Crabtree acting a little crabby

By Azavlaris  |   Friday, August 07, 2009  |  Comments( 0 )

San Francisco 49ers
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Like many fellow 49er fans, I considered the draft pick of Michael Crabtree to be nothing short of a blessing from the football gods, as well as a sign that perhaps there will be some light at the end of the long dark tunnel that has been the last seven seasons. Sadly, the bubble has burst, and my dreams have been shattered by the facts. It is undeniable that Crabtree displays physical attributes of what makes a strong professional wide receiver. He's listed as 6 foot 3 inches, and weighs 214 lbs, not the largest of professional wide receivers but still a good height and size, combined with his explosive speed, he should be what the 49ers have been hoping for.

I wish I could say that there is only one elephant in the room when it comes to talking about Crabtree, however there are two. One is the foot injury that Crabtree suffered last season while playing for Texas Tech. Many top NFL analysts view this injury as the first of many, and have little hope for the future of Michael Crabtree. It is true that injuries do play a factor on the physical, and mental, well-being of an athlete. It is true that an injury can destroy the future of an athlete, but I believe that that is dependent on the athlete his/herself. Look at Baltimore Ravens running back Willis McGahee, he suffered a potentially career ending knee injury while he was a sophomore at Miami University, around three years later, McGahee was able to bounce back, get drafted and he is now one of the premiere running backs in the NFL. An injury of the body is nothing against the strength of the mind. So do I think that Crabtree's injury will prohibit him from being a top NFL wide receiver, I believe that that is up to Crabtree, and only Crabtree.

The second elephant in the room is, of course, this whole mess with the Crabtree holding out on his contract. Though this is aggravating to fans, I believe that people underestimate just how common this is. Even our coach, Mike Singletary held out on signing his original contract with the Chicago Bears in 1983, which would explain why he is not riding Crabtree, and is clear that he feels that this is an issue between the office and their player, not between a coach and his team. It's hard to argue with a man like Singletary, and I feel that if he is not worried, we should not be worried.

Now it is troubling when an athlete does not sign his contract right away. I know that there is no 49er fan out there who wants to see Crabtree go down the same road as Oakland Raiders Quarterback Jamarcus Russel, who held out so long that his dispute ended up wrecking his personal season, as well as the season for the entire organization.

Fortunately a wide receiver does not have the same leadership role that is expected from a quarterback. The 49ers have less to worry about who is catching the ball, rather than who is throwing it.

To Michael Crabtree I say: Stay crabby if you like, we can hold out as long as you!
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