Originally posted by GNielsen:
I guess it's just a matter of opinion. I'm pretty old-school on this - I actually think a cohesive, powerful offensive line is a more important aspect of the offense than any single receiver unless he's truly extraordinary. One of the reasons why Brady has gotten away with so many different receivers is that they kept his O-line in tact for so many seasons. Crabtree is a very good possession receiver, but I'm just not sure he's as hard to replace as a freak like Iupati. They may think they've already got a potential replacement in Quinton Patton. And look at how they were able to snag Boldin - good possession receivers are around and usually available in free agency as well for less money than Crabtree is going to demand. Bottom line is I'd also like to keep them both and I hope they work it out. My suspicion, though, is that it's going to be harder to retain Crabtree than it will be to retain Iupati.
If Crabtree consistently gets 1000 yards, I don't care how he does it. Boldin is on the decline, so that is how they got him. As for our rookies panning out, I certainly hope they do, but I think the bust potential of WR is much higher than Guards. Also, as we saw with Jenkins, drafting a WR in the 1st doesn't guarantee that they will start effectively for our team in the first year, but drafting a guard in the 1st most likely does. I like Iupati, but I think it will be easier to find a decent replacement for him.