ball come your way and you wonder why. Still needs to finish routes but that should come with coaching. Harbaugh is an emotional guy, like Singletary, but he is passionate about and knowledgeable about the offense. He will be demanding. Crabtree and Morgan may have enourmous years...we all hope!

[ Edited by dtg_9er on Feb 2, 2011 at 07:30:01 ]

Originally posted by dtg_9er:

Originally posted by Sims84:

Originally posted by Wodwo:

Originally posted by dj43:

He did on occasion but was often late or didn't come back at all - inconsistent.

Yeah, I think this is accurate.

I did get the feeling that he wasn't exactly excited to be on the field at times.

Based on the things Baalke and Harbaugh have said, I don't think that will be a problem next season. I know Baalke specifically commented on the fact that wide receivers have a hard time getting excited when they start to feel that they aren't involved in the offense.

That is a problem with any skill position on just about any team. Davis has a problem at times and Gore DEFINITELY has a problem not getting the rock, especially not getting the ball in favor of someone else.


I don't see it as a problem though, they are skilled players for a reason, get the ball in their hands and let them do their thing

That will all change with the WCO, plenty opportunities to go around

Even the great Jerry Rice complained occasionally. Just the nature of the job. You run around like crazy for 5 or 10 minutes without seeing a ball come your way and you wonder why. Still needs to finish routes but that should come with coaching. Harbaugh is an emotional guy, like Singletary, but he is passionate about and knowledgeable about the offense. He will be demanding. Crabtree and Morgan may have enourmous years...we all hope!

I agree Harbaugh will definitely be more demanding of everyone and it SHOULD lead to much better numbers across the board. I want to say it WILL but I have been let down too much this past decade so I will hold off until I see the proof on gameday

Heard on NFL network yesterday that Julio Jones worked at the combine with same stress fracture that Crabtree did not work out with. This and him missing all of pre season with a minor neck injury, no wonder VD called him a punk b***h.

I personally think he did it so he wouldn't have to run 40. He probably would have ran a 4.60 or higher time and would have made him drop to the bottom of the first round or maybe even second round.

Originally posted by susweel:
Heard on NFL network yesterday that Julio Jones worked at the combine with same stress fracture that Crabtree did not work out with. This and him missing all of pre season with a minor neck injury, no wonder VD called him a punk b***h.

I personally think he did it so he wouldn't have to run 40. He probably would have ran a 4.60 or higher time and would have made him drop to the bottom of the first round or maybe even second round.

So Crabtree worked the process perfectly. It was all about getting drafted as high as possible, and getting a pay check for him and his camp.

He needs to step it up. Maclin, Nicks, and Brit all drafted after him are looking like potential pro bowlers.

Originally posted by susweel:
Heard on NFL network yesterday that Julio Jones worked at the combine with same stress fracture that Crabtree did not work out with. This and him missing all of pre season with a minor neck injury, no wonder VD called him a punk b***h.

I personally think he did it so he wouldn't have to run 40. He probably would have ran a 4.60 or higher time and would have made him drop to the bottom of the first round or maybe even second round.

I was thinking the exact same thing while watching last night. Julio did it cause he had nothing to hide. He was arguably the best WR performer in Indy over the weekend, even with that injury!

I doubt Crabtree could have pulled the same thing off if he would have participated.

Originally posted by Norcal9erfan:

Originally posted by susweel:
Heard on NFL network yesterday that Julio Jones worked at the combine with same stress fracture that Crabtree did not work out with. This and him missing all of pre season with a minor neck injury, no wonder VD called him a punk b***h.

I personally think he did it so he wouldn't have to run 40. He probably would have ran a 4.60 or higher time and would have made him drop to the bottom of the first round or maybe even second round.

I was thinking the exact same thing while watching last night. Julio did it cause he had nothing to hide. He was arguably the best WR performer in Indy over the weekend, even with that injury!

I doubt Crabtree could have pulled the same thing off if he would have participated.

julio also had something to gain, trying to leap frog aj green, if julio is the clear cut #1 wr, is he running at the combine?

Originally posted by crabman82:

Originally posted by Norcal9erfan:

Originally posted by susweel:
Heard on NFL network yesterday that Julio Jones worked at the combine with same stress fracture that Crabtree did not work out with. This and him missing all of pre season with a minor neck injury, no wonder VD called him a punk b***h.

I personally think he did it so he wouldn't have to run 40. He probably would have ran a 4.60 or higher time and would have made him drop to the bottom of the first round or maybe even second round.

I was thinking the exact same thing while watching last night. Julio did it cause he had nothing to hide. He was arguably the best WR performer in Indy over the weekend, even with that injury!

I doubt Crabtree could have pulled the same thing off if he would have participated.

julio also had something to gain, trying to leap frog aj green, if julio is the clear cut #1 wr, is he running at the combine?

Good point. Probably not.