Grant Cohn: Crabtree not a Diva

[FourBeeDen]

Why the hell don't the 49ers re-sign Owens anyway?

For one thing, I believe TO is still injured

 

[sayheykid1]

I'm not really sure what point you are trying to prove with those stats, other than that Crabtree has a higher YPC than Wayne. Crabtree has had a serious problem holding onto the ball early in the year. We saw it in the first game last year and we saw it again this week. He dropped eight passes last year, good enough to rank in the bottom-15 at the position.

Drop Percentage: Wide Receivers | ProFootballFocus.com

"Isn't the ball dropping type?" What does that even mean?

There are a lot of very good WR on that bottom list which makes me question the value of the data.

 

[NinerSickness]

Crabtree isn't a Diva, but he's a far-from-selfless, egomaniacal, malcontent, wimpy, mouthy little woman.

Oh, and he's slow.

 

[MHSL82]

I can't agree with this entire list. I don't think Smith's reluctance to throw to Crabtree is unjustified. Early last season, Crabtree repeatedly dropped balls or ran poor routes, which led to several INTs. In the first three games last season, Smith had a 6.6 rating throwing to Crabtree. A lot of that was on Crabtree for dropping the ball and not really grasping the offense. Crabtree bounced back, but I think it's fair to doubt him a bit after that start last season. He also got a very fair contract, he just wanted a contract that was disproportionate to his draft position. I think that was more his advisers, but he's got the power to tell them to sign the fair deal.

I went back and forth on this with Clyde, and I do think Crabtree has talent. But he bears a large part of the blame for his struggles to date. Between injuries and a preference for working out alone, he has done himself no favors.

Man, I'm striking out today. What I meant by what I said - I was hypothetically speaking in a manner regarding a Crabtree supporter. I was saying that even an unjustified distrust by the coaches and quarterbacks in general would be something that held him back. And if the distrust were justified, then Crabtree held himself back, too.

Same with the contract, I was saying that for a Crabtree supporter, not getting a "fair contract" would have pulled him out of a learning experience, etc. And if the contract offer was fair, Crabtree (or his agent) held himself back, too. Not "only Alex"... especially when there were other QBs that he didn't prove himself under.

I wasn't clear in what I meant. There's a thing in law that says that if even when you see everything in the light of the plaintiff, there's no basis for suit, the case should be dismissed. Similarly, even if you see everything in the light of Crabtree, the idea that only Alex is holding him back, is BS.

 

[Flyingiguana]

So I guess this logic makes a guy like Terrell Owens just misunderstood, right? Except for the fact that Owens is tenfold tougher than Crabtree will ever be.

at least owens didn't show signs of being flaky until he was actually performing. crabtree hasn't done anything. maybe he wants to go fishing with rashaun woods

 

[Crimsoncrew]

There are a lot of very good WR on that bottom list which makes me question the value of the data.

It's just raw data. And there are some good receivers on it. Of course, TO perennially dropped a lot of balls and he was a beast. Drops alone aren't the end of the world if you make the other team pay when you catch it. Crabtree hasn't become a big-play guy in the TO mold (or DeSean Jackson, or Steven Smith, or Brandon Marshall, etc.), so there isn't as much slack when he drops balls. At present he profiles as more of a possession receiver, which means he has to be more reliable. It's worth noting a guy like Welker goes across the middle a lot, and catches the ball at full speed a lot (as does Jackson), which would account for some drops. Again, that's not really Crabtree's game to date.

 

[Crimsoncrew]

Man, I'm striking out today. What I meant by what I said - I was hypothetically speaking in a manner regarding a Crabtree supporter. I was saying that even an unjustified distrust by the coaches and quarterbacks in general would be something that held him back. And if the distrust were justified, then Crabtree held himself back, too.

Same with the contract, I was saying that for a Crabtree supporter, not getting a "fair contract" would have pulled him out of a learning experience, etc. And if the contract offer was fair, Crabtree (or his agent) held himself back, too. Not "only Alex"... especially when there were other QBs that he didn't prove himself under.

I wasn't clear in what I meant. There's a thing in law that says that if even when you see everything in the light of the plaintiff, there's no basis for suit, the case should be dismissed. Similarly, even if you see everything in the light of Crabtree, the idea that only Alex is holding him back, is BS.

Ok, gotcha. I was reading through pretty quickly, so you may have said this more clearly than I realized above.

 

[Thepatty13]

Why do a lot of people give Alex Smith the benefit of the doubt but when it comes to crabtree all he gets is hatred and dislike. I believe that Crabtrees production has suffered from not only poor play call (which stems from a lack confidence in A Smith, which is understandable) but from poor overall QB play.
Ya, Crabtree has some work to do and things to get better at but tell me what star WR would put up pro bowl numbers if they were part of this team the past 3 years? Andre Johnson would have a ceiling of a 65-70 catch 1000 yrds season here.
Ya Crabbtree has dropped a couple balls and some were his fault some were not. I saw Brandon Marshall drop 2-3 catchable balls vs the pats does that make him a bad WR (im not saying Crabtree = Marshall) I just think Crabtree is unfairly bashed and Alex Smith is overly protected. My 2 cents..

 

[EaseUrStorm]

Why do a lot of people give Alex Smith the benefit of the doubt but when it comes to crabtree all he gets is hatred and dislike. I believe that Crabtrees production has suffered from not only poor play call (which stems from a lack confidence in A Smith, which is understandable) but from poor overall QB play.
Ya, Crabtree has some work to do and things to get better at but tell me what star WR would put up pro bowl numbers if they were part of this team the past 3 years? Andre Johnson would have a ceiling of a 65-70 catch 1000 yrds season here.
Ya Crabbtree has dropped a couple balls and some were his fault some were not. I saw Brandon Marshall drop 2-3 catchable balls vs the pats does that make him a bad WR (im not saying Crabtree = Marshall) I just think Crabtree is unfairly bashed and Alex Smith is overly protected. My 2 cents..

A lot of it has to do with attitude (perceived), and practice attendance. Another thing is how terrible Crabtree was at the beginning of last year where all the passes around him were being volleyball set to the defensive backs or dropped.

If Crabtree was able to practice consistently, or make big plays the blame would be shifted. And I don't really think that's true in the first place. Alex Smith already gets the blame for most everything, even the Crabtree interceptions/drops.

 

[MHSL82]

Why do a lot of people give Alex Smith the benefit of the doubt but when it comes to crabtree all he gets is hatred and dislike. I believe that Crabtrees production has suffered from not only poor play call (which stems from a lack confidence in A Smith, which is understandable) but from poor overall QB play.
Ya, Crabtree has some work to do and things to get better at but tell me what star WR would put up pro bowl numbers if they were part of this team the past 3 years? Andre Johnson would have a ceiling of a 65-70 catch 1000 yrds season here.
Ya Crabbtree has dropped a couple balls and some were his fault some were not. I saw Brandon Marshall drop 2-3 catchable balls vs the pats does that make him a bad WR (im not saying Crabtree = Marshall) I just think Crabtree is unfairly bashed and Alex Smith is overly protected. My 2 cents..

This is a pretty big world and this forum is rather small, there are plenty of people on all aisles of the argument. Some give the benefit of the doubt to Crabtree as opposed to Alex. Some say that it doesn't matter who you play for, Alex sucks, but then some who say "what star WR would put up pro bowl numbers if they were part of this team the past 3 years?" Granted, Crabtree hasn't had as long as Smith has, but the point remains, there are several factors here and people who think the same, opposite, and in the middle with what you are saying. When the majority say that Alex is a bust, that's not overly protected. When people show evidence of drops, that's not unfairly bashed. The drops are only part of the evaluation of a player, Crabtree could have drops and still make the Hall of Fame. The truth in regards to Alex and Crabtree is somewhere in the middle (as in "in between the extremes, not as in egually distanced from the extremes).

 

[Ray_Dogg]

He's slow, injury prone, doesn't have elite hands, doesn't fight for passes, held out and wound up taking less money, and doesn't go out of his way to practice with teammates. Yeah, he's unfairly bashed. Another Crabtree apologist.

 

[FourBeeDen]

Why do a lot of people give Alex Smith the benefit of the doubt but when it comes to crabtree all he gets is hatred and dislike. I believe that Crabtrees production has suffered from not only poor play call (which stems from a lack confidence in A Smith, which is understandable) but from poor overall QB play.
Ya, Crabtree has some work to do and things to get better at but tell me what star WR would put up pro bowl numbers if they were part of this team the past 3 years? Andre Johnson would have a ceiling of a 65-70 catch 1000 yrds season here.
Ya Crabbtree has dropped a couple balls and some were his fault some were not. I saw Brandon Marshall drop 2-3 catchable balls vs the pats does that make him a bad WR (im not saying Crabtree = Marshall) I just think Crabtree is unfairly bashed and Alex Smith is overly protected. My 2 cents..

Pot meet kettle..

 

[MW49ers5]

He's slow, injury prone, doesn't have elite hands, doesn't fight for passes, held out and wound up taking less money, and doesn't go out of his way to practice with teammates. Yeah, he's unfairly bashed. Another Crabtree apologist.

Approved! And I could add to that list!

 

[EaseUrStorm]

There's a basic formula for Crabtree to keep track of: when he practices he's a legitimate #2 WR.

Why he doesn't practice is up for debate.

 

[Thepatty13]

Im not making excuses for Crabtree, nor am I bashing Smith. I just think Crabtree has the potential there. Watching crabtree as a rookie I remember thinking 'this guy can catch'. I was just impressed how he used his hands to catch the ball. Then I see him dropping a few balls this past season, and im confused. I just know he has the skill but its not all coming together for him here in SF. All in all he probably needs a change of scenery. Then maybe he can reach that 85-1100-8 potential I see in him. Put him in N.O., GB, SD, etc and those numbers could be there.

On a side note though do any of you see an A Johnson, Calvin (might be the one that could), Nicks, Fitz, etc putting up probowl numbers if part of the 9ers the past 3 years?

 

[Thepatty13]

Watch film of him at T Tech then watch film of him the past 2 years. Something is different. Maybe he lost confidence? Maybe the lack of trust in A Smith? I dunno, but I believe he has the talent to be a good WR.

 

[clyde_carbon]

Both Alex Smith and Michael Crabtree blow.

There you have it ladies and gentlemen.

 

[Ray_Dogg]

Calvin, Johnson, and Fitz yes. With those guys you gotta realize they have elite ability to go up and come down with the ball. They are a chuckers dream.

 

[Ray_Dogg]

I think he lost a lot of speed after he broke his foot.

 

[MW49ers5]

Both Alex Smith and Michael Crabtree blow.

There you have it ladies and gentlemen.

Say it ain't so, Joe!