Originally posted by buck:
The rage against Crabtree to a large degree baffles me.
People are pissed about him missing three preseasons, but he missed the last two preseasons because of injuries.
Last year, he hurt his neck in practice. This year he hurt his foot in a player-organized work-out.
The first preseason missed was the result of his hold-out which was in my mind stupid..
There is no scintilla of proof indicating that Crabtree has intentionally avoided playing in the preseason.
Even though there is no proof, innuendos, insults, and accusations run rampant.
I do recognize that missing these three preseasons has hurt his development as a player.
His hold-out did make me suspect that he might be a diva, but since then he has not acted, with the possible exception of a couple of cryptic remarks about Alex Smith, like a typical diva. In fact, Crabtree does not draw a lot of attention to himself; most divas do. He tends to avoid the spotlight. He does not seem very gregarious, but being reserved is hardly a problem.
Perhaps, a comparison of Crabtree and Vernon Davis might be enlightening.
Davis really did act like a diva in the first two years of his career. And if I remember correctly, many people on this forum defended his idiotic behavior.
Compared to Davis, Crabtree has been a relatively good citizen in his first two years on the team.
Davis was the 6th pick in the draft. Crabtree was the 10th pick in the draft.
In his first two years, Davis had 72 receptions for 774 yards and 7 touchdowns
In his first two years, Crabtree had 103 receptions for 1,366 yards, and 8 touchdowns.
Davis changed. He matured. His game has improved.
Be patient. Give Crabtree time. He will mature. His game will improve.
Davis was also being flamed on here for not walking the walk. Crabtree is in the same situation. He's got a lot to prove about his desire.
Can't tell if you're being serious or not, but if so, dang.. Talk about reading into something wayyyyy too much.