Obviously it was against a majority of backups, but Nate Davis looked Real Smooth last night. I think the 49ers might have something there with him. He looks real good mechanically which 49ers fans haven't seen in a while. I can't see where he doesn't finish in the Top 3 at this point. He looked so good that those 2 first round picks in 2010 could be used on the best 2 pass rushers in the draft instead QB.

It doesn't matter when Craptree signs. He will be mostly useless this season. He ain't no Jerry Rice. He ain't no Terrel Owens. He's just a punk rookie who hasn't got a clue, hasn't played a down and who paid too much attention to the mock drafts.

Nate HAS looked really good. Granted, hes going up against the other 3's but hes making good decisions and showing off that big gun! Is it possible he could give Alex a contest for the future franchise QB?

we definately need to go big in the next draft. O or D, no more diva's. we need some big, talented, young linemen. a new B.Y./Stubblefield combo would be nice. hopefully carolina will go 0 and 16 this year. we have the talent in the skilled positions to compete with the elite teams. 2 first round drafts will be nice next year.

I think Shaun's back will give out by week 3, Alex Smith will come in, throw about 4 interceptions, get thrown out by Sing, and Nate davis will be come in by week 5 and pull a 'Big Ben', saving us from missing the playoffs (and becoming the starter for 2010).

Again, I'm not a Smith hater, but Alex Smith looks as timid as a rape victim behind that o-line, and he makes dangerous throws that risk the health of his wide receivers.

So Alex, tell me what it means to be a winner:

Alex: Uh... *puts head down in shyness* "Well, yeah um you gotta not worry about the little things, um... yeah throw away the big things... if that makes sense? Yeah."

Should be an interesting next 2 weeks. Thanks again Mr. Maiocco for all your tireless efforts providing us fans with the insightful introspect you are afforded through access to the best franchise in the NFL.

What Davis doubters miss is that he can make throws that only first class QBs make. With our running game, this could be enough to start him. I've been for Hill starting, but he makes it too easy for the D. Davis could make Spurlock & Morgan earn their pay. Z too.

On the cuts...

Carlos Thomas - bit of a surprise; he seemed to make some nice plays. But the signing of Eric Green may have been the clincher.
Jahi Word-Daniels - no surprise here; the guy looked lost on the field.
Mark Bradford - too many receivers, and didn't play enough to make an impression.
Chris Francies - ditto.
Alex Romero - expected; kicked well enough perhaps to get a look from another team. Hope so.

Matt, any guesses on who might fill Smith's open spot? Are the Niners expecting Crabtree to do so, or are they looking at who may get cut around the league (e.g., OT)?

I don't feel very good about the upcoming season. My gut feeling says that Hill will be exposed, the defense will allow long drives that chew up entire quarters and this decade will end as a "lost decade" for the 49ers franchise. Yep...it's been an awful 10 years. Sure, they made the playoffs during 2001..but, that was a very irregular season with 9/11 happening and the schedule being moved around.

Of course, I hope I am dead wrong and I will be rooting for the Niners and Hill every play this year.

Nate Davis has looked good and he outplayed Kitna last night by far. As for Crabtree, f**k that diva let him sit out the whole year. The kid thinks he should get paid all these millions of dollars and hasnt even caught a pass in the nfl yet. I guess you really are a pre maddona diva.

It's going to take a lot for me to start liking Crabtree again. At this point I don't give a rats ass if he ever signs, but at the same time I know he has the potential to be a great receiver and I hate that it would be a wasted pick, especially when we could've taken someone instead who would have signed and actually made an impact.

He's going to sign at some point and might contribute very slightly this year, but the whole ordeal has left a really bad taste in my mouth.

Considering his first season under Mike Nolan, when he was sacked 29 times in 9 games, I think the rape victim analogy isn't too far off the mark.

I am not sure why there is so much anger towards Crab. This stuff happens in the NFL. As soon as he catches his first TD all will be forgotten.

Hahahahaha you caught my anology, HaikenEdge. Yeah, Mike Martz really put it well when he said Alex may not find success within the NFL until he leaves the 49ers.

-Nolan may be gone, but the memories remain, Alex will never find confidence/trust behind another man wearing gold pants for the rest of his 49er career.

Smith fans love to pin the "Steve Young" descriptive on Alex Smith (within the extent that if we let Alex go, he'll flourish elsewhere), BUT they forget that Steve only found success moment he LEFT Tampa Bay.

Boz: Anytime Crabtree wants to sign and start catching touchdowns will be fine with me.

As for the anger, I believe it is coming from two main places.

First are the people who, especially in this economy, are simply tired of listening to athletes complain about the millions they are paid to play a game that we presume they love. Many people would love to have either a job they love or a job that pays millions. To have the opportunity for both and to then complain about it seems a bit ... ungrateful.

The second, maybe larger group, comes from those who are frustrated by the seeming irrationality of Crabtree's hold-out. He is holding out, so all the information says, for a deal that there is nearly zero chance he will receive. If he seemed to have a reason for his hold-out it would be easier to take. However, given that he is holding out for, essentially, no reason, it is frustrating to watch.

I am mostly in the second camp. If I thought there was a reason for the hold-out, some end game that makes sense, I would be more understanding (though still upset.) Instead, it seems like there is no plan. Crabtree has already lost a lot of money in the interest that he is losing on his guaranteed money and the interest he is paying on the loans to maintain whatever lifestyle he is currently living. He is unlikely to gain an increase to the final package equal to whatever he has lost. Thus the seeming irrationality and the frustration.

You're probably right. I suppose it's the straw that broke the camel's back. Yeah it happens a lot, but I'm sick of it, and I guess when it happens to your favorite team, it hits close to home. Rookie contracts have always been my biggest grief with the NFL.

Very well said.

.....i see the Hill bandwagon is quiet.....just like hill himself his bandwagon is full of losers....

...N.Davis is interesting,- i am very impressed he can make those pro-bowler type throws -

Here’s hoping for a good 2009. I think the cut at qb should be Smith. He is a damaged goods. The team botched his handling from day one...never had solid coaching in place for him long term. Smith never demonstrated he was a leader or a winner always mopes and has his head down. He is not NFL QB material. Regardless of who is to blame...if you must place blame. IT IS TIME TO MOVE ON!! He is a distraction. The more I see the weak throws by Hill the more worried I become. I like the guy; problem is why can't a strength coach get his arm built up??? He has had years to correct this deficiency. I think our opponents will clog the middle all year and dare Hill to beat them on outs or over the top. I just don't think he can hit the outs and I think Raye and Sing will not let them go bomb to beat the stack (too conservative) nor can Hill consistently make this throw. This all ends up in a painful and long season. I hope I am wrong.

I wouldn't go as far as to pin the Steve Young tag on him, but I do think he can become something still if he found the right fit and had some time to sit and learn an offense, as well as regain whatever confidence he lost in his rookie and 3rd seasons.

My point is that this is standard opperating procedure in the NFL. It is the system that is broken, that's why these holdouts happen every year. We have just been lucky not to experience it in the past coule years.

Addressing your first ponit, boo hoo. Life isn't fair. People with the intelligence to get paid millions are as rare as these athletes. The common denominator (myself included) needs to drop the wo-is-me attitude.

As for your second point, since they don't get paid until the first game, he hasn't lost any money. That's why there is no urgency for him to sign, and why the 49ers are confident he'll sign before the first game.

I concede that the SOP is broken. That was not your comment I was attempting to answer. I was trying to explain the reasons I see for why people are upset.

Why do you think people are upset about Crabtree not signing?

Point 1: Fair enough. I am not claiming it is rational to be upset for this reason, just that it is a reason people are upset.

point 2: I did not make myself clear. I was speaking of the interest Crabtree would have already been earning on his signing bonus. If we suppose a $13M signing bonus (a number that I found a couple of places), then $13M invested at a 2% rate (a savings account or CD, even now) yields about $22K a month in interest. To put it another way, if he had signed July 1 for about what he will end up signing for, he would be $44K richer than he will otherwise be. Perhaps not a huge amount for what he will otherwise earn, but significant never the less. If his final contract is $44K larger than the July 1 proposal, he has made a good choice, financially. If it not $44K more, then he has made a bad choice. That was my point.

No urgency to sign? He is hurting himself the longer he waits. He is essentially wasting his rookie year for a chance at a couple million more in his wallet. He has lost so much ground and it'll take him a while to catch up before he's even ready to contribute.

Based on pre-season play, Davis should be at MINIMUM the 2nd string QB, behind Hill, who, let's face it, has earned the spot from last year and is well known as a bad practice but good game player. If Hill goes down, I'd be all for giving Davis the shot at 1. He has shown us all something. As for #3, I say cut the "Bust" and just keep Huard on for the final spot. The Alex project must be considered a failure and he needs to be dismissed.

I AGREE on all counts!! The "Bust" must go!

Crabs is an idiot. If he would have signed for the "slotted" amount and then come in and busted his ass he probably would be looking like an all star right now, assuming he is as good as his camp thinks he is.

This most likely would have resulte din him singing a few endorsement deals that would have paid him big chunks of change!! He now will not play much at all this year and that will give him a very late start on endorsements. Additionally, the negative press he is getting right now may also scare away endorsement offers. Crabs camp has handled this like a chump. If he was such a great talent someone earlier would have taken him. Bottom line....eary QB picks and WR picks have a long history of flopping. The burden of proof is on Crabs. He is the one losing out. If he sits for a year....good riddence. He will be lucky to get drafted next year and there is the remote chance a rookie cap gets done...oh what a sweet bit of irony would that be. He should call up that kid from Detroit and ask him how hard it is to get back in the groove after being out of football for a short period of time. Oh wait...that guy was a compelte bust! Crabs is a joke. Bottom line the knuckle head in the front office really screwed up. A couple of teams who picke after us will have drafted a guy who comes in a makes a splash this year. Just think...we could have had any of them! Maybe even a RT that does not have a bad back. Now there is a though.

Alternatively you could say the Yorks are wasting Crabtree's rookie season for a couple more million less in their wallets.

And I guarantee you that a million means a whole lot less to billionaire Yorks than it does to Crabtree.

If true, the "take it or leave it" posture of the Niners totally sucks. In business that will only get you so far. They need to realize the franchise is losing a lot, lot more than Crabtree.

If Battle continues to be the teams best WR into the season, what's the odds of the Niners making it to the playoffs?

I heard Jed say the most important thing to the team is wins. Shame he can't walk the walk.

I just had a thought. Rashaun Woods was cut by the CFL's Hamilton Tiger Cats and is now available. If we pursue him we'll get a receiver with skills and work ethic comparable to Crabtree's but we'll be able to sign him for a whole lot less money.

so because crabs has been shopping in the bay area instead of back home in texas is proof he's gonna sign eventually? . .not according to family members in his camp

jersf49er said... "hopefully carolina will go 0 and 16 this year. we have the talent in the skilled positions to compete with the elite teams. 2 first round drafts will be nice next year." . . . . 0-16 would give us the #1 pick in the draft, and with the system that's in place, you'd be crazy to want a #1 pick. They eat up a TON of cap space and have never played a down in the NFL. It sucks, and I want no part of a high pick in next year's draft. Again, with the broken system that's in place, you want picks out of the top 10. Willis was 10, 11, or 12 if I remember correctly, and he's a helluva lot better than Vernon Davis (a #6) and Alex Smith. Stop saying that we need CAR to go 0-16 or 2-14 or whatever. 8-8 would be just right. We'd get a nice mid 1st round pick, someone that would be easier to sign, someone that might report to camp on time (unlike the guy that supposedly will wear #15) and not eat up a ton of cap space. Yes, Panthers, go 8-8!

Lions were 4-0 in last year's preseason. They went on to an 0-16 record in regular season.

It's rare for pro athletes who neither play for a Bay Area team nor are from here to settle here. If he's looking for a home here, it means he will be playing here.

I fully agree that Smith should be cut at this point and not carried through this season because I don't see any way he is on the roster in 2010.

I like Michael Robinson, but Gore, Coffee, and Sheets are all way better running backs and if one of those 4 have to go it's got to be Robinson.

It's time for Arnaz Battle to go to along with Jeff Ulbrich. The 49ers need to clean house with some of those remaining veterans from the lean years and get the young guys on the field. Bruce, Morgan, Hill, Ziegler, Spurlock, and Crabtree if he ever gets in.

Once Vernon Davis's contract is up I don't see how he will be back either unless it's the right price.

Hill deserves the chance to continue to improve on that 7-3 record but Nate Davis has to be on deck. Hill can get the 49ers to the playoffs but Davis has all the physical skills to be a franchise guy and really looks comfortable with his mechanics and decision making. I would really like to see him play against another team's number one defense with the 49ers number 1 offense and see how he does. He might save Scotty McCloughan's career.

I agree with that, no way would I want the #1 overall. Too much cash, and nobody wants to trade up for those picks anymore nowadays, and after the Alex Smith fiasco, a #1 would give me cold sweats and nightmares. I'd like to see a nice pick in the 5-11 range. Those numbers still give us great trade-down manueverability or a nice impact player...either way you can't go wrong. Just say NO to a #1 overall.

I'll admit that I'm the minority here who has stated from the beginning that the niners should match Crabs dollar for dollar with the #7 value. Or at this late stage in the preseason game, slightly less than the #7 value.

Screw precedents – do the niners really owe the league any favors to follow the rules in this unusual draft case that happens, oh, once in every decade?

Yes, the Yorkies have the cash, and no this will not set a precedent for the niners every draft year.

Based on MM's reports that Crabtree is still chillin in the Bayarheia, I'm confident that the Red Raider will sign soon, and with incentives that bring him close to #7 value.

Another prediction – Hill will be pulled midseason and the rookie from Ballsy State will be thrown into the Lion's den.

Discuss. I'm ready to put my helmet on and hit somebody.

Sign him! Negotiate! Get it done. What a pathetic way to manage. This shouldn't be about egos or pride or self respect for either side,

What I have seen in the games our passing game isn't clicking. From the QBs, pass protection, to the receivers it looks so average. Josh Morgan hasn't shown me much in preseason. Crabtree is a real talent and we need that right now at wide receiver.

Realfan49,

Your perspective continues to amaze me.

Honestly look at where Crabtree came from. Graham Harrell at Texas Tech attempted 626 passes last year in a 12 game season. Peyton Manning only attempted 555 in 16 games. Crabtree's numbers are a product of that pass-happy system. That pass-happy system does not involve pro style routes so Crabtree's got no history showing he's capable of performing in a pro system. That pass-happy system was also run against the Big XII where defense does not exist. His overinflated numbers are even more overinflated because of that. Couple that with the fact he had injury AND character issues before he decided to engage in a hold out which has done nothing but validate all those questions about his attitude. The fact he believes that resume makes him a slot buster tells us all we need to know about the man. The only ones who seem to disagree are Crabtree, Crabtree's cousin and you (assuming you're not really one of the aforementioned two).

There is always Crabtree's single highlight in the game against Texas but if a single highlight has that much effect on your opinion of a player's draft stock then you might want to look at this team on the other side of the bay.......

Why do you see it as a positive to tie up so much valuable salary cap space in a bunch of unproven rookies? That's what Crabtree wants and what both our first round picks next year will want as well. And that's horrible for the team.

Alternatively, can you say SALARY CAP? You don't pay more than market value or you get in salary cap problems which is the main reason the Niners got in their current streak of losing seasons. Over paying players who end up not being worth it is not the way to success. All your talk about Crabtree is about his POTENTIAL not about anything he's done as a pro which is NOTHING. After signing all their draft picks with no problems the last several years, you can't say the Niners have been cheap and making low ball offers, like the Bengals. If all the players, who didn't go as high as all the draft pundits predicted, held out nobody would get signed and in camp when they should.

But see, the problem here is not the Yorks, it's Crabtree. They offered a fair contract. He is living in a fantasy world where he somehow gets more money than the guys picked in front of him.

I agree the "take it or leave it" approach isn't good, but you can't expect us to cave into every player's demands. That just sets us up for failure in future negotiations, especially with rookies. Why would they overpay for a rookie who hasn't proven anything? Our two 1st round picks next year will command more money than their value and expect us to roll over and give in because we gave Crabtree more than he deserved. We can't give in just because some some spoiled college kid has a chip on his shoulder that he wasn't drafted higher. The draft is a crapshoot and I hate the rookie salary system, but you gotta play by the rules. We need to get him signed at some point, but we can't afford to look like a bunch of pussies and give in so easy when a player makes unnecessary demands.

Hey Matt,

Mike Leach was pretty comfortably vocal earlier this year about his support for Crabtree. Where is he now?

It's not that we don't owe the league any favors; we certainly don't after the whole contract tampering thing with Lance Briggs. We owe ourselves a favor by not allowing our rookies to dictate the terms of their contracts. Imagine if next April someone in our front office decides that it's a bad thing for opposing quarterbacks having time enough to read Moby Dick every time they drop back to pass and so we opt to draft a player who helps us with that. If now we show ourselves to be weak with draftees at positions of immediate need then we're setting them up to basically ask to write their own contracts. That's a recipe for disaster. And by "disaster" I mean "tying large amounts of money up with players for whom the question of whether or not they're even able to perform in the NFL has yet to be answered."

Maybe he realized the error of his ways and decided to not further put his foot in his mouth?

Besides, didn't Matt M. say sources within the Niners said that even Crab's agent told the Niners the offered contract was very reasonable?

Realfan: You simply are not paying attention on this one. The Yorks are not skimping on their offer to Crabs at all. The offer is more than fair and what McGloughan wants and is exactly what the #10 drafted player is supposed to get. (probably more,but not all that much more).
The Niners CANNOT be seen as weak in this negotiation,or every drafted player in the future and every agent of all the veterans,will have their players threaten to or actually sit out in the future. Plus ,all the other teams GM's and owners are strongly against the Niners giving in at all.
I don't know if Crabs has some sort of reasoning behind this foolish hold out or not,he has said nothing about it,not one word. I hope he speaks about it on the record when he comes into camp.
He will sign and he will probably be a star. The contract is between Crabs and his agent and the team,the NFL is first and foremost a business. The fans will be served when the business is done and the player is on the field.
Crabs has injured himself and that damage is done but it will be a short term problem for the team and Crabs and the fans.
It's business,no reason for fans to hold a grudge. Unless Crabs says something that deserves bad feelings in response. So far he has said not word one.Maybe we will never know what if any reason he had for holding out for no gain.But in the long run,will we or should we care,if he is catching touchdowns for our team and he is otherwise a decent citizen?

I love when you only make one of your idiotic comments! That leaves the rest of the board to the more intelligent commentors! At least people who actually know what their writing about! And not just a fly in the room!

Crabtree, Shmabtree! Who cares about him at this late date. If he signs, so he could learn to run a few pass routes. Even if he could work his way into the #3 or #2 guy, who's going to throw the ball to him?
That's the main problem in all the preseason games so far. Outside of Davis, when he's in there against the scrubs trying to make the team, at this time the 49ers have no one besides maybe Huard who can complete passes to the outside receivers.
Thank God we have what looks like a good running game because our pass protection sucks big time and at least our #1 and #2 QB's can hand off.

You can't pay more than "the slot" for Crabs. Sets a bad example for the entire team. Throw a tantrum and get what you want...nobody is more important than the team. I still think Scot M. is to balme for this one. From this draft we needed a quality contributor and talent on this team. Our roster still has way to many holes. Pass rush or RT could have been filled. Will we even get a starter this year out of this draft???? That is the real crime here! Oh yeah, you can start calling Lawson a bust as well. I thought the 3-4 was supposed to keep the offense guessing. If you go 4-3 on third where is the surprise coming from??

Come on terry,not caring that we will have Crabs on our team for the next decade is rather short sighted. I understand some fans being irrationally upset over business that is out of our hands but it is in good hands(at least on the Niners side) and in the long run,Crabs will be a great asset to the team .

I am sure he does ont care about $44k. He also probably does believe he will make more, otherwise he would not holdout.

I guess my original point was that all the people saying screw crab, and I hope he holds out for the whole year are kidding themselves. The die hard fans that hate him now are the same fans will love him when he is wearing the Red and Gold because they are just that, die hard fans.

Hey Cat? Maybe you really did see something in Nate? Good call guy!

Call me Bandwagoneer, but if the Niners only keep 2 QBs then Davis has to be one of them. Too mature of a pocket presence for a team that lacks the overwhelming blocking power someone like Smith needs. Sigh! :(

As to Crabtree, he'd better man-up and sign. The contract he has been offered is 99.9% of what he will finally get. Why? Because the Niners have to sign TWO friggin first rounders next year, and cannot afford to just "Al Davis" the checkbook to make him sign. It is OVER, Crabtree - sign or sit - they can't budge....except for maybe a few $100K.

How many of us shlubs would rather not have $16+ million guaranteed? ZEEEE-FRIGGIN-O00000000000!

Don't be a jack, MC - sign & shine!

I agree with you, but isn't the fact that he hasn't said a word about it somewhat perplexing? There just isn't anything good that can come out of this holdout. Crabtree is sending a message to the front office, the fans, and his teammates, and that message is not a good one. I understand it's a business, but even from that standpoint it just doesn't make sense to me. For a guy who already had questions about his character, this certainly isn't helping his cause. I really don't understand why he hasn't said anything yet, especially with the agent starting to run his mouth.

You're right, in the end he will eventually sign and probably become a star at one point and hopefully all will be well, but this is a horrible way to get the ball rolling. As a fan I think we all have the right to be pissed.

Hey Matt, the Pats cut their backup QB today...Think we can trade one of ours for a draft pick? What would Alex fetch? Opinions? He might actually get some good coaching, a fresh start on a good team and learn from Brady. Keep Davis & Hill.

This has probably been pointed out already, but maybe the reason that Alex Smith looks good in practice is because he's facing the 49er pass rush.

Enough already! Sign Crabtree. Why would you draft the best Receiver in college football over the past two years if you don't plan on signing him? I know the Niners are standing on the principle of paying him comensurate of the 10th player chosen, but do they really believe (or does anyone for that matter) that Darrius Heyward Bey is better than Micheal Crabtree? This guy is the Real Deal, C'mon, get it done!!!

To quote Matt from a previous blog entry you can find at http://blog.pressdemocrat.com/49ers/2009/08/qa-are-you-sick-of-crabtree.html: "I've also heard that Parker has privately told the 49ers that their offer is fair. (Coach Mike Singletary is also on record as saying he believes the offer is fair.)"

If Parker has told the 9ers that they've made a fair offer, there's no reason for them to change their offer to fit a Crabtree's whims, especially when the player's own agent has admitted to the contract's fairness.

Oh my, that is so true! --
"the reason that Alex Smith looks good in practice is because he's facing the 49er pass rush."

I can't believe the arguments to throw away the best college receiver in recent history on principle. Watch him after the catch. He would be our best receiver immediately. He has only had two years of college ball and he is great,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fm9gAYutAwg&feature=related
\

Franchise - First Sanchez...you were right about him. BTW. I think 9ers would have picked him if he was there.

However, this Crabby things can't go any other way than what the 9ers have on the table. The guy needs to look at himself and think about why he went 10 and not 7. The guy is damaged goods. And it's obvious why crazy Al didn't want the guy. He caught Crabby wearing a dress and primping his hair.
You have to stick to the slotting.

BTW - Fans won't give a poo about Crabtree once he suits up. Fans have short memories and at times should all be riding on the short bus. We are down right crazy! He makes one catch with huge YAC everything is forgotten. I mean if Michael Vick can get a standing Ovation in Philadelphia. Which brings up a whole nother can of worms about the tyranny of a minority...
Crabby could be lights out! Then again he could end up being some prima donna that Ronnie Lott would punch out after practice if he didn't wise up and start acting like a man.

And Don't nones of youz correct my grammer niether!

Best receiver in recent college football history? How recent? He might maybe be the best receiver prospect since Calvin Johnson but even that's a bit of a stretch. The hype surrounding Crabtree is nothing new and shows a complete lack of historical perspective. What did the talking heads say about Mike Williams after his freshman year at USC before he got screwed over by Maurice Clarett's court ruling? Before that there was Larry Fitzgerald who would have probably won the Heisman were he playing at a bigger school.

If we want to limit ourselves to talking about "Best receiver prospect with a serious attitude problem" then he might be the best since Randy Moss. Maybe.

I watched your highlight video, too. Man, Crabtree's burning some top defenses in that thing. I think I saw Baylor in there, Rice a couple times, Oklahoma State, I believe UTEP, probably a couple other Big XII teams as well. In any case, lots of future Steelers and Ravens.

Your sarcasm meter is on, right?

On the QB situation...Huard will be the odd man out. Davis has way too much upside to risk PS. Whether or not Alex needs to go is debatable. It's possible a change of scenery would help, but to simply cut him would be stupid. He counts too much against the cap to not get something in return, and until he proves more on the field, his trade value's practically nil.

As for Crabtree, management made the right pick...nobody could foresee he'd hold out. They've offered him a fair contract consistent w/#10 pick money. His agent's a greedy you-know-what...he has a lot of other clients he's done the same thing with. I don't like that he's held out...but I also realize once he signs, he'll be a player for us. Just gotta have a little more patience...he should sign soon, holding out further just exacerbates his case and lowers his market value.

> until he proves more on the field, his trade value's practically nil.

Every player a team does not want to keep will be available for free in a week. So the "odd man out" has no trade value anyway.

> As for Crabtree, management made the right pick...nobody could foresee he'd hold out.

I beg to differ:

> His agent's a greedy you-know-what...he has a lot of other clients he's done the same thing with.

Because of his agent's history someone _could_ have known.

Considering; 1) Craptree will offer very little to the team this year if he signs, 2) Our offense is based on the running of Gore, and 3)Our current receivers are not the weak spot on this team (obviously).....I personally hope Craptree doesn't sign.

..its interesting none of you Hill fans are trying to change the subject to crabtree ...

...face the facts HILL has looked horrible in preseason....he sucks...

Shaun Hill - To say he looked anything but bad or worse would be generous. His passes were off target, he didn't see receivers running open, and he forced passes. The best thing I can say for him is at least he did not turn the ball over. Still, if he plays that poorly all season this team is not going anywhere.

Matt,

Can you ask Greg Manusky or Mike Singletary if they realizes it's perfectly within the rules to tackle the QB before he attempts a pass. Some people even have a name for that play. It's called a "sack" - in case they don't know.

The plan was for Manny Lawson to magically become a pass rush threat even though he has never shown those abilities? Really? Didn't the 9ers hire a pass rush coach? Does this pass rush coach actually attend practices? I'll reserve judgement for the first few regular season games but the early results show an extremely flawed plan.

I agree, Houston we have a problem. No pass rush = no playoffs, Good pass rush = good defense = playoffs. My optimism gives me hope that the plan is to be all vanilla in the preseason and then jump on Warners old rear end with a bunch of new schemes and 3-4 disguises in game one which is critical. If we beat AZ & Seattle in weeks 1&2 we are off to a great start and the team will believe. Lose those first 2 and it's oh well, here we go again let's wait until next year. I think the O will do a decent job of time/game management and score enough to win games if the D keeps the score low. This team is not built for shootouts. Does anyone see us putting up 30 points in a game? Looks more like 20 a game and the W-L record will be on the D to hold teams under that...we need a pass rush! If we get pre -season production it will be a long year.

The reason we are talking about Crabtree is because that is what Matt's article is about and we can actually consider something other than your boyfriend Alexa. Geez

No pass rush = no playoffs,

first of all we do have a pass rush generating interceptions, we just dont have sacks...

woukld you rather have interceptions compared to sacks?

Good pass rush = good defense = playoffs. - FALSE

Terrible QB with no throwing tools = Weak Offense = NO PLAYOFFS

Took the words out of my mouth.

Oneniner, it's preseason. So hush...puppy.

ha ha ha...

thats your excuse...its preseason?....lol

i guess yu didn't listen to coach...."every game has a meaning"

"Imagine if next April someone in our front office decides that it's a bad thing for opposing quarterbacks having time enough to read Moby Dick."

War and Peace is more likely.

But I see your point. Future draftees, like a DE, may use the same excuse to demand a matched offer of another DE drafted ahead of him. It will become a contagious case of the Crabs, pardon the pun.

Yes, that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it. Bring on the Cardinals!

Also, I could swear that on one of your recent posts you were ripping coach Sing. And now you wanna praise his words? Child please...

"BTW - Fans won't give a poo about Crabtree once he suits up. Fans have short memories and at times should all be riding on the short bus. We are down right crazy! He makes one catch with huge YAC everything is forgotten."

Indeed. I firmly believe the Red Raider has the ability to give all Niners fans preseason amnesia.

Agree there Franchise.

Just saw the game replay. OMG..WTH is going on with Lawson?? He has ABSOLUTELY ZERO PASS RUSH MOVES. 1st of all he stands so tall it's hard for him to get low & get good leverage. Then all he does is bull rush directly into an OLineman he CAN'T OVERPOWER. And it's a repeat recording. Dude...you need to get some fakes in there & work on & establish at least 1 or 2 moves TO START WITH. I wasn't following the year he got drafted..what did we see in him as a pass rusher?? Because I see zilch.

I would have liked to see Brooks in there who I heard was held back by Singletary because of injury. At least he's fast & POWERFUL ENOUGH to breakthrough OLinemen to pressure the QB. At least he's making progress. But I don't see any REAL PURE PASS RUSH TECHNICIANS in this OLB group. Haralson is the best we've got with his speed rush. Marques Harris flashes but that's vs 2nd-3rd teamers & he's on the light side. On the DL it's Justin Smith. Damn near everyone is a straight line pass rusher with NO pass rush moves.

I keep repeating myself but give me a legit stout + athletic man mountain NT who can consistently 2-gap & command double teams (1 starter plus an additional 2 more for depth/developing) + REAL PASS RUSHERS, PASS RUSHERS, PASS RUSHERS....& this Defense will rise to top 5-10. We need creative blitzing & scheming from Manusky BADLY to get any pressure on the QB's this year. MORE AGGRESSION!!

The snaps I watched on Sopoaga (#90 right?) he was getting pushed around on the DL. If he continues to keep that up he should be purely a backup. We just don't get enough from him. Enough consistency or MORE PLAYMAKING.

@ Arizona
Seattle
@ Minnesota
St. Louis
Atlanta

With S.Hill as the QB - looks like we might be lucky with a 1-4 record before the bye week...

...maybe if we scored points (touchdowns) and was leading a game - we wont be that concerned about the pass rush

SBin MT and HaikenEdge - Well timed question on Mike Leach of Texas Tech:

Mike Leach is here in the Bay Area and is scheduled to be on a 90 minute edition of Chronicle Live tonight (I think its on at 5 pm) to talk about and defend Michael Crabtree to all 49ers fans. It will be interesting to see what he has to say and to see what inside info he has.

Here are the deets:

Michael Crabtree’s college coach and 49ers owner Jed York will be among the guests on a special 90-minute edition of “Chronicle Live” on Comcast SportsNet Bay Area on Monday at 5 p.m.

Mike Leach, the head coach at Texas Tech, will face questions about the unsigned No. 10 pick in the draft. On draft day, Leach gave an impassioned defense of his star to Bay Area reporters, saying:

“My definition of a diva is someone who’s loud and self-absorbed. Michael Crabtree is the furthest thing from loud that I’ve seen.”

Leach also went after Coach Eric Mangini by name that day after a report out of Cleveland said the Browns soured on Crabtree because of his attitude and entourage. Leach described Crabtree as the “ultimate team player who would serve the 49ers well.” As for Mangini? “Let’s see how all those non-divas do up in Cleveland this year,” Leach said.

Leach will have to defend Crabtree again now that the receiver has missed almost all of training camp because of a contract impasse.

Hosted by Greg Papa, the “Chronicle Live” show will re-air on Comcast SportsNet Bay Area at 9 p.m. and 11 p.m. Excerpts from the show will be available on www.csnbayarea.com.

Remember that the pattern has been that the 49ers get two plucky wins early before going into hibernation for Oct, Nov. I'd say Minnesota could be a "plucky" win. I don't see us beating Seattle or Arizona or Atlanta.

In addition to being a lifelong Niner fan, I'm also a lifelong Celtics fan (my mom's side of the family is from Boston). The way the Niner dynasty devolved into a long futile period reminds me a little of how the Celtics took a long break from relevance. Is there a KG out there that could put the Niners back on the map?

C'mon Oneniner get over it. Your boy wasn't good enough or ready to take the reigns. That's too bad 'cause I would've liked to see him grab hold of it & really start to show us something. He'll be in almost guaranteed. He should benefit by watching & learning some more of Raye's Offense while still mounting his comeback.

I agree Hill looked HORRIBLE. A QB who had more pop in his throws could've connected with some of those longer dead quails he threw & he missed some receivers on shorter throws he shouldn't have missed. Still he's the best we've got which isn't saying much. Should've got more reps in the 1st preseason game to get more ready for games 2 & 3 to shake the rust off & get better command of this new O with all the guys. Hey gotta support our starter...C'MON HILL!!

I'm absolutely on the Nate Davis bandwagon. For that brief window I saw what a REAL FRANCHISE QB should look like & what we're absolutely DYING FOR here in San Fran. Bring him along steadily Mike Johnson. He has a chance to be that IMPACT PLAYER AT QB that Defenses will fear. He has the tools. I'd still bring in another 1st, 2nd or mid-RD QB prospect to raise the odds of success finding "our QB". Don't stop until we get it right. As far as the pass rush we need that BEFORE AND AFTER we score points..throughout the whole game to be a playoff team & catch up with the NFL elite. This is a passing big play league & without any pass rush we'll always be mediocre.

Marco and anyone else that wants to justify Crabtrees ability, PLEASE provide something other then bubble screen passes. The only thing the video below shoes is that he can catch.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fm9gAYutAwg&feature=related
\

Oh and no more he is the stop stud to come out in recent times. B. Edwards (the year we drafted Smith) had less hype and was more of a NFL WR coming out. Oh he came from Mich not texas tech.

It's nice to stand on principle;it's even better to sit on $3.5 million. Crabtree will sign before the first regular season game and we'll all move on. The reasons the 49ers have been so civil about the holdout is that they know they hold all of the cards. Crabtree sitting out a year makes for a good story and in reality it's the only leverage that he owns in this deal. However, it's also laughable to think that he'd miss a full year of earnings in a "here today-gone tomorrow" industry.

Exactly Woody! We were lucky to get what is thought to be THE best player in the draft. He has been a good citizen and not a diva. He will get the benifit of the doubt from me until he shows me differently.
If he plays half as good in the NFL as he did in college then we will all be happy and any memory of this silly holdout will be forgotten old news.

Your comment about the pass rush tackling the QB is hilarious!! It hits the nail on the head. In the passing division that the 49ers play in, no rush to the QB is and will be a disaster! Even if 8 and 8 can win the division, the first playoff game will be the end!
Before these preseason games many pointed out the weaknesses of the Cards! But there nothing compared to the 49ers problems right now!

Hey Cat? You may be right but we don't have a QB to pass the ball to him! Maybe that's why the 49ers are not concerned at this time with signing him! We're supposed to have a real good receiver corp, but we have no one to pass the ball to them. So how do we know the receivers are good? Maybe we'll have to throw Nate into the frying pan early?

I don't know Terry,Hill has a career QB rating of over 90 and can pass pretty well. He was better last year than several of what we call the top QB;s in the League.He had the best win /loss record as any QB in the NFC last year. He may not be everything you want in a QB but he is plenty good enough to have a pretty fair passing offense. He moves the sticks.