Crabtree's interview he said he ran a 4.4......Are people shocked by that statement?

Speed is not all "natural." It can be trained and improved through technique and strength/conditioning. Hence, it is entirely possible that he will be noticeably faster this season just due to the fact he had finally had a full off-season to build up his strength and explosiveness. (NOTE: The article on Brandon Jacobs now doing squats which he never did before and how he feels quicker than he has ever felt.)

I have no doubt that Crabtree's best games as a 49er are still ahead of him, and not just because he is going to have Randy Moss or AJ Jenkins drawing fire.

Originally posted by BayArea:

Originally posted by jimrat:

Eric Branch Blog link
His big-game vanishing act cant be dismissed, but it has overshadowed the fact that Crabtree, viewed by many as a top-10 draft bust, put up No. 1-wideout-worthy numbers during the final two-and-half months of 2011. In the seasons final 11 games, Crabtree had 61 catches for 742 yards and four touchdowns, which would translate to 89 catches for 1,079 yards and six touchdowns over a 16-game season.

During that stretch, Crabtree had more receptions than Arizonas Larry Fitzgerald, Kansas Citys Dwayne Bowe and then-Dolphins wideout Brandon Marshall had in their final 11 games. He also had more yards than Pittsburghs Mike Wallace and as many touchdowns as New Englands Wes Welker.
RECEPTIONS

1. Wes Welker, Patriots, 77

2. Percy Harvin, Vikings, 69

T3. Marques Colston, Saints, 68

T3. Roddy White, Falcons, 68

5. Calvin Johnson, Lions, 67

6. Victor Cruz, Giants, 63

7. Michael Crabtree, 49ers, 61

8. Dwayne Bowe, Chiefs, 58

T9. Larry Fitzgerald, Cardinals, 53

T9. Brandon Marshall, Dolphins, 53

11. Steve Smith, Panthers, 52
YARDS

1. Calvin Johnson, Lions, 1,230

2. Victor Cruz, Giants, 1,150

3. Larry Fitzgerald, Cardinals, 984

4. Jordy Nelson, Packers, 954

5. Roddy White, Falcons, 944

6. Wes Welker, Patriots, 829

7. Brandon Marshall, Dolphins, 792

8. Steve Smith, Panthers, 785

9. Hakeem Nicks, Giants, 780

10. Michael Crabtree, 49ers, 742

11. Mike Wallace, Steelers, 657

Damn, I mean that is kind of Jaw dropping given that analysis. Have we been too hard on old Crabs? Maybe so and it wasn't like he was ever a bad WR, just injured, wasn't on a winning team, and had put up middle of the road stats. Reading this though makes me think this kid might really be a top wide receiver and might live up to his draft position.

Yup, I don't think he has gone through a full training camp because of foot problems, this is going to be the year hopefully he breaks out.

Originally posted by jimrat:
Eric Branch Blog link
His big-game vanishing act cant be dismissed, but it has overshadowed the fact that Crabtree, viewed by many as a top-10 draft bust, put up No. 1-wideout-worthy numbers during the final two-and-half months of 2011. In the seasons final 11 games, Crabtree had 61 catches for 742 yards and four touchdowns, which would translate to 89 catches for 1,079 yards and six touchdowns over a 16-game season.

During that stretch, Crabtree had more receptions than Arizonas Larry Fitzgerald, Kansas Citys Dwayne Bowe and then-Dolphins wideout Brandon Marshall had in their final 11 games. He also had more yards than Pittsburghs Mike Wallace and as many touchdowns as New Englands Wes Welker.

Thank you. I rest my case.

Healthy Crabtree gets about 90 catches in 16 games in 2012! Book it.

Originally posted by dj43:
Speed is not all "natural." It can be trained and improved through technique and strength/conditioning. Hence, it is entirely possible that he will be noticeably faster this season just due to the fact he had finally had a full off-season to build up his strength and explosiveness. (NOTE: The article on Brandon Jacobs now doing squats which he never did before and how he feels quicker than he has ever felt.)

I have no doubt that Crabtree's best games as a 49er are still ahead of him, and not just because he is going to have Randy Moss or AJ Jenkins drawing fire.

Agreed 100%. I think finally having a full offseason and good coaching is going to do wonders for him. IMO he can have a 90 catch 1300 yard 8 TD season.

I think he's a lot faster than people here give him credit for because he's been hindered by foot injuries and the fact that he has missed significant amounts of practice over the years I wouldn't be surprised if that slowed him down too. At his peak in college? I can see him easily hitting 4.4 times(unofficial with a stopwatch of course). But people really seem to stress over fractions of a second here anyway, the difference between 4.4 and 4.5 is only big when you're on a track field.

Originally posted by WillistheWall:
Agreed 100%. I think finally having a full offseason and good coaching is going to do wonders for him. IMO he can have a 90 catch 1300 yard 8 TD season.

Only reasons I can't see those stats would be the amount of mouths to feed with crab, davis,jenkins, moss, manningham. That's a lot of catches, and we're still going to be balanced with a strong run game too, we aren't turning into the saints all of a sudden.

So stats aren't that important to me, I won't look for crab to be a 1000 yd guy next year to say he has improved a lot. I'll look for fewer drops especially on key 3rd downs, better YAC(although his has been respectable on par w/most top receivers), and just simply a better consistent connection with Smith. They've lacked chemistry more than anything else and that also has a lot to do with Crab missing so many offseasons.

Originally posted by jimrat:

Originally posted by BayArea:

Originally posted by jimrat:
Eric Branch Blog link
His big-game vanishing act cant be dismissed, but it has overshadowed the fact that Crabtree, viewed by many as a top-10 draft bust, put up No. 1-wideout-worthy numbers during the final two-and-half months of 2011. In the seasons final 11 games, Crabtree had 61 catches for 742 yards and four touchdowns, which would translate to 89 catches for 1,079 yards and six touchdowns over a 16-game season.

During that stretch, Crabtree had more receptions than Arizonas Larry Fitzgerald, Kansas Citys Dwayne Bowe and then-Dolphins wideout Brandon Marshall had in their final 11 games. He also had more yards than Pittsburghs Mike Wallace and as many touchdowns as New Englands Wes Welker.
RECEPTIONS

1. Wes Welker, Patriots, 77

2. Percy Harvin, Vikings, 69

T3. Marques Colston, Saints, 68

T3. Roddy White, Falcons, 68

5. Calvin Johnson, Lions, 67

6. Victor Cruz, Giants, 63

7. Michael Crabtree, 49ers, 61

8. Dwayne Bowe, Chiefs, 58

T9. Larry Fitzgerald, Cardinals, 53

T9. Brandon Marshall, Dolphins, 53

11. Steve Smith, Panthers, 52
YARDS

1. Calvin Johnson, Lions, 1,230

2. Victor Cruz, Giants, 1,150

3. Larry Fitzgerald, Cardinals, 984

4. Jordy Nelson, Packers, 954

5. Roddy White, Falcons, 944

6. Wes Welker, Patriots, 829

7. Brandon Marshall, Dolphins, 792

8. Steve Smith, Panthers, 785

9. Hakeem Nicks, Giants, 780

10. Michael Crabtree, 49ers, 742

11. Mike Wallace, Steelers, 657

Damn, I mean that is kind of Jaw dropping given that analysis. Have we been too hard on old Crabs? Maybe so and it wasn't like he was ever a bad WR, just injured, wasn't on a winning team, and had put up middle of the road stats. Reading this though makes me think this kid might really be a top wide receiver and might live up to his draft position.

Yup, I don't think he has gone through a full training camp because of foot problems, this is going to be the year hopefully he breaks out.

I think daddy Moss is partly hired to set him straight.

^^ i posted in other thread but ill say it again

that is the whole point of my the passing games sucks partly because of crabtree ... if he attended off season workouts he wouldnt have these amazing stats just at the end of the season but throughout the whole season.

the best news is that he will no longer be doubled team because we have mario and (maybe) moss and aj jenkins

last year we had ginn and KW (not bad but essentially was a 6th round rookie last year- how many 6th round rookies start in history of nfl)

Originally posted by dj43:
Speed is not all "natural." It can be trained and improved through technique and strength/conditioning. Hence, it is entirely possible that he will be noticeably faster this season just due to the fact he had finally had a full off-season to build up his strength and explosiveness. (NOTE: The article on Brandon Jacobs now doing squats which he never did before and how he feels quicker than he has ever felt.)

I have no doubt that Crabtree's best games as a 49er are still ahead of him, and not just because he is going to have Randy Moss or AJ Jenkins drawing fire.

Isn't it funny what winning can do for a team? I credit Harbaugh in many ways for instilling a winners attitude and winners work ethic last season. I know its very premature, but the early reports out of camp suggest the 49ers may actually be functioning like the higher-quality franchise it used to be. When you add it all up, coaching mentality, last season's performance, and overall competition at various positions, it is no wonder Crabtree finally feels ready.

Last season Crabtree started to mature as a wideout, and I believe it will continue this year. He's not going to be a game changer in the Megatron ilk, but he does possess the ability to be a highly effective pass catcher for the 49ers.

We'll see what happens come September, but you have to like what you are seeing right now.

Originally posted by 49ersalldaway126:
^^ i posted in other thread but ill say it again

that is the whole point of my the passing games sucks partly because of crabtree ... if he attended off season workouts he wouldnt have these amazing stats just at the end of the season but throughout the whole season.

the best news is that he will no longer be doubled team because we have mario and (maybe) moss and aj jenkins

last year we had ginn and KW (not bad but essentially was a 6th round rookie last year- how many 6th round rookies start in history of nfl)

Now KW can work more on his skills and he can push AJ for playing time once and a while.

Matt Barrows ‏@mattbarrows Best-looking player at today's OTA practice? It might have been Michael Crabtree, who's looking very quick in and out of breaks this spring.

Originally posted by WookieOftheYear:
Matt Barrows ‏@mattbarrows Best-looking player at today's OTA practice? It might have been Michael Crabtree, who's looking very quick in and out of breaks this spring.

my nigha Crabs

Crabs couldn't touch a 4.4 forty even if he scooted down California St. on rollerskates......

Originally posted by WookieOftheYear:
Matt Barrows ‏@mattbarrows Best-looking player at today's OTA practice? It might have been Michael Crabtree, who's looking very quick in and out of breaks this spring.

Originally posted by Oakland-Niner:
Crabs could touch a 4.4 forty even if he scouted down California St. on rollerskates......

I bet you wouldnt say that if he were white