All i want is for the 49ers to win, but there isnt a move i have heard about in 2 weeks that doesnt have me scratching my head!

O-line?: i think the idea of moving synder AGAIN is horrible. i dont see how Tony P has looked any better at RT and Synder has a history of struggling at RG. also the guy, and deservingly so, asked to stay at ONE psoition. he came out and said its hurting his play. Now not ony are we moving him but ROTATING him with another guy who sucks?? there are some ppl saying to rotate wragge with Baas? thats horrible as well. O-line is not like D-line. ur not suppose to rotate these guys. they are suppose to learn to play as a unit, almost as if they were one guy. i HATE to say this but my prediction: the offense looks TERRIBLE this weekend, specifically our rotating line.

btw i said this in another post but how bad does it hurt to see the dolphins line playing the way it is with smiley kicking ppls ass! Damn it! i watch these other teams actually give their QB time to throw... im so jealous!

furthermore

Sheets: thats another move with no reasoning. the guy is the only back we have with break away speed in an offense lacking exoplosivness and we let him go??? even if his blocking is not great WHO CARES. he is a rookie for Godsake. put him in on screens and running plays. three step drops, slants. a guy that shifty with that much speed has a place on a team that uses 3 Wrs yet has 7 on the roster. that is unexplainable

Crabtree: This ass misses 71 days and then just takes Morgan's job? did he really learn that much in a week? how easy is it to like Morgan, so humble. This one is easier to see. you know morgan and crabtree are the starters next year and you dont wanna offend bruce(which i dont agree with. legend or not its about winning if the guy isnt playing well pull him!) this move i understand i just dont think im sold on it.i think he shld earn it like everyone else.

Also with lewis out im sure roman will start at safty.... uhhhggggg.

i really dont think we beat Hou. i dont expect to win this game. but im the same guy who said we wld beat ATL at home. i hope im wrong again...

9ers 10 Hou 24

We will win the game if Gore returns to form. We must bruise their QB like we did Farve.

I'm all for putting the best athletes on the field. The coaches obviously think the kid is ready. Maybe he can go out there and earn the fans back with his performance. Morgan is a class act, the demotion may be due to a lack of effort last game though. Adam Snyder needs to replace Chilo. If Pashos is better at RT it makes sense to get our five best linemen in. I trust the coaches judgement.

Gore is the engine that makes our offense run!

Matt, Crabtree goes thru a week of workouts and he supplants Morgan? come on, is the GM forcing his $20+mm baby into the lineup? do we think Morgan is that bad? its not like he won the job in training camp - the kid didnt GO to camp!

Crabtree taking the starting job just confirms my perception that Morgan has not performed this year. He looks like a #3 so far this season. 13 receptions for 202 yards and on the season, AND getting caught from behind on a sure TD. Pffffft. I was embarassed for him. Don't tell me, SHOW me. I'm glad he's being demoted. I will refer to him as JJ II until he steps up his game.

Hopefully Crabtree will be able to make some plays.

Only VD and Gore have been able to do that so far. Maybe Brandon Jones will get some time too, I remember reading he looked good in camp.

Let's not get frantic. This could mean that our 1st scripted play is a 3 WR formation. It could just be a gambit to keep the opponent guessing what (and who) they're going to face.

At this point, I'm still expecting Morgan on the field for more snaps than Crabtree in this game. Talk now doesn't matter. Let's see what happens on Sunday.

Matt,

What are the chances that we will see Reggie Smith on the field this Sunday against the Texans?

I will say this again. Please go to a website called Youtube and type in the name Michael Crabtree. Grab some popcorn and watch this guy play. When you are done, please get back to me if he or Josh should start on Sunday. The guy had one of the most phenominal 2 seasons in college history. Do you want him on the bench? He obviously showed the coaches and his teammates how good he was in a very short period of time. And yes, he could have done that in 1 week (even though its been 2). The fact that Crabtree has Jerry Sullivan and now Coach Sing's confidence tells me a lot. I'm very excited to watch #15 this Sunday. Crabtree is going to shut a lot of people up!!!!

both Matt's reporting and the Chron reporting the same story & spin coming from Singletary, including the notion that "this will be good for Morgan in the longrun". where i work, that's what they tell you when youre getting screwed. hey, no one wants the niner passing game to be better than me, and i'll be the first to stand and cheer if he plays well. i just hope its all for the right reason: that he clearly is/will soon be the better player, and that its obvious from one week of practice (practice, mind you, where most of the other players are not around to practice with him..hmmm...)

im with you mike on crabtree. lets get this kid on the field. we've just gotta get him the ball. our o-line is hurting right now, no being able to keep the opposing line from crossing the line of scrimmage. if P
pashos is going to help prevent that from happening. great.
things need to change, and the coaching staff is trying to find the right fit. great!! lets hope it works.

I was the only reporter who spoke to Singletary when he said there's a "strong possibility" that Crabtree is going to start Sunday in place of Josh Morgan. Singletary did not spin it in a way that this was a positive move for Morgan, but he did say he did not want to stunt Morgan's development. --Matt M.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9aJZsjImymc

Please take a few minutes to watch the above link. I have had the pleasure of watching Crabtree play and practice in person. He has explosion and suddeness that I have rarely seen in my life out of an athlete. Most 49er fans have not seen this guy play and once you do you will realize what Sullivan, Raye, and Coach Sing are seeing. As Coach says, just wait and please watch. Let's question this move on Sunday not right now.

Why Not? If case you don't know Morgan is ranked 28th and Bruce is 66th in NFL wide receiver rankings. We rank 26th in total NFL passing and 18th running.

The coaches know we must get better. I think they keep Bruce in because of his wily experience so he can adjust with Crabtree & Hill.

It's a big game for us. I don't want to head to Indy with a two game losing streak

MAN!!! Did anyone watch that Denver Defense tonight!!
I bet that Mike Nolan is going to be a hell of a Head Coach some day....

What in the hell is going on in the NFL these days. If Kyle Orton can do what he is doing....What in the hell is going on!!! Does anybody even have a clue? "Worm Burner" Orton look like John Elway tonight? Norv Turner, great coordinator...crappy head coach. Norv was totally out coached tonight by a 33yr old kid. Nothing makes sense anymore...so why not post something that has nothing to do with the niners. Just what in the hell is going on in the NFL? New Orleans and Denver would be one hell of a football game. My niners have nothing compared to these football teams, we are a distant 16th. Man do we have a long way to go....

Strange to replace Morgan like that... at least give it a game. Regardless how good he was in practice. Besides, have Morgan start and Crab get more plays in 2 WR formations. Not a good PR and team move if Crab is not an impact the next 2-3 games.

Not sure it makes a difference who plays WR....we don't throw to them anyway

MM - per your two recent trade tweets. Do you have a hunch or sneaking suspicion something might be up? Are you holding back something juicy?

Hey, it's all good. We're winning but barely. Offense needs to improve - make changes. You can question how they're moving the Oh line around, but it's probably more psychological. They don't have much there.
And getting Crabtree in there, hey it can't hurt. As has been pointed out Morgan made some mental errors out there, so he'll have to sit a bit. Big deal. Plus we did hear that Crabtree was a very serious player, very hard worker. In some ways his readiness doesn't seem surprising. I'll tell you one thing, coach would have made this move if Crabtree wasn't serious dedication to being ready!

I agree with Marco, you really don't want to lose two going into Indy.

Question: Do you have a hunch or sneaking suspicion something might be up? Are you holding back something juicy?

My response: Just a hunch that they're checking around to see who's available. I have no idea if they're going to make a trade, nor do I know which player(s), if any, they might be considering. Don't bother asking if they might be interested in so-and-so. Really, I'd only be guessing. --Matt M.

Hey Matt,

Do you think they can work out a trade for Mark Sanchez in exchange for dropping the tampering case??

hahhahaa... jk

I hope that they don't trade unless it is for a young and talented G... which is highly unlikely... so I really dont want to see a trade

for all those who watched this awesome highlight reel, you can clearly see why crabtree is getting major play time next sunday. that screen that they run... oh man we're going to be seeing it all game on sunday.

Elvis Dumervil goes into the game tonight with 8 sacks for Denver. That's 8 SACKS going into game 6! With the 3-4, pass rusher is critical. Nolan implemented the 3-4 here 5 years ago, and we've been drafting for it ever since, failing miserably to find a pass rusher. We STILL don't have one. In 2006 the Broncos draft Dumervil late in the 4th round. We, however, passed on Dumervil much earlier even though many scouts were high on him. Well, he is now a major factor and hellified pass rusher in Denver's 3-4 Nolan D.

And with the 3rd pick in that 4th round, we took.....

Michael Robinson. The backup RB/hybrid/STer, bla bla bla. Mr do-it-all. The man without a position. We took him and tried to find him a position.

Good job McCloughan. Good STer, terrible backup RB, the man without a position who just keeps hanging on with this team and sucking up a roster spot year after year.

It's a good thing pass rushers are so easy to come by, otherwise I'd say that might be considered a terrible pick!!!

For being such a straight shooter all this time with the media, Singeltary looks really weak throwing Crabtree starting action immediately. I thought that being a starting 49er meant you earned a starting position. So much for earning anything unless you consider "POUTING" earning something. Crabtree ranks top of the league in pouting. It actually looks like a desperation move on Singletarys part. As for the other blunder decisions: Losing a promising running back in Cory Sheets, demotion of Josh Morgan, rotating Snyder (again ) to a position he's already struggled at, letting Marc Roman touch the field, and keeping Alex Smith on the active 53 man roster. Makes me sick...

As an avid 49er fan who lets the game on Sunday affect his entire week, I seriously hope these decisions work out for the better. I don't care if Crabtree scores three tds in the first quarter of this Sundays game. Crabtree should sit his ass on the bench and earn a spot as a starter, it sets a horrible precedent for the rest of the team to let him waltz in and be given a starting spot on the roster.

I'm guessing you didn't watch Sanchez yesterday.

You'd rather Crabtree sit than score 3 TD's?

How drunk are you?

I think putting him in now, he'll definitely earn his stripes if you know what I'm saying. you better believe the texans are going to give him a little extra welcome into the nfl. the receiving core has been underperforming of late, so maybe crabtree showed the coaches something they have been waiting to see from the others.

his contract negotiations have no bearing on whether he deserves playtime or not. there IS a reason why he was projected and drafted as a first round wr. bruce is on his last legs, morgan hasn't been getting open that often, jones is coming off a BROKEN SHOULDER, j hill, I have no idea why he isn't getting more playtime, and well spurlock... so it's no surprise the coaches think crabtree can handle the fire a little bit. plus it's his home state texas, you know he's going to want to impress.

and another note, did you see the details of his contract? they are abysmal for the player. clearly this was a failed ploy by his agent and because of crabtree's desire to play, his agent jacked him.

I like it. Sing wouldnt give a starting spot lightly. Morgan is a class act. Plus I believe he also knew the plan was to have Crab take over the X and Morgan was to replace Bruce. This has been the plan, they are just executing it sooner because Crabtree is learning fast and probably looks hungry. This is a good thing.

It's all about principality baby. He'll be a better receiver in the long run if he earns a position...

I never saw all of the details involved with Crabtrees contract, I do know that the agent works for the player and not the other way around. As for our receivers you just really don't know what they bring to the table. Our O line doesn't pass protect well and S. Hill has very little time. He either gets sacked, or hurried and throws the ball away. It looks like a good majority of our pass plays are scripted and Spurlock, J Hill, and Battle aren't in that script. Hell, I would love to see D. Zeigler get a crack at it, all you here are great stories about that guy.

On a side note.. Hey Matt, how come you havent commented on the fact that thus far in the season Haralson hasnt shown he's taken that next step?

P.S. It's good to see Lawson flyin around making tackles, holding the point of attack well, and making more plays in the backfield than he has in the past. He's lookin better for sure.

Through the first quarter of the season I figure hes the better outside linebacker at this point. What are your thoughts Matt?

Morgan knows it'll be him and Crabtree next season w/Bruce out of the picture. Besides, shifting positions doesn't necessarily mean he's getting demoted. Some fans take things a little too literally. It makes good sense to get Crabtree on the field. The more he plays, the better he'll get. It's all good...we need his game to pump up the offense. The opposition will have to account for him...we really haven't had that kind of receiver since T.O. left. Not comparing the two...just pointing out that he's a player and he'll put pressure on teams.

As for the RG and RT moves...Pashos is a guy who should be solid at RT. He had some good years w/Jags. It's no secret OG is Snyder's best position. Singletary wants Rachal to get the message he needs to step up w/o ruining his confidence. Let's see how it plays out before condeming either move.

Adalius Thomas anyone? Richard Seymour?

Interesting article on Smith and Hill http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20091019/NEWS/910199933?Title=49ers-shouldn-t-forget-Alex-Smith

LS, C;mon... You'd give up 3 TD's for principles? Benching Crabtree is counter productive. He can make an impact in a game NOW not like some QB holding out not learning the playbook.. He is a WR and learning a minimum amount of plays that puts him in the posistion to succeed is SMART. This isn't throwing him to the wolves it is show casing the young man. The more I see people criticize Crabtree I tend to defend.. C'MON guys.. THIS is ONE talented young man.. I would have held out for the maximum amount of money too.. Hill will LOVE having this option to hit...

Crabtree went from an initial offer of 5 years/$16m plus $4m in impossible incentives, to a 5 year/$28m deal with a 6th year at $4m.

There's an additional $8m in another set of impossible incentives that can be ignored.

Anyone with 3rd grade math can figure he did good. Over 5 years, he'll have $12m more in his pocket than the Niners originally offered. Certainly better than the dude drafted in front of him.

Anywhere you read that Crabtree got screwed by his agent or the Niners don't know what they're talking about.

That includes our Matt who since day one has had his head where the sun don't shine concerning Crab's contract negotiations.

Yes, Crabtree gets more then the 49ers originally offered. A first offer is hardly ever the maximum a side is willing to give, though. Did Crabtree have to hold out to get what he is getting now? The two sides could have started talking to each other three month earlier. After negotiations, they could have arrived at the same deal prior to camp. If, repeat if, they had bothered to communicate. Communication or lack thereof falls onto the agent.

Getting more than the original offer does not proof that the holdout accomplished anything.

actually according to this PFT report, the contract is worth 32 mil over 6 years and 17 mil guaranteed, while the original 5 year contract was worth 28 mil 16 mil guaranteed. interms of guaranteed money per year, he makes less, 16/5 = 3.2 mil, vs 17/6 = 2.83. in addition to that, the fluff money has ridiculous incentives, but the biggest part which makes this a terrible contract is that instead of getting a signing bonus, he gets a cash advance, and if he decides he wants to hold out again, that money can be forfeited... so much for that guaranteed money. That sounds pretty terrible contract to me from the athlete's perspective.

If he plays good and voids year 6 it's 28 millions for five years with both the original offer and the current deal. If he does not play good enough to void year 6 then he still gets 4 millions for year 6. The original 5 year offer means he may get less then 4 millions in year 6.

I do not think the money he gets now is worse than it was in the original offer.

He can hardly hold out again due to that advance salary. That is a disadvantage. But then again, you cannot expect to get paid for refusing to work, can you? If you do not work but receive the same money there is bound to be some disadvantage.

Yeah realfan is so right that it was 16 mil guaranteed and 4 million impossible incentives. Since he must be high up in the 49ers organization to know what the details of the of the contract that never came out were. So he "must" be right that the 4 mil was impossible to achieve.

Basically the 6th year will be void since it is set up to be almost unobtainable so the remaining contract is 28M/5 years is what is left. Which in fakefan math is 12M more than the fakefan known original contract.

In real math it is somewhere between 8-12M since we do not know specifics of the original contract. Also it is impossible to know how much of the 8-12M is also based on incentives, roster bonuses, etc. So to in real math it doesnt look much better than what we know of the original contract.

If the original contract was a 16M signing bonus (completely unknown if it was) then this is a WORSE contract since at any time with this contract the 49ers could cut crabtree and be out minimal money.

My take on this contract is this:
The 49ers have set up the contract so that after march 5th if they really want to, OR the price is right they could trade crabtree and take a minimal hit towards the cap next year.

Either that or the 49ers used the fact another team was interested as leverage telling crabs and agent they were not going to fork out guaranteed money that would hurt their cap next year since it was possible he could hold out next year and demanded a trade to one of those teams their buddy Dieon had been referring to before about being interested.

my sense of the matter is that crabtree is perfect to revive hill. hill does not trust his arm and, therefore, checks down continuously instead of throwing downfield even when he has time to throw.

videos of crabtree shows he takes small screen passes and slants across the middle and YACs it up. This is hills forte....this will be the single most reason hill retains his job and keeps a much younger smith from developing. I also have a sense that telling the texans exactly what crabtree is going to do is a bit dumb unless it is a headfake. just how many plays will crabtree learn enough to execute well? just saying texans will at least have a chance to scheme properly with a measure of confidence.

hill will get the next two games because texans are a bottom tier defense.....indy will be a litmus test...but even so he will probably get the titans game as well.....for smith to make a difference this season smith needs to get into the titans game.....but i just don't see it because crabtree will save hill's 9r career, unfortunately IMO.

as an aside i believe jones should be replacing bruce

...this Mike Nolan guy is a good coach......denver is definately rollin with nolan...

Sarcasm detected.

Denver's success does point out that not every good coordinator can make the leap to a head coaching position. Norv Turner being a prime example. Obviously Josh McDaniels had what it took to make the move to HC.

Nolan should never get another head coaching job again, but there are plenty of dumb owners.....

I am upset at the move cause it was necessary for our team to advance to the next level. WR switch in and out of positions so Morgan will be on the field. Michael Irvin explained that play calling is not difficult for Crabtree to learn and that is why I am sure he got the nod. Make no mistakes he is not getting a free ride. But you pay a guy that type of money, you got to utilize him. Because of our rankings in offense we need to make the proper changes to win the division. All steps are necessary for success.

lets get the division
go Niners!

There could be trade in the works involving Morgan. If that's the case I hope he doesn't land in New England, Washington or Baltimore in exchange for another defensive player.

Let's be real for a second though, Nolan didn't take over a bottom of the barrel team. He took over a team that was that sticky black stuff underneath the barrel.

Guys - Keep your eyes on Merriman and Adalius Thomas today. For different reasons on both, I don't think either requires a first round pick, but likely a 2nd rounder or worse. Pats are in need of a receiver, so a player and pick trade for Thomas could work.

I don't see a Richard Seymore move. Not worth a first round pick at his age and I don't see Oakland giving up a #1 pick and then trading him for anything less after 6 games of service. I could be wrong, but I see Thomas and Merriman as our top targets. Remember - Merriman was in Alex Smith's 2005 draft. He is still young. He is 25 years old. People tend to forget how young he is. I would LOVE him on this team.

Yes, Dumervil is having an awesome year and probably many more to come. Although Scouts were high on him, besides the 9ers, 30 other teams passed on him thru the first 3 rounds. Phewy on all the GM's that passed on him -- ya'll should be fired by your respective teams! Go Niners!!!

Can you imagine if we drafted "The Beast" Merriman instead of A.Smith? Our Linebacking Corps of P52, The Beast, Spikes, Harralson ......... can you say --- formidable. Go Niners !!!!!

The Patriots need a 3rd WR -- Niners have 7 of them. Thomas for either Jason Hill, Brandon Jones or Arnaz Battle. Sounds like a Yes vote for me.

Yeah, I can see it now. Belechick trades Thomas for Battle. Riiiiight.

All I can say is tread carefully, McC. If you make a trade with the Patriots, you better check your pocket afterward to make sure your wallet is still there...

Matt, can you ask Singletary what else he learned from his bye week review? Hopefully, this included coaches. We need to bring in someone to help out with the OL. Hopefully, things will improve with Raye. If not, we need to turn the offense over to Mike Johnson. He had success at the end of one year in Atlanta.

Hill does not fit this offense. The whole defense is up to stop the run and short pass. He is also suffering from the play of the OL and Wr’s that also made Alex look good in practice but not games. Hill has looked OK in spurts if the dump offs are open. Alex wasn’t ready earlier so Hill deserved to be starting then. Now is the time to see Alex again. He at least can be developed further. Are there any plans for this?

I’d like to see some small trades to improve our biggest weaknesses in the OL and pass rush. Scotty doesn’t like to trade picks for players though. He also doesn’t like to address these areas in FA because they are too expensive. Going best player available has led us to mostly ignore these areas in the draft too. Brian Waters G from KC would be nice and Q Groves DE can be had from Jacksonville.

I’d rather have Sheets, but I hear we are looking for a practice squad RB. I have to check to see if Gatrell Johnson (SD preseason game) is available.
I’d like to see Raye bring in Jehuu Caulkrick a power RB he had last year on the Jets practice squad.

First off, I think Isaac Bruce has been great since coming over to the 49ers. He leads by example and has been a good mentor for the whole WR group. But I am starting to think it might be more beneficial for the niners to think about the future, while still getting good WR play.
If they actually are going to play Crabtree 40+ snaps a game is Isaac Bruce that much better now, then Morgan? who the niners plan to have for seasons to come. Bruce's contract is up at the end of this season. Is he that much better then Morgan that he should be starting over him? I read reports that Morgan can play any position and was maybe going to be the #1 WR coming into THIS season. Are the coaches giving the benefit to Bruce because he is a veteran? Or will he see less game reps as well?
Also, what about Battle? Is he that much better then Hill, Spurlock and Brandon Jones (a large offseason acquisition)? It's his last year I believe, but even though he has had limited playing time he has played more then all three.
If these guys make the 49ers better I am for it. This season is not over and we might see the playoffs for the first time since 02'. But if our young WR group can get some more playing time this season, won't it make us better in the long run?
I have no problem with Crabtree starting over Morgan. As long as he catches those balls that come down like a punt.

The Crab Highlight reel is definitely inspiring. He looks football fast and explosive. He probably caught more TD's in that clip than DHB had receptions and many of his catches were play of the day quality. Dude is a play maker so bring it on! That is why people were so high on him. Now if only our QB's can deliver the ball like the Texas Tech QB we will be in good shape...lol. Come on O line give Hill a little time. I'm liking the the possibilities of Gore, VD, Crab, Morgan, Walker and a more creative O vs the 1 yard and a cloud of dust Woody Hayes O that Raye is now running. Maybe we get a new look after the Bye. If not this could turn into the patented 49er mid season slump/losing streak. If we could land Merriman or Thomas that would be epic but we really need to fix the O line.

I think people need to relax. We lost our last game and I feel like people mentally are now expecting a down turn and the team to revert back to 2007. We as fans have to change our mindsets and expect to win, and to cheer for our team to make the playoffs and win. We shouldn't be preparing for the draft now. Bruce is another receiver that Hill trusts and feels comfortable letting the ball go before the receiver is out of his break. I agree that Crabtree and Morgan are the future, but we need to remind ourselves that winning is our top priority. Now if in another month Crabtree and Morgan are our top receivers ... then we can talk about demoting Bruce, but until then we would be silly to do so now.

As it is apparently evident in the past week, if you have a very knowledgeable Football player like the CashTree, then picking up a pure vanilla offense that Raye-Raye runs is not all that difficult - this is probably why 9ers are giving him a starting shot. Even though the CashTree will be starting, at the end of the day, Morgan will have 60% of the off. plays to his 40%. Boy, I sure hope there are some new, creative plays to be run, because those 3 and outs are going to kill the Def. And the Def, if no pass rush, if you think 2nd yr. QB M.Ryan picked it apart, don't look now because here comes ...... Schaub and Peyton. Go Niners!!!

How come so many Niners fans forget that Crabtree attended every single OTA and Mini camp practice, he was there for all the class room work and watched from the sidelines all summer as the offense was being installed. Yes he showed up 2 weeks ago, but he has been around since April learning and taking all the mental reps.

Dirk,
McLoughlin on KNBR said when the Niners presented the initial offer to Parker, Parker said he would travel to the Bay area to negotiate as long as the Niners were willing to include the base amount in the negotiations. Scott said that they told Parker they would not.

So Parker stayed home.

You have to remember this all happened before the picks above and below Crabtree had signed.

Shield,

Mike Florio of PFT is not a particularly honest character. He's painted himself into a corner because he's repeatedly stated that Crabtree signed a bad contract. Even before Florio knew any details. Florio's wrong but won't admit it.

The Crabtree deal is 6 years/$40m with $17m guaranteed.

Florio focuses on 3 things and ignores the rest :

1. The $8m incentives payable in the 6th year are virtually impossible to achieve. I agree. So I and most of the world refer to the deal as $32m total.

2. The conditions that allow Crabtree to get $28m over 5 years are he attends out of season workout programs and OTA's. For some reason Florio think this is tough/unreasonable to do but 95% of all players manage it without too much trouble.

3. Florio doesn't compare Crabtree's final deal to the initial Niners offer. Florio has invented a $28m offer for comparision. He claims the Niners would have made it way back at the beginning. Florio's "justification" is that Jed York on KNBR a couple weeks ago said the Niners would go as high as $1 less than the #9 slot ($28.5m). But this was Jed improvising for the radio in September, no such offer was ever made.

What Florio conveniently ignores is that Crabtree will make $28m over the first 5 years which is a jump of $12m from the Niners original offer.

6th year only pays $4m which on the surface looks bad news. But who knows what will happen then. If he's good, the Niners will resign him before the 6th year. If they don't they'll probably face a real "holdout"!

This o-line juggling is just a re-run of what was tried under Nolan, and I think it'll have the same outcome. The basic problem is, the 9ers just don't have the horses. You can't make a silk purse from a sow's ear.

Come on Realfan,you have been proven wrong on this issue over and over by all the experts. Give it up! Parker did a really poor job for Crabtree and the ignorant about business kid could have had the same or even a better deal in July.You are falling for the scam that Parker is trying to sell his future clients,that the numbers show he really got a great deal for his client by the hold out. The big numbers that Parker is bragging about are just a mirage ,the real contract (the actual $ Crabs will get) is the same they were willing to give him in July,or maybe a little less.
And don't bother trying to sell me Parkers numbers as real. He has fooled you but everyone else knows better.
Lets just hope he plays as well as we think he will !

...BUT,like McGloughan said,we hopr Crabs earns all the incentives (that are really all but impossible to earn) Because that would mean that he made the Pro bowl several times and we won the division several times and we were in the SB several times.
The kid is going to make many millions of dollars. I think he will earn it !
But Parker did NOT earn his money !!!

...And to those of you who still think Alex smith can develop,think again. The only thing that has happened to Alex since he left college is that he came into the NFL and found out that he was a pretty darn good COLLEGE QB. Not even a mediocre NFL QB.
But I guess anything is possible and he is still very young...BUT...S. Hill IS the QB for 2009 and that will not change(according to Sing),so with Davis waiting in the wings as the QB of the future,that leaves alex out in the cold and looking for another team.
I hope the best for him,since he is a class guy and deserves the best .

Realfan: Read this and learn the truth about Crabtree's contract and how it is thought of around the League.
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http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2009/10/09/certain-aspects-of-crabtree-contract-raises-eyebrows/

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Here is one paragraph from the article..

So while some think that Crabtree essentially got the same financial package he would have obtained in July if Parker and Crabtree had opted not to wait for the 49ers to jump the slotting process by three levels, it could be that the deal is actually worse, given the inclusion of a sixth year, the high bar to void it, the guarantee based on a five-year deal, the absence of a language compelling the 49ers to pay the discretionary salary advance, and the diva clause.

One national media source similarly described the contract Parker negotiated for Crabtree as a "career killer."
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So you see Real, although I agree with you about Crabtree being a possibly great player and about the negative press being waaaaay overblown etc. ,the fact is that you were wrong (and apparently still are ,lol ) about the Niners negotiating skills and about Parker and about the contract. Very wrong !

Top Cat,
I read (PFT) Florio's analysis very carefully and I debunked it in my early post.

Fact: Crabtree will have $28m in his pocket after 5 years as long as he attends off season workouts & OTA's.

Fact: the Niners initially offered $16m plus $4m for some virtually impossible incentives.

Fact: Florio does not deny or contradict either of these 2 facts.

Fact: $28m after 5 years is better than $16m.

The end.

You are simply wrong Realfan.The 16 million # that was thrown around was only the guaranteed money. You were and are wrong on so many levels but...
we are both glad that Crabs is finally going to play. We were about the only two around here that didn't blame the kid for his agent messing everything up. And we were about the only two who didn't think the kid was a diva or a bad guy,just because he listened to his foolish agent.

"I'm glad Josh is being demoted. I will refer to him as JJ II until he steps up his game."

Josh was not demoted. The coaches just need to get Michael some playing time GRADUALLY. I just hope Josh still gets his fair shahre--becaause he's the best WR playing right now. I'm disappointed with Bruce; he did not contribute to a WIN in the Atlanta game, dropping so many balls.

You and a few other numbskulls keep knocking JJ Stocks! Now, it's time to stop picking on JJ. He was a very reliable #3 WR. Whenever the 49ers needed a SURE 3rd down, JJ was the one that the QB passed to. After all, Rice was still there in the beginning, and then Owens when JR left. It wasn't JJ's fault that the QB didn't throw the ball to him more often. He was a GOOD SOLID player. So stop dragging his name in the mud!

Niner MOM

Top_Cat,

no, I am not wrong. I understand this topic better than you. I understand every word in that Mike Florio article you are quoting.

To be specific: Florio doesn't like the 6th year, the high bar to void the 6th year, the difficulty in earning the 6th year incentive, and the guaranteed money tied to off season program attendance.

He deliberately ignores that to get Parker to agree to all that stuff, the Niners sweetened the base 5 year salary from $16m to $28 million.

The Niners are not publicizing that sweetener because it busts the slot. If you ask them they'll just say it's a 6year/$40m deal that's inline with the #10 slot. But to anyone who understands NFL contracts, it's clear they caved. Proof is in the details.

JJ Stokes??? Reliable??? He ranks righ tup there Steve Spurrier, Alex Smtih and Jim DRUNK ON MILLERS as thee biggsst 49ers busts of all time.. JJ STOKES??? I'm sure he was and is a nice guy feeds the poor and loves his mom but as an NFL 1st round draft pick?? Flop bust .. or just plain and simply NFG!!!!