The Santa Rosa Press Democrat just posted my Friday article on Michael Crabtree. It’s about the Crabtree behind the Crabtree, and for the article I interviewed Kyle Williams, Anthony Dixon, Ricky Jean Francois and Mr. Crabtree himself.
To read my article, click here.
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I am slowly changing my opinion on Crabtree. I’d like to see him participate in a training camp just once before I completely change my mind though.
That would be plan A msc.
Plan B would be to have a good donor foot that MC could get transplanted on to replace the one that is always giving him problems if any future issues arise.
And, I want to see AS and MC sewn together this off-season. No more stupid chemistry issues between the two. None are going to get to an elite level if they continue having chemistry issues year after year. That has to come to an end on both fronts (AS as well as MC).
msclemons – It’s kind of like your first beer as a teenager. Very undesirable!
It’s an acquired taste.
No need to ‘splain touchdowns. So he’s a Diva, so what?
@4th
None of the Niner WR’s are divas.
I remember one long FG TD where MC threw a great block to give FG the hole in the secondary he needed to score that long TD run. Afterwards, FG went over to MC to thank him.
TG has also thrown a few nice blocks downfield as well. That one long KW YAC TD I believe TG threw a massive block taking the safety off his feet.
Niner WR’s have issues catching balls. They don’t have diva issues.
@DS9 …the correct term would be “Divo” but no one knows that term:
From Wiki:
“A diva is a celebrated female singer. The term is used to describe a woman of outstanding talent in the world of opera, and, by extension, in theatre, cinema and popular music (and football?). The meaning of diva is closely related to that of “prima donna”.
“The male form divo exists in Italian and is usually reserved for the most prominent leading tenors, like Enrico Caruso and Beniamino Gigli. The Italian term divismo describes the star-making system in the film industry. ”
“In contemporary Italian, diva and divo simply denote much-admired celebrities, especially film actresses and actors (& NFL football stars?), and can be translated as “(film) star”.
Anyways, I like the guy.
@4th
Interesting.
Grant, this will sound harsh so put down your latte and prepare yourself for a talking to. When are you going to offer something that you have written? I can easily find the articles your Dad has written or your newspaper has covered regarding the Niners. That place is a website called 49erswebzone.com. Please stop cheating yourself and your visitors and write your own material. It’s hard to take you seriously when you offer nothing more than a long winded link to another source. You are slowly “linking” yourself out of relevance and a job.
I wrote this.
i hate to pile on but since we’re providing feedback, i’d have to say i’m in agreement. the bulk of your blog postings are simply the long transcript of player interviews and some links to your dad’s articles. there’s no analysis. any data entry person could do that. the quality of the content is what makes a blog worthwhile. even your article for the pressdem is just a bunch of quotes. interesting yes…but the point is that any mail room clerk could have recorded it and printed it….add some value.
do some research. crunch some stats, look at film/game tape…give some value add to the interview material you provide. UNDERSTAND the GAME OF FOOTBALL. X’s & O’s and matchups. player strengths, weaknesses, tendencies.
…cmon give him a break….he did write about 49ergrl….
…jst kiddin….
David, research the last six months of these articles and Comcast and blogs here. Grant has written some of the most entertaining and informative pieces, He works just as hard or harder then Mathew barrows of the bee and Matty M. of Comcast. Just my oppinion but Grant gets the 49er players to talk about things others dont, probably how he asks the question as he comes up with new subjects when others just ask the players the same old which as got to be annoying, You have probably read the pieces I am talking about but maybe you did not know it was Grant who wrote them.
@David
Come on.
He says he wrote it here on this blog page, and when you click the link, it says “Grant Cohn”.
What should he do? Put his name in 50 size font with neon lights?
He’s one of the guys that will go up and make the tough catch, – NO
he’s tough over the middle, – YES
and he’s a tough out when it comes to bringing him down. – YES
“Everybody knows I’m a realist,” Crabtree said. ….. “If I see something wrong, I’m a guy that’s going to keep it real with you because I keep it real with myself and everyone around me.”
…most people that keep it real are also very selfish and self centered
“…most people that keep it real are also very selfish and self centered”
Sometimes you have to be self centered and confident in order to dominate. GO CRAB and the NINERS baby, i want 3TDs and over 100 yards
@chicago
I don’t think oneniner has been over critical since of MC since about mid-season. oneniner definitely changed his stance some on MC this year.
He gave his opinion of MC in about as non-confrontational way as you can.
One worded answers to 3 questions. With two “Yes” answers in the positive. Now you and others can disagree. But I don’t think he said anything horrible or “selective” about MC.
Up till that Seattle game, he did not go up AND catch it. Many people here on this blog were tired of watching other teams WR’s (NO, GB included) make great catches out of passes that were not that well thrown…helping out the QB’s stats and deep passing success, etc.
Then when I saw MC make that catch, I was like “Yeah. That is what the elite offenses have.” But, is 1 catch sufficient to prove that MC will go up (never any doubt in my mind about this part) AND catch it (the part I doubted)?
That is a judgement call.
Oneniner did you get up on the wrong side of the bed!!!!
“He’s one of the guys that will go up and make the tough catch, – NO” Did you watch the seattle game! One of the reasons we won that game was because Crab jumped up for the ball for tough catch and he has been doing that all season. I do not relate to your selective support of this team. You have been a true supporter of Alex in the tough times which i respect but then talk smack about our best WR on team! I hope you have a joyfull day my man.
@Oneniner
I usually agree with you…but not regarding Crabtree going up and making the tough catch. I think in Crabtree’s first 2 seasons you’re right, but this year he’s gotten better each week. The Lions game is one that really stands out. Alex had an off-day with his accuracy, but Crabtree went up and grabbed some tough shots that went high over the middle that left him very vulnerable for big hits. Those catches kept us in that game. His sideline catch in Seattle was also a big time catch.
I think we’ve found our #1 receiver! And just wait until we get Joshua Morgan back! Right now none of our receivers (with the exception of Vernon) demand double coverage, which is a good thing for us right now. But by mid-season next year that won’t be the case and it will ultimately be the next level of develop for our young receiving corps! I’m stoked because ALL arrows are pointing up for us, and we’ll tick even higher after we take care of business tomorrow!
@ninersroc
I agree with you. MC has gotten better each week this year. The only problem is that he missed the first few weeks of the season this year, and the “chemistry” issues between AS and MC was present for all to see.
To me the big change happened against TB (I think that was the game).
AS threw the ball to MC, but MC went one way, and AS threw another. The ball was almost intercepted.
Then on the sideline, I saw the two of them, along with some coach looking over the play together. There was no screaming/angry looks/etc between the two. That was the first time I ever saw the two do that after a bad play.
From that point on, MC and AS got better together.
Good read…..I liked how you broke down Ricky Jean Francois comments…..
Grea article, really a joy to read. Funny and a original point of view. I really did like this. Keep it up Grant, your penmanship is really starting to shine.
Another good read, Grant. Like msclemons67, my view on Crabtree has changed from what I thought of him when the year began and what I think of him now, but I would also like to see him get through a training camp.
No denying the guy has stepped it up for the team.
Grant
Great article! It’s funny because I was just thinking the other day, after watching Crabtree’s presser, that he might be a severely misunderstood guy. This article really helps me put the real “Mike Crab” into perspective. I think he’s going to be great player after all.
This was great read just in time too because I was gonna explode if I read one more article about Saturday’s game and the Saints’ offense, and what the 49ers can/can’t, must/mustn’t do. Thanks for keeping me grounded this week lol!
Could he become “Rice” like or “Taylor” like? I think he would really benefit from bringing in a guy like Blackmon. I know. Impossible! Begs the question, who do we target and in what round? I do not want to go the Braylon Edwards route again. Curious to know if anyone else thinks the way things went down on this team and through his career it might have sparked a neuron inside Mr. Crabs head.
glad to see Crabs is getting healthy and producing more, but lets be clear: he is not a beast, not yet anyway. he has good hands (not infallible, but pretty sticky generally speaking), but doesnt have elite speed, and is surprisingly easy to tackle. he’s still young however, and if he’s only now getting healthy, he has upside as a (likely possession) receiver. for a player of relatively modest talent, he needs to be communicating well with his qb.
right now, i’d put him in the Mike Wilson category. Wilson was a fine receiver and an apparently decent fellow, but by no means the guy who made the offense go. i cant put all the blame on Crabs for this evaluation however, because Alex needs to put a few more balls up for grabs to see if Crabs and others can make plays.
another good piece Grant, you are the man!
Crabs started out on the wrong foot with alot of 9er fans, and there have been times that his work ethic has been questioned, but the fact is, nobody but him knows how bad his feet have been.He says he is 100% now and as a fan of his from his TT days I can’t wait to see him get comfortable, I think he can and will be a beast soon enough.
@Drty 49
Interesting choice of words and phrase to open up your post at 1:16. Was that on purpose?
It was, thought it might get a smile or two.
: )
Very nice article Grant. You’re on the right track with that sort of stuff.
I think Crabs has been a real enigma to the public eye. I don’t think he’s a diva, or has been in the past. He’s just an introverted, mildly obsessive-compulsive, driven, kick-ass beast of a receiver in the making, including being a great blocker. He’s a true #1 right now, and if he was on a pass first team, whoa, he’d be a superstar soon. I don’t care about 40 times. I care about the ability to separate….this guy can break ankles. If you can’t tell, I’m really high on him.
@DS
I respect oneniner and your opinion however does not always agree with your statements since it appears to be lopsided sometimes! It’s interesting that you find statements such as selfish and self center positive toward crabs and condemn any statement toward Alex by labeling the bloger hater!!! Do you have favorites in the team or double standards? And by the way it’s completely fine to have favorite players in a team as long as you are being fair in your judgment.
Crabtree has not played to all his potential just like Alex and several other players in this team. Many of our players have been ridiculed for not performing however it is only fair to look at our team as a whole. This organization was extremely dysfunctional due to lack of leadership and sense of identity. How do you expect an offense or a QB to go through 7 offensive systems and perform? As Joe M stated in his press would you be an expert if you changed your job every year going to a different system! Well then Crab also has suffered due to
- Lack of consistency
- Lack of leadership
- Lack of offensive identity
- Poor coaching
- Poor QB play or inconsistent QB play
- Injuries
- Lack of chemistry
- And maybe maturity as a player
Crab did not have the opportunity to participate in a single off season and still has produced decent numbers based on everything that I mentioned above (to my OPINION)! And I believe the catch in Seattle is not the only tough catch this year by crab and he is going to have many big plays for this team. GO NINERS
….i think you are making a big deal out of nothing……being selfish and self center is a perquisite of a great NFL WR’s……..
…..in football it is a positive……
…FYI – Crabtree missing preseason games was all his fault……
you could actually solve all his suffering with preseason and of season camp
“Well then Crab also has suffered due to
Problem – Solution
- Lack of consistency – camp, preseason
- Lack of leadership – camp
- Lack of offensive identity – camp
- Poor coaching – preseason
- Poor QB play or inconsistent QB play – camp, preseason
- Injuries – camp
- Lack of chemistry – preseason
- And maybe maturity as a player – camp
One, give it a rest dude…no negative vibe!
@hof
You need to spell it out for me and one here.
What bad thing did he or I write? It is nothing different from what you have said. And I have seen you more negative on MC as well (I used to post – on MC, but not anymore).
@hof…yea dude….whtz your angle?…….what negative vibe???
Time to enjoy the ride…criticism can re-start after the game tomorrow.
…sure i am with 100% with you……but what negative vibe are you talking about?……and what criticism are you talking about?
….enjoy the ride??…dude I am next to the driver……. i think you are losing it……cmon get your game back on track….
I like your analysis Oneniner
Life is sweet = camp
Our coaching was below average in the past = camp
Jimmy Raye Offense was not so hot = camp
LOL ;) GO NINERSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS and the CRAB. I would like to see 3 TDs from Alex to Crabtree in this game
@chicago
Take a chill pill man.
Look at this whole thread and the anger and hater term are only being used by you.
Geez.
Oneniner has a right to discuss MC, doesn’t he? You went on this little rant of yours and never quoted anything where neither oneniner nor myself “hated” on MC.
Neither oneniner nor myself have stated that MC can’t get better. That was the theme for JH’s team all along. To get better tommorow. That extended to MC as well as AS you know. Don’t you?
And if you are asking me if 1 drop = 1 bad pass, I don’t feel it does. Not even close.
…well written!!!
I am out of chill pills DS the rant master. Its nice that you protect your boy Oneniner like a dog, the mans best friend. And I still like you despite your condesecending comments which do not make sense most of the time.
GO NINERS and CRABTREE our future superstar.
Awesome. I knew this was a guy the 49ers would want around for awhile. Hopefully the press won’t drive him away.