Howz about tweetin' some pics of locker room??

Matt,

Regarding the commissioners response. It doesn't make sense. He says "This is not tampering" but also says "It is not permissible for other teams to get involved or express an interest in signing Michael Crabtree." Isn't that what it seems happened? Wouldn't that be considered tampering??? What are you thoughts on this?

...i never liked this bonehead Goodell anyways.....Goodell should never have been the commish

.."This is not tampering, but it may be a conflict of interest".....

WTF is a conflict of interest got to do with this.......even lets say it is.....How come its not being investigated?

" It is not permissible for other teams to get involved or express an interest in signing Michael Crabtree."......

WELL MR. COMMISH - IT HAS BEEN CONFIRMED BY AN EMPLOYEE OF THE NETWORK YOU ARE COMMISIONER OF, THAT TWO OTHER TEAMS EXPRESS INTEREST ....

I pray this guy is caught in some scandal....Goodddell sucks!!!!!

If the Niners have any evidence that Parker was not just telling Deion a lie,that he knew Deion would repeat,but that there actually are teams that have contacted Parker , I would just call up Parker and tell him that I have the evidence and if Crabs signs NOW we will not release the evidence and ruin Parkers career. And then file that evidence away and if Jerra Jones is involed or any other team,keep that evidence until the Niners need a "favor"from the involved teams or from Parker in the future !
But it was probably just a lie that Parker told Deion,a pathetic last gasp attempt to put pressure on the niners through the media.
If it really happened the Commish KNOWS it IS tampering.So he seems really relunctant to do anything on his own. Jed and Scotty absolutly need to file charges and press the issue,if there is any evidence,if they cannot resolve the issue as I suggest above.
jmho

Amen, Let's see some pics Matt...

Question: Regarding the commissioners response. It doesn't make sense. He says "This is not tampering" but also says "It is not permissible for other teams to get involved or express an interest in signing Michael Crabtree." Isn't that what it seems happened? Wouldn't that be considered tampering??? What are you thoughts on this?

My response: I agree. His answer made no sense. I think the evidence is flimsy. Deion Sanders says two teams have contacted the 49ers about a trade (the 49ers deny this), and he seemed caught off-guard to learn the deadline for such a trade has passed.

Sanders does not say which two teams let it be known that they'd pay top dollar for Crabtree (though we can all speculate). I think the NFL wants no part of giving this a thorough investigation. --Matt M.

"This is not tampering, but it may be a conflict of interest. . . .

Then what is robbing a bank, Mr. Goodell? Early withdrawal? An unsecured loan? You guys in NY are so transparent. Why don't you just say, "Suck it, West Coast. You mean nothing to us." That would be better than treating us like ignoramuses. Sheesh.

Matt

I agree that the answer makes no sense.

But reading between the lines, the Commissioner might have concluded that there wasn't tampering because those 2 teams did not seek out Crabtree (I wonder how tampering is defined), but that it was a 'conflict of interest' issue because Eugene Parker maybe sought those opinions from those 2 teams contrary to his client's own best interests or without his client's permission. Who knows maybe Crabtree needs a new agent?

Is there any way to find out for sure? Seems like the Goodell or someone had to look into this to at least determine that no tampering occurred.

Just when I've committed to neither read nor write anything about the Crabtree issue...

Very curious response from a commissioner who has defined himself by being the tough guy. The only possible excuse is that Deion says he "knows of teams that would" rather than saying "teams have offered". The conflict of interest would be Deion's unprofessional mixing of Crabtree friend and NFL TV guy.

Props to Ryan from San Jose for a great question. Goodell seems to have Plaxico'd himself on this one (shot himself in the lower extremity). There should definitely be an investigation, so that this can be properly sorted out.

If the Cowboys gave up a 1st, 3rd and a 6th for Roy Williams, I wonder what they'd to for Crabtree??? New stadium, here we come!

Raye had better have a bunch of 3rd & long plays in his book. Or is "play action to Gore between the tackles" the answer to every situation?

I think I'm joking but then again, every time I see a picture of Jimmy Raye, my heart sinks to my boots. Inspiring leader he ain't.

Conflict of interest--might it be that Deion's association with the NFL Network and with Crabtree be a conflict of interest? That he is mentor to MC and an employee of the NFL Network.

I still believe that 9er management should see the negotiation through to conclusion and then, if they feel there was tampering, to demand an investigation. I do not see how it could be rejected.

Question--is Goodell in charge of the NFL Network?

I hope they have a plan B if this ground attack fails.

after re-watching all the preseason games. our first team really didnt do a damn thing. we moved the ball but we didnt get in the endzone enough to show for it.

i dont know, i hoping we do something worth talkin about on monday.

You don't get to be Comish without being a babblehead. Speaking clearly is considered a detriment to politicians/lawyers/propagandists and that's all Goodell is. (First bigtime Comish was a PR guy.)
Back to earth, the Niners should be better this year. Let's remember it's a team game. A lot of winning is about heart. Hopefully they'll have a lot more than under the previous coach.

It is not tampering by NFL rules because Michael Crabtree is NOT under contract with the 49ers. Therefore the 49ers are not contractual protected by tampering laws. When we spoke contract terms with Lance Briggs, he was under contract with the Chicago Bears.

Until Michael is under contract, it is a "conflict of interest" and a big no no in most NFL circles, but that is an unwritten rule in the NFL and it would be very difficult to enforce.

But Realfan,Doesn't Jimmy Raye look like a guy who knows something that everyone else doesn't know? He strikes me as the smartest guy in the room that just sits back and watches everyone else talk too much. Then when he talks,I get the impression he is just playing with his inferiors,with a grin on his face.
Now if he calls a great game every week,I will have that impression confirmed.

As of Tue, Cardinal game not sold out. The NFL is about to learn some elementary lessons in Econ 101.

"When we spoke contract terms with Lance Briggs.."

not proven.

Nasty: Sing said just the other day that if they think passing 75% of the time will help them win ,then they will pass 75% of the time.
Plan A is well balanced attack. Plan B is to do whatever it takes to win.

Here is the NFL’s definition of tampering, again, Michael Crabtree is not an “employee” of the 49ers until he has signed a contract. As a draft pick we just hold his exclusive rights. You cannot tamper wiht what we DO NOT have (yet?):

The term tampering, as used within the National Football League, refers to any interference by a member club with the employer-employee relationship of another club or any attempt by a club to impermissably induce a person to seek employment with that club or with the NFL

Hey guys, I'm afraid its gonna be another long season of disappointment. Fundamentals and rah!rah! can work great for coordinators but in this league you need forward looking creative vision as a head coach and great talent to perform. Great talent can make a so so coach look good but not the other way around. It takes a great organization to make it work and what have we seen this preseason to really get anyone's hopes up.

Realfan49 - Yes it was, just not to the fans. We didn't loose a 5th round pick over hearsay.

Number of preseason TD's by Warner & Hill? Zero. Maybe AZ is gonna run 60%.

SC Rick replied to comment from Matt.Maiocco

I still believe that 9er management should see the negotiation through to conclusion and then, if they feel there was tampering, to demand an investigation. I do not see how it could be rejected.
-----------------------------------------
That is exactly what should happen.Perfect Rick !!!

---And at the very least it was tampering with the whole draft system. It's just mincing words and blather by the Commish to say there was no tampering,if there is anything at all to what Deion said.
The Niners said no team ever contacted them ,Deion says he knows there are teams,the only way he would know is if those teams contacted Parker and his friend Parker told him about it.I don't believe what Deion said is true,just a bargaining ploy,,but if it were true,the Niners certainly can file charges and force Deion and Parker to disclose any teams that illegally contacted him.But as Rick says,it's better to get the business done first and then get justice.

Thanks, Mike. I hoped it was just a blatant FU so I could further fuel my suspicions of conspiracy. But you had to go and be the voice of reason. Way to go, man.

/sarcasm

I hear ya bro but i don't know. when i look at the game footage and when i've heard sing speak. it seems like he is about balance. and thats great. but when you look at the games. you can see where that 60-40% comes into play.

the only way i see it bein 60-40 and it bein balanced is if they run and then throw down field the 40%

And please don't mistake me for the fan that bashes the niners. if you have seen any of my other posts you will see that. im just trying to find the logic in all of it and how well it will work for this team

Get ready for what promises to be a very boring offense. A lot of run mixed in with passes from a guy who can't throw it more than 30 yards without it wobbling, led by a 58 year old OC who hasnt been anything more than that in his many years in the NFL. Expect a lot of the expected.

...i bet gooddel hates the niners cuz we bring 0$ into the nfl revenue sharing....

And if I recall what we were told about the niners tampering charges,where the Bears were awarded a pick and we lost one and were forced to trade places with the bears for another(I think that was the total),the Commish had phone records that showed that the Niners placed a couple of calls to Briggs' agent ,but the Commish had no idea what was said or if the calls were even answered. The Niners had negotiations going on with that agent concerning their own players at the time,so there was no reason that the Niners should not be talking to that agent. So,the Commish,with no evidence that we did anything wrong,set an example of the Niners to try to stop tampering in the future by spreading fear around the League.
But when Miami signs one of our free agents in the first minute of free agency(yeah right,no negotiating wemt on early there), when they were not allowed to talk to that player ,then that is just fine with the Commish. etc etc etc.
Sounds fair to me

In response to Mike in SF#2, I wouldn't be so sure that the tampering rules don't apply to unsigned draft choices. I might be wrong, but I thought the NFl anti-tampering policy applied not only to players under contract but ALSO TO "to those whose exclusive negotiating rights are held by another club."

I could be wrong, however. I don't have the latest policy in front of me.

Otherwise, not having that protection would defeat the purpose of having a draft in the first place. Otherwise, one team could tell another's draft pick to not sign its contract, b/c it could get a better deal by holding out until March or the next draft.

It is not so cut and dry, so if the league looked into it, and decided that no tampering occurred, it's because they quickly looked into it privately and determined the statements was either false and/or that only harmless information was solicited by Crabtree's entourage from those two teams.

....ha ha ha...plan B?....S.Hill is our plan B...lol....lmao

"Plan B is to do whatever it takes to win."....

..this is a joke right.....lol.....imagine how many other teams have that has their plan Z....

BTW, the NFL anti-tampering rules are not a paragraph long, try 10-15 pages.

Hey! 58 is not old!

Besides, I thought it was 58 years of experience

Is it just me, or does Raye look like Bill Cosby in that picture Matt posted? (Let us hope Raye's offense performs better than Cosby's Temple Owls.) Hey, quick props go out to Danno49 for his hilarious response to Goodell's comment that, "This is not tampering, but it may be a conflict of interest. . . Danno49 responds: "Then what is robbing a bank, Mr. Goodell? Early withdrawal?" Nice line, big man. Interesting point by Matt that Shawntee is 3 inches taller than Bly and Brown -- and, of course, going up against Fitz and Boldin this weekend. Makes you wonder if the depth of the secondary will allow the coaches to play the match-up game each week... We'll see as the season progresses.

Nasty: The Niners only ran so much in camp and preseason because they were specifically working on the power run game ,to bring it up to the level Sing said he wanted it at. Not because the team is just a running team,not at all.
Sing was upset last year when he called on his running game on 3rd and 3 or 4th and 1 or when ahead in the 4th qtr,and the running game couldn't deliever.It let him down. He vowed he would make it reliable and that he would make sure it could be called on when needed to get the jo done. He was on a mission,get the run game in shape.sort of like a person who has a big belly and sets out to lose the weight. They devote themselves to that task until it is accomplished and then life goes on.They don't keep losing weight ,they maintain. So it is with Sing and the run game. If he has the run game where he wants it ,he will keep it sharp but will not just dwell on it all the time,anymore than a dieting person keeps up the diet until they are a stick.
The offense will be well balanced.A little more run oriented,with the run setting up the play action passes(of which there will be plenty !). That is what Raye and sing have consistently said from day one.

Everybody calm down! We ALL know Sanders has a mouth the size of the Grand Canyon! He also has an ego bigger than T.O.'s and that is also bigger than the Grand Canyon or Jerry Jones new stadium!
Knowing that, Sanders probably lied to make it seem he has the inside news that no one else has. The guy is so opinionated I can't understand how Mooch can take it in the studio at the NFL Net., except for need of money.
Parker probably had a few choice words for this prima donna and told him to shut his mouth because of the trouble he caused!
It's Sanders mouth guys!! It NEVER shuts up and most of the time it spews out garbage that's stuck in this idiots brain (if he has one.)

Man....enough of the whinning about "tampering" already! The bottom line is EVEN if and that's a BIG IF 2 teams have been talking to Crabtree there's NOTHING those 2 teams can do to aquire him this year. So again why all the crying about the impossible? Besides I've said it already just because Deion Douchebag said it doesn't mean it's actually true does it? I mean we are talking about an exp-player who has NO business being in front of a camera to begin with!

Johnster - I hear ya, but think of the logic at the end of your post. How often do draft picks say "So and So" said they were going to pick me if I was available at their slot and then that team picks someone else – I hear it all the time after the draft. The risk to assuming another team will pay you more money or re-pick you in the next draft, if you sit out an entire year, is just too crazy. Its why this entire Crabtree situation baffles me. There are a lot of ill-advised (Not sure that’s a word) players in the NFL that make a lot of bad decisions, yet we have rarely, if EVER, seen someone do what Crabtree just might do. That’s telling and its truly baffles my mind. Something to consider: Crabtree will NOT go back into the draft. The Niners would take a 7th round pick and trade him, before they would get nothing and let him back in the draft. In this case, something will always be more valuable than nothing. I’m pretty certain the Cowboys would give next years #1 for Crabs, and that must be EXACTLY what he wants to think/hear/have happen.

It seems to me that Goodell was thinking about the purported violation in terms of Deion Sanders' actions: ie Sanders is not tampering with Crabtree by virtue of his statements, but that he would seem to have a conflict of interest as an NFL employee using his access to airtime to further Crabtree's interests. I don't think he thought of the question in terms of the suggestion made by Sanders that two unnamed teams were tampering, possibly because he does not consider Sanders' statements to constitute credible evidence. It's also possible that he intentionally redirected the question because he does not want to go on record with regard to a possible future investigation.

If Sanders IS telling the truth, however, the actions of the two unnamed teams would definitely constitute violations of the NFL Anti-Tampering Policy, which most certainly does cover Crabtree in his current unsigned state: "No club, nor any person employed by or otherwise affiliated with a club, is permitted to tamper with a player who is under contract to or whose exclusive negotiating rights are held by another club."

I'm guessing that the NFL's procedure for addressing tampering violations would begin with a complaint by the injured team, and that the 49ers do not want to make that complaint until they have exhausted the possibility of signing Crabtree.

As a fan, I would love to see the 49ers trade Crabtree to the Cowboys for multiple picks (or useful players), and then file tampering charges which result in the reassignment of some nice picks (a 1st and a 2nd?) from the Cowboys to the Niners. One can dream...

The 49ers are going to be faced with a great passing offense. I'm much more interested in Manusky's game plan than Raye's.
Judging by what we all know about the 49er's pass rush, or its absence, it would see seem that facing the Cardinals with the same players on the defensive line and outside linebacking as last year might point to a glaring weakness. Unless something new and brilliant in the defensive scheme presents itself, the 49ers will be hard pressed to win, even with the points Vegas has given them.

Hy Matt, what is the amount that Crabtree is likely to lose per game if he does not sign by Saturday? I don't quite understand the 20 mil/5 yr 16 mil guaranteed. I thought the lthe guaranteed was usually some kind of signing bonus. So what would be a yearly salary?

F49er: It does matter if there really was tampering and as I said,it wasn't just Deion telling lies or repeating lies that his friend Parker told him.
Those teams can't sign him this year,that is true,as you stated. But that is not the point.IF any team tells a drafted player to not sign with the drafting team,and we will take care of you next year,then that is a HUGE deal,HUGE!!! As I have said,I doubt Deion waas speaking truth,but if he were it IS a very big deal.

errr yes we did. Bears claimed it, Goodall sided with them. No evidence whatsoever. Team didn't talk to Briggs. Bears claimed they talked contracts with his agent who declined to comment/appear/say anything either way.

Stitch up.

I have said all along that he'll sign before the first regular game, and I still think he will. If he does not then it is not really baffling at all. He is just a complete moron. There is no way, NO WAY, that Crabtree will make more than the 49ers offer by doing so.

If he really does sit out the year, then he is either

A) epic stupid, or
B) cares so little about money he's willing to wait and play for millions less for the cowgirls.

I am guessing A.

Barley: If the contract is 20 million with 16 being guaranteed.Then that means that his salary would actually be 4 million over 5 years. Divide that up into 17 checks per year and you will have the approximate amount of each weeks check.

Roger Goodell is either willfully ignorant or stunningly stupid, or he just hates the Niners.

Teams contacting the 49ers desiring a trade would not be tampering. The thing is Sanders said Crabtree knows those offers have been made. If what Sanders said is true (doubtful) then there is no way the Niners would make Crabtree aware of those offers. None. If we knew someone would double his salary if he sat out a year, informing him of that would be tantamount to pulling his contract off the table. He would be stupid to sign with us if we'd told him that. And so we wouldn't. If there really are teams out there who'll make him that kind of offer and he knows it it can only be because one of those teams has contacted his camp directly. That is tampering. That is what Sanders is suggesting has happened. That's why this should be investigated.

Barley: Or he is just a naieve 21 year old kid who knows nothing about the business of the NFL,who is listening to the expert he hired to handle the whole headache for him.
We should hope that the rumor yesterday that he was considering firing Parker,is true.

Perfect explanation alchemist ! It should be required reading for all fans,before they post!

I was feeling anxious about the offense myself. But in retrospect not only did the offense almost never play at 100% during the PS, but coach kept Hill out almost as much as Gore and Bruce. Was this because quietly he's very confident in Hill? And the offensive line was never healthy (anytime Sims is in there the right side is very weak).
So while this offense never lit it up, it seems like coach is pretty confident they'll move the ball when intact.
Regarding Raye, today's world is enamored by the coach that looks goods, sounds like a coach and shows well. Last year we had two coaches who looked impressive behind a mike. I'll give Raye the benefit of a doubt, because coaching should not be judged like American Idol.

The Latest from John Clayton at ESPN:

Crabtree update: Michael Crabtree has decided he won't sign at the market price being offered by the 49ers, a source said. It's pretty clear the 49ers aren't going to up their offer, which is roughly what the 10th pick in the draft should receive -- a five-year, $20 million deal that could max out at $26.5 million. This holdout is destined to go into the regular season, and neither side has a solution to end it.

smokin:
In fact,the starting offense NEVER had even one play together in the entire preseason.
So what we see at Arizona on sunday will be the first time we have seen the offense play together this year.

Mike: in other words,nothing at all new from John Clayton.

Ok, I'm not an attorney, so somebody help me out here:
If we hold the "exclusive negotiating rights" (within League members) to a player we select in the Draft, then other league members are prevented from letting anything they might be thinking in terms of compensation rates be known to a player (or his agents) whose rights they do not 'own', whether directly or through intermediaries. Am I incorrect here?

Great post alchemist. There is absolutely zero reason for 49ers to let the Crabtree camp know that someone was willing to pay him double what they were offering. That leads me to believe that 1 of 3 things occured:

1. Someone from another organization, either directly or through the grapevine, let Crabtree camp know

2. There is a leak in the 49ers organization

3. Deion is full of it.

It's got to be at least worth looking at right?

In hindsight I wish I could go back and rephrase the question I asked Goodell. Maybe we could have gotten something other than his very vague and political answer.

What I find funny is that I never even brought up the word tampering in my question. I asked who were the two teams and why are they contacting parties other than the 49ers about Crabtree.

I would disagree. A lot of people, Matt included, believed he would finally cave this week and not risk loosing game checks. That's not what Clayton has reported. At this point, if Crabtree is already missing games why not see this thing all the way through the season. The old: Point of no return.

We don't have a pick from the first two rounds of the 2009 draft. :(

Matt, do you think Sing will be fired if the Niners have a losing season?

About the game with the Cardinals. This is what I think it will entail. My opinion of course.
I think the Cardinals will change nothing at all from the way they played the 49ers last year, or any team they played. They have offensive weapons that they think can win games. Passing, big receivers, decent protection and a lousy running game to throw in the mix. They'll be thinking that they'll just continue the roll they were on in the playoffs and SB.
Defensively, they will give up points just like they did last year. Their idea of football is the same as a basketball team take. Out score the opponent no matter high the score goes.
I think the 49ers will try to slow the game down by using up the clock with running and short passes to keep the Cards and the 49er defense off the field.
It's going to be a rabbit vs. the turtle!

I realize you asked Matt, but I can't resist--Yes.
If this team doesn't continue the success from the end of last season, which is doubtful without a major improvement in the pass rush (uh-oh), York will have a legitimate excuse of bringing in some top level football people (the usual suspects) who will promptly clean house and build a real football organization to replace the thing we have now.
Thanks for changing the subject from the Crabtree fiasco( thank you, again, McCloughan) to football. The season starts in a few days. Let's talk football, not gossip.

Sitting back in coverage is not the way to beat Warner and the Arizona WR's. Warner is one of those guys who you simply have to rough up early in the game if you're going to have any success against him. Fizgerald with his height, hands, and timing can catch a ball thrown to him even if he's double covered by two of our best DB's. Boldin can turn a 10 yd reception into a 40 yd play. If we don't put some hits on Warner early in the game you can mail this one in. At least we don't have to worry about their running game.

"The term tampering, as used within the National Football League, refers to any interference by a member club with the employer-employee relationship of another club or any attempt by a club to impermissably induce a person to seek employment with that club or with the NFL."

http://blogs.startribune.com/vikingsblog/?p=1711

A tampering charge investigation can only be initiated by the Commissioner and it appears he has ruled against it.

I would love to get a Cowboys pick, but the beef is against Deion and since he isn't an employee of the Cowboys or another NFL team it was probably correct. He was shooting his mouth off.

By the NFL's definition it would be considered tampering. You do not have to be an employee yet to have the employer - employee relationship tampered with according to the NFL. The contract negotiations are considered an attempt to establish an employer - employee relationship.

Also if anyone in the Crabtree camp contacted another team first and said what would you give us, that team is still tampering unless they either hang up the phone and/or simply state that they are not allowed to say anything in relation to the subhject. The NFL also expects from the team to file an incident report with the specifics of the contact they would have received from the Crabtree camp. If they failed to do so they can still be considered having tampered even if they claim all they did was say no comment and hung up. The burden is on the team that was contacted to report it to the NFL.

The thing I did also find out is the NFL will not comment on any Tampering investigation UNLESS it is NECESSARY to announce disciplinary action.

If they have not come to a conclusion and are still investigating the allegations then the commish would beat around the bush with a similar answer he just gave. If it is found to be a lie they wont comment on it if Deion or other involved liars are not going to be punished.

If it is true then we will only find out once the investigation is concluded and the punishments have been established.

The only reason why we knew about the 49ers and bears thing before the punishment is because someone from the bears initially leaked they were filing tampering charges.

In Crabtrees case, if the 49ers are not commenting on whether or not they are requesting a review we wont find out anything unless something is leaked by someone and we all know how the 49ers cracked down on leaks over the past couple years.

Just hope the Niners have a plan B and C if they need to make adjustments during the game. One of the most frustrating things about the Nolan era was the inability to make halftime adjustments when needed. Please (Coach Raye) show some flexibiliy and creativty when needed.

Matt, I have followed your blog for a while and never posted a comment in the past. However, i am truly frustrated with Mr. Goodells response!!! Either the fans are being kept in the dark or something is wronge with this whole situation.

Would you please question someone from 49ers, why Dion's statements (an employee of NFL) has not been taken seriously when it may impact the dynamics of contract negotiation between both parties. If Crabtree truly believes other teams are willing to pay him a much better contract then why should he accept 49ers offer?

Thank you Matt

It comes down to one of two things: 2 teams are guilty of tampering or Deion was lying his butt off to try to gain leverage on Crabtree's behalf. Is there possiblity for any other scenario to be at play? The 49ers should be upset either way - either the league is directly avoiding the tampering offense or it is being complacent with Deion by not bothering to expose him as a liar which is in a way tampering by the league itself by condoning or aiding Crabtree's side of the negotiations unfairly.

A.E.S.,

You nailed it. The first half of the 3rd quarter has been painful the last several years. You want your coaches to be the smartest guys on the field. We'll soon see how these guys shake out.

Mike #2: What Clayton said was NOTHING new at all.Just what the speculation has been all along,that the Crabs camp is letting it out that he will not take the Niners offer. Nothing new.
Clayton knows no more than any of the other rumor mongers. When I hear Crabs or Parker say something in the open,then that will be new.
News flash,the Titanic is still sunk,nothing new.
-and Chicago,the Niners will treat this as a good lawyer would,nothing much in public until they actually file a charge,if there is any truth to the garbage coming out of Deion's mouth..

A.E.S. | September 10, 2009 5:45 PM | Reply
Just hope the Niners have a plan B and C if they need to make adjustments during the game. One of the most frustrating things about the Nolan era was the inability to make halftime adjustments when needed. Please (Coach Raye) show some flexibiliy and creativty when needed.
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What exactly do you think sing was talking about when he stated that they will pass 75% of the time if that is what it takes to win.
That is flexability!!!

Scasmflop, I completely agree with you. Either way the league needs to take corrective action. If Deion was lying then he should be fined, if not then the teams should be penalized

Maybe we should have followed Oakland's lead and taken a projected late first rounder early..Kenny Britt looks to be tearing Blitzburg up..This is what I mean about Crabtree..dude doesn't have the size to be a dominant or IMO even a effective blocker in the run game which is our big philosophy..what a waste of a top 10 pick

Marco from Stockton | September 10, 2009 5:38 PM | Reply
"The term tampering, as used within the National Football League, refers to any interference by a member club with the employer-employee relationship of another club or any attempt by a club to impermissably induce a person to seek employment with that club or with the NFL."

http://blogs.startribune.com/vikingsblog/?p=1711

A tampering charge investigation can only be initiated by the Commissioner and it appears he has ruled against it.

I would love to get a Cowboys pick, but the beef is against Deion and since he isn't an employee of the Cowboys or another NFL team it was probably correct. He was shooting his mouth off.
--------------------------------------------

No,Deion is an employee of the NFL and he was working for the NFL ,on the NFL Network(owned by the NFL) when he told his little story.
So at the least,the league should question Deion about the breaking of the rules he has inadvertantly revealed.Or ask him if he lied etc.
And also,if the agent made any attempts to contact any teams ,the agent can be banned from the NFL.

imaginaryfriend | September 10, 2009 5:35 PM | Reply
Sitting back in coverage is not the way to beat Warner and the Arizona WR's. Warner is one of those guys who you simply have to rough up early in the game if you're going to have any success against him. Fizgerald with his height, hands, and timing can catch a ball thrown to him even if he's double covered by two of our best DB's. Boldin can turn a 10 yd reception into a 40 yd play. If we don't put some hits on Warner early in the game you can mail this one in. At least we don't have to worry about their running game.
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Actually their running game is much improved. And Warner is not very mobile at all anymore and the Cards are said to be a bit worried that he has lost so much mobility.And Boldin is at about 80% with a ham string.
But I agree ,we need to rough him up early and often.

And lets get something straight,any one of us would have drafted Crabs if we were the GM. End of discussion.(if you would not have then you should have been fired and we should bring in someone who knew something.).
SO STOP WHINING !
Thank you !

I hear you Top, but if the team is losing in the second half and they continue to run 75% that won't be flexibility that will be stupitity. I was reffering to the team having the ability to make any adjustments when needed, unlike last years team which seemed to have no plan B. The Patriots are the masters of flexibility when it comes to making adjustments. Mind-you, I know we are not the Patriots but an NFL team should be able to change their game plan if one is not working.

Kenny Britt should have been drafted higher than Crabtreason!

AES: Well,Sing couldn't show any more flexability and understanding of what you are talking about,than saying he will do whatever it takes to win games. That means that he would not hesitate to switch from a more than 50% run game plan to a massive passing game plan in a heart beat. Sing said whatever it takes to win. Obviously that means that if what they are doing is not working,they will change to what does work(if they can find something that works).Jimmy Raye has said many times that he will take what the defense is giving him and will attack where they are weak.
What more could you ask? Thay have said all the right things,as you want,now they need to actually do as they say. And doing as he says has never been a problem for Sing,ever.

Ryan: You should have called up Scotty before the draft and told him about your great knowledge and I am sure he would have passed on Crabs and picked Britt ! It's your fault that you didn't call !!!

ninerbob | September 9, 2009 10:46 PM | Reply
Does anyone know of any recent comments from his Texas Tech coach who was soo offended that Mangini said Crabtree was a Diva?
-----------------------------------------------
Yep,he was just on tv the other day and he said that he thought that Crabs was probably not even keeping in touch constantly with his agent,because that is just how Crabs is,a player,not a businessman.He said he will be keeping in shape ans just waiting for his agent to call him when he has a contract to sign.
He said all the garbage in the media about Crabs was just that ,garbage. He said the guy is a good kid and great team mate ,etc. and he repeated that Crabs is actually rather shy and not a Diva in any way.

But what does he know,he is only the kids HC and knows him better than anyone outside his family.It's much more logical to believe the media,that Crabs is running the negotiations and Parker is just an honest agent doing as he is told by that man of the world,Crabs,yeah right.
Hopefully that story that Crabs is getting fed up with Parker is true!

Not true. Just because you and a whole lot of other people got snookered doesn't mean everyone else did. When Crabtree was selected the string of four letter explitives I spewed forth was like nothing I'd used since we drafted Alex Smith. In fact I had hoped that after Smith most Niners fans would have learned their lesson about picking non-seniors from gimmick college offenses who put up monster numbers against a conference full of horrible defenses. Unfortunately I seem to have overestimated far too many people. The trouble is most fan's pre-draft knowledge of Crabtree came almost entirely from Mel Kiper's hype, pretty ESPN graphics of raw stats and one single highlight from his game against Texas that got replayed ad nauseum.

Niners, if you're out there and looking to improve your draft prospects, I'll work for half of whatever you're paying whoever's got the job right now. With me on board instead of Alex Smith, Vernon Davis and Michael Crabtree you'd have Braylon Edwards, Jay Cutler and Michael Oher. You would still have Patrick Willis, too. Contact the Press Democrat and they can provide you with my contact information. I eagerly await you call.

Hey Top, I agree.
Ryan UOP, you bring up a good argument regarding K.Britt. Right now K.Britt is 'setting the bar' for rookie receivers. M.Crabtree may have a hard proving his value if and when he ever signs.

Alchemist: You are too late buddy.You and Ryan should have told Scotty all this years ago !
Quick,there is still time to call Sing and get his coordinators better game plans than they have now !!!

...And I wanted a pass rusher (orakpo). But any GM that didn't take Crabs in our situation would have been tard and feathered and run out of town on a rail. (like they should have done to Al Davis after his joke of a draft.).

While I agree that if I were GM I probably would have taken MC, I have not seen any firings from the teams that picked just ahead of us.

I still have a hunch that MC fell more because teams were concerned about signing him than his foot.

I never said I could scheme for a game better than the people we've got now but after Smith, Balmer and Crabtree I'm forced to question if we use our first pick in each draft on a name we draw from a hat.

Why would any GM be tarred and feathered for not taking Crabtree? Josh Morgan seems to have potential as a flanker but, yeah, I admit we need a split end and Crabtree does play that position. But at least from the look of the preseason we needed a pass rusher, too. We needed a lineman and there a damn fine one sitting there staring at us. So why couldn't Crabtree be passed up?

I for one don't understand the never ending, constant, continual, persistant talk about who would have done what, when, why, woulda', shoulda', coulda' in last years draft! IT's OVER!! Nothing can be changed! Everybody's an expert, AFTER the draft with what THEY would have done!
Every team got who they chose! Some fail! Some will make it! A few will be stars! But for God's sake! Quit showing everybody how unknowledgeable you are by saying what YOU would have picked and done!
If I could live life the way you know it all''s do, I'd be living on some island, receiving bailout money, with the best healthcare, my own plane to take me wherever I want to go, whenever I want to go. Have the house I designed with butlers and maids! And I'd have Miss......as my girlfriend!

Besides that! NONE of you are GM'S or ever will be!!

The Commish needs to investigate period regardless of his affection for Mr. Jones or his obvious indifference to the 49ers.

All I can say is it is a damn shame that we as fans spend so much time reading and studying the draft. Come draft day a potentially great draft choice falls in our laps. We choose him. He could be one of the missing pieces. But he holds out because his dream has arrived and he has been advised that he can make much more money elsewhere. His 'friends' advise him and confirm this for him. So it's not about the team that picks you gets you, it's about who is willing to pay you the most. Nothing to stop this from happening again next year. Sure makes me think that New England is real smart obtaining second round draft choices instead of first so they don't have to pay divas what they think they deserve. You wouldn't have thought that Davis would screw us by picking the wrong receiver, but he managed to. I bet he's laughing now.

Don't you all think that if Raye really were the smartest guy in the room he would have been an O-cord or HC already? I am not impressed with the way Matt laid out his "script" methodology. Back in the day the old scripts were out early so the guys could visualize exactly what they needed to do. I think that’s why the first offensive series was always so crisp. The plays were designed to setup situations for later in the game. They were designed to determine how the defense was going to react, so those reactions could be exploited later. Walsh was amazing. Sounds like Raye could go back and read some Walsh articles and books.

This strategy that Sign has laid out could be dreadful. We better be able to pass otherwise we may run a little but not enough to win. And that pass rush...it was dreadful in PS. We may win Sunday but I am fearful it will be because AZ looks as flat as month old soda. The success of this team all hinges on the success of the o-line and can Lawson rush the passer. Scary. For all of you calling for the ghost of 2006 Larry Allen is not here. Bass keeps getting hurt and Staley does not appear to be an ultra dominant run blocker. All the questions get answered Sunday.

A link to the NFL Anti Tampering policy. http://www.insidefootball.com/antitamperingpolicy.pdf

Good points. I am fully underwhelmed by Scot M's drafts. We have made a lot of high picks sice he got here and we just do not have enough impact players. Willis is great, everyone else is, whatever. I know you all will say oh Gore he is glorious. Give me a break. For years Denver ran out a bunch of 3rd and 4th round or worse picks who rolled up a bunch of yards. Get a guy like Bob McKitrick (spelling?) to coach the o-line and have a good cohesive run strategy and you will be able to run the ball with a lot of guys.

We flat ass lack a lot of talent. Why in the hell do we draft Balmer to rot behind Soap who got paid big money? We have had a decent group of d-line guys for a while. How about just go back to the 4-3. I think Smith and the kid with the bum knee would be great DE's on rush downs and you can put Balmer and Soap in the middle. Like those options better than what we are probably going to roll out this weekend. lastly, how many tackles would Willis make if Soap and Franklin were cloging the middle on run downs?

Hitman49: Thanks for posting that. It clearly shows all I was referring to and also ties with the NFL's policy of not commenting on a tampering allegation unless it is to report a disciplinary action.

So in other words even if this is being investigated then the Commish would beat around the bush and try to play it off that nothing is going on.

The only other people involved that would know about the investigation is the 49ers and they have fixed their leaks from the past. Why would it benefit them to leak that an investigation has been requested. It would probably hurt negotiations rather than help them. So the key right now is hush hush.

Now if the Commish is really saying he isn't going to do anything about it... well lets cross that bridge when we come to it. Lets not automatically jump on the guy until he proves those doubters in his abilities are right. We will know in time what is going on here.

Matt,

Which players do you think will get the most use out of that kitchen?

Also, what is your over/under on how many 3-and-outs the 9ers have in the first half on Sunday?

To all of you who are McCloughan apologists:
1. He gets paid a mountain of money to build a football team. He doesn't deserve any sympathy for the team he has built in the last 5 or 6 years. He must take responsibility. It's HIS JOB!
2. While Crabtree "fell" into our laps, we must remember that NINE TEAMS PASSED on him. If he was that much of a "sure thing" that we HAD to take him, he never would have fallen to #10. McCloughan is supposed to know about personnel dealings and problems. It's HIS JOB!
3. The 49ers didn't need a wide receiver with the first pick when they had other glaring problems. It was political. The "braintrust" was afraid of NOT drafting him( just like with Alex Smith). Crabtree was drafted to avoid criticism and put butts in the seats, not primarily to improve the team.
4. Drafting him and trading him (when they could have) as soon as they realized what a pain he would be, for a future #1, or a great young pass rusher, or.....you name it, certainly would have been better than what happened. But they were more afraid of giving away a great player and looking bad/stupid. Other teams have made those choices, but not Scotty.
When will you "homers" get it?

Jimmy Raye scares me.

Exactly. Using Crabtree's logic, Britt should hold out until he gets more than Crabtree's offer!

On Goodell's answer...it sure sounds like East Coast homerism...something we should never see from any Commissioner.

On Raye...I think Niner fans need to cut the man some slack. He's been an NFL coach for many years...that wouldn't have happened if he didn't know what he was doing. Let's see him in action in games that matter before you condemn him.

On McCloughan...while I'd agree he's not the most dynamic GM in the NFL, I don't fault him for taking Crabtree. The nine teams who picked ahead of the Niners had different agendas. I was hoping with all my might Raji would fall to us...but the Packers swooped him up. However, when the consensus best WR falls to you, you take him. Mac has picked other swaggering players...Vernon Davis surely comes to mind and signed them. He couldn't have known Crabtree would be this difficult to sign. It's easy to look back and say he should've done something different...but that's really just a copout.

I totally agree with you regarding Mac drafting MC. Who knew that MC would be so unreasonable in his demands. After MC was drafted, not one person on here said that this was a bad idea because there were indications he won't sign.

What if Mac pass on MC and MC was drafted at 11 or 12 and became a star. Everyone on here would be calling for Mac's head because he passed on MC. It's ridicules people blaming the front office for dropping the ball or not doing their work, I myself was hoping for Orakpo.

Matt John Clayton is reporting that Michael Crabtree has refused the 49ers offer. Have you heard anything?

This is where I got the info http://www.rotoworld.com/content/playerpages/playerbreakingnews.asp?sport=NFL&id=5135&line=150700&spln=1

Can someone please explain to me why there is so much love and confidence in Shawn Hill. Please someone enlighten me. Why in the world do people give him the majority of the credit on going 7-9 last year. I know this is off topic some, but the past couple months i have been reading all of this non-sense about the niners QB situation. Did anyone watch those games that he played in!!! Do i have to remind people about the Arizona game last year in Arizona where he had already thrown 3ints not counting the 2 that got called back and where returned for touchdowns if it werent for offsides. What about pre-season... He looked amature. smith looked much better. The rookie davis looked better then all. This QB is not capable of winning any game with any importance. He is a career 3rd string QB! The sad thing about most niner fans is that there just uneducated on the game of football. I hope the defence can win the game on sunday like they have in just about all of hill's starts. But the problem with that happening is that hill just might still get the credit. I m just being real... Do not be upset about losing to the cardinals because of hill's play. Because the majority of the fans who write on this blog are hill supporters. When hill gets benched about the 4th game of the season, and smith steps in and plays better. Dont say you thought smith should be starting all along...

All that needs to be known in any negotiation is 'Good Faith'.

Once spoken in the media, whether true/false, Deion tainted (polluted), the good faith guideline.

We know he's an advisor, hence the conflict of interest.

It matters to me not at all at this point what the outcome is, it's more about the admission from Goodell that the conflict occurred.

If we lose Crabtree and no investigation occurs, I'll question just what 'Exclusive Rights' and best interest of the Game really mean.

Find a smoking gun, the rest will be pure comedy.

Keep Crabtree and get Comp picks? Even funnier.

Hold on. Deep breaths. I never claimed to be an expert nor do I want to be anyone's GM. I was attempting to point out we've made a few questionable moves in the draft that cause me to call our scouting methods in to doubt. To use the latest example, was there something really so clear about Craptree that Mangini was able to foresee big problems and if so, why weren't the Niners able to see it, too? That, to me, is a legitimate question.

Were I a Lions fan under Matt Millen or a Faders fan right now then, yes, some guy on the internet might actually have some room to say they're better able to manage a draft than the people tasked with doing so but outside of those few examples saying something like that and being serious is a little hard to swallow. What I said was just a little tounge-in-cheek. I guess that just doesn't come across clearly on the intarwebs.

Let's forget Carbtree. The man does not want to play for us.

A friend of mine in college had a saying whenever a girl turned him down "Women are like Bart trains, if you miss one don't worry, there will always be another one along in a couple of minutes". It's over as far as the Niners and Crabtree ae concerned. Let's move on.

Someone earlier asked if York would fire Singletary if we don't win this year. I don't think so. York would owe Singletary for another three years and I just don't see him eating all that money.

I think it would take a really bad season (0-16 or 1-15) for York to fire Singletary. Even then, he would probably fire McCloughan first and then allow the new GM to bring in his own man as head coach.

I hope Raye snuck into the pool with the rest of his friends from the retirement center and soaked up some of the vibrance from those Cocoons.

I would have to agree here. Did we get caught up in the hype of a top 5 pick falling to us? Did we not have time to fully vet the interviews b/c we never thought he would fall to us? I just don't know...

My hope is that Crabbaby is going to produce like a Reggie Wayne. I just would liek to see him running some NFL routs against NFL talent. I was hoping for this in preseason, we all were. As far as I'm concerned, and I hope all the GMs too, the jury is still out on this guy as far as talent and injury. His attitude and love for the game well... that is just disappointing. He has till tomorrow to sign let's give him that!

By the way, I still want him on the team and I want to draft a QB next year to compete with N. Davis.

I think what Goodell really means is that what Sanders said was part of the negotiation tactics, and it's not tampering because it wasn't really true. He just came short of saying that Sanders was bluffing. That's the only way that his comment can make sense.

I doubt that many of us who wanted Hill over Smith would use the words "love" and "confidence" to describe our support of Hill. The upshot is that O'Sullivan looked like crap, Smith looked like crap, and Hill at least contributed to some W's.

Yes -- it is a team sport so I give credit to the team. But Hill has showed better poise in the pocket although this preseason he has looked pretty unimpressive. I agree that Davis probably has looked the best, but I am not sure what to make of that because of the 2nd/3rd stringers he has played against (mostly). Are you ready to start him?

I love my team, and I want them to start whomever has the best chance of winning. Even if all these alleged Hill lovers are completely clueless, then why would Singletary start Hill? I think Sing wants to win. Period.

If Hill gets benched and Smith comes in, I will pull like a mofo for him, you better believe it. I thought Hill getting the nod was the right decision, but I don't care about being right. I just want my team to win.

I wish Hill had a stronger arm. I wish Smith made quicker and more correct reads in the pocket. I wish our OL could better protect the QB. There's a lot to wish for, actually.

For those of you who want to watch a real quarterback in action, don't tune into the NFL on Sun, but college football on Saturday night when Barkley takes on Ohio State.

I will also thoroughly enjoy watching #2 blow people up over the middle.

The draft always brings unknowns. Picking Crabs at that time was the right call. Blaming McC for the current situation is a waste of time.

If Crabtree does not sign, we move on...

Im a little worried about all this 60-40 talk. If teams load up the box, the o-line needs to buy enough time for Hill to find a target. But thats what Sing has been working on all of training camp i guess.

We go out and hit em in the mouth baby

If CashTree and his agent are soooo confident that he deserves more money than DHB, then why doesn't the Agent come back with or accept an incentive-laden contract. If he puts up the kind of numbers that of a superstar, than he gets paid appropriately - put up or shut up. Matt, would you know if Crabs agent has come back with a incentive-laden contract?

If CashTree or his agent are soooo confident in his abilities and should be paid what DHB is being paid, then why don't they propose or accept an incentive-laden contract -- if you produce like a superstar, then you'll get paid like a superstar. Matt, do you know if this Agent or the 9ers have proposed an incentive-laden contract?

1. Frank, good post, I'll look forward to more.
2. On the call-out for being a supporter of Hill. He's not the second coming, but with what we have TODAY I believe he gives us the best chance to win. If he gets hurt, or is benched due to poor performance I hope Smith can step up and I will cheer him on. If not, the season is lost, get the rook some reps.....man, that would suck.
3. On the subject of tampering. One thing that always cracks me up here is that people want immediate public action. Ain't gonna happen folks. As fans the only way we hear anything is after an investigation has been completed and a penalty is being levied. If an investigation is inconclusive or concludes that no tampering took place, or if no investigation was requested or enacted we will always wonder, but never know. But I do have to admit, getting a couple extra picks, especially from Dallas, would be sweet.
4. On Coach Sing getting fired...Are you kidding? We haven't had our first kick off and we're wondering if York will fire someone?
5. Speaking of that though, we've all heard the story that York was in tears when firing Nolan. Can you imagine his reaction to firing Coach Sing? The word "piddle" comes to mind.

...we need to win this game on sunday badly.....football Gods help us

...did anyone critize Big ben for holding the ball toooo long last night .....hmmmm - i didnt think so...

....to all the A.Smith haters that keep saying "he holds on to the ball to long" - watch last nites game again and refresh your thinking cuz most of you have no idea how to play this game....

1. Frank, good post, I'll look forward to more.
2. On the call-out for being a Hill supporter. Peronally I don't see him as the second coming, in my opinion he gives us the best chance to win from the guys we have now. If he is benched due to injury or poor performance I will cheer Smith just as much. If Smith cannot perform, then start the rook, may as well get him some reps....man that would suck cause our season would be over.
3. On tampering. It always cracks me up how people here want immediate public action. Ain't gonna happen folks. The only way we become informed is if an investigation is conducted and someone is penalized. If we don't hear this then we won't know whether an investigation was requested, exacted, or not.
4. On whether or not York fires Coach Sing at the end of the season...Are you kidding me? We haven't had our first kick off and we're wondering if Coach will be fired? Instead, let's wonder how much of a raise he gets if by some miracle he gets us the NFC West.
5. But, on the subject just above. We've all heard the story that Jed was in tears when firing Nolan. Can you imagine his reaction to firing Coach Sing? The word "piddle" comes to mind.

LMAO come on man, you can't be seriously comparing Alex Smith to Ben Roethlisberger in that context, right?

Smith is 6'4", 217.
Roethlisberger is 6'5" 240.

He's bigger, stronger, and has proven he can escape adverse situations to make plays. I actually do think he holds the ball too long, but his line was holding up for him, and the Titans were only bringing a four man rush for much of the second half and OT. He also made some ill advised passes, and took a 19 yard sack for holding onto the ball too long. Smith hasn't proven he can make plays given the time. He takes the sack much, much more often. Absolutely incomparable.

sorry for the double post, I was told the first submission failed.

you are too funny

Not to mention that he (Rothlisberger) throws it way more accurately than Smith.