Wow, that was fast. I feel bad for Morgan, he's played great for being such a late round pick ... and that shows a lot of character on his part for teaching Crabtree how to take his job.

I want to trust the coaching staff on this one but this seems a bit strange ... I thought they were going to break Crabtree in slowly??? I hope this doesn't make us weaker having a rookie in there who has missed 70+ days of the season ... scary.

Maybe he showed them a lot in the 2 weeks he has been here? I hope so ...

What??? This is crazy talk. I thought coach Sing was all about making guys earn their place? Isn't that what he said to Dre Bly when he came in? And Pashos? And the quarterback competition for that matter? This kid throws a tantrum for 71 days and then just gets to waltz onto the field? He was our first pick so I want him to do well and start eventually but this is a bit ridic. He should have to earn that spot from Josh Morgan, not just be handed it on a silver platter.

Say huh? I guess that playbook was not that hard to digest. Either that, or they came to realize that the 49ers don't actually use their WR's except to block.
/snark

Look, I know their offense needs a spark, but I hope that he is not in every down at this point. I want the guy to be in football shape. No pulled hammy's, please.

....not a good idea....i thought he was going to earn the spot...

i also can't trust Coach sing anymore....looks like he his looking out for his job instead of the niners best interest..

i don't understand why start him so early - whats the point - its not like our QB can throw him the ball....

terrible decision.....what did morgan do to be demoted?

I blame S.Hill for this...(i have a feeling Coach sing didn't like Morgan complainig about the way the passes come to him)

Not only is S.Hill not taking advantage of the talent at WR, he his making our WR's look bad...

Matt,

This seems a bit extreme. It's great that he will be on the field a substantial part of the game, but Josh Morgan brings a lot to the game also, actually more than Isacc Bruce at this point. Wouldn't it be better to start Josh Morgan and Michael Crabtree? I really hope they plan on opening up the offense starting this week. We cannot afford to get Gore re-injured by just depending on him and pounding him all game long!

Gents - This confirms all the reports over the weekend from ESPN Insider and PFT - Michael Crabtree has more than impressed his coaches. The whispers are that he had been very very good in practice. Coach Sing does NOT give away starting spots. This is EXCITING! I guess he has earned a 49ers logo on his helemt?

Means nothing until Sunday.

On a different note, in watching Hill from the games last season versus now, I'd say that he looks less comfortable with Jimmy Rayes offense than he did with Martz offense. I think it is probably because with Martz's plays he was basically told when and where to throw the ball..."sir, yes, sir!". Wuth Jimmy's offense I get the sense that it is causing Hill to think too much instead of just snapping and throwing.

Anyone agree with this viewpoint?

Great news that Crabtree is doing even better than anyone thought he would ! Apparently what we heard from Trent Dilfer (that Crabs looked like a veteran running his routes and that he was in great shape and caught everything with his great hands etc etc,) were right on the money !
We just better hope that Morgan and Raye and Sullivan have Crabs up to speed,so he doesn't turn left when Hill is throwing to the right !!! Crabs can really help,but he could also undo all the good he might do,if his inexperience in the offense leads to a couple of interceptions.

The holdout is business and should not factor in. I realize most of us in life are the replacee in these situations (uber -talented newcomer replacing the incumbent) Don’t hate. The question is how good is this Kid if after about a week and half he is starting? Reminds me of 07 when after about the same length of time D. Smith was handed the TED playbook and told to study up. Morgan will still get plenty of run.

What is wrong with some of you? This shows how good Crabtree has looked. Jerry Sullivan, Jimmy Rae, and Mike Singletary are absolute sticklers when it comes to earning a starting spot and being "ready". This only proves that HE EARNED IT ON THE PRACTICE FIELD. Did some of you forget how good this kid was in college? Please go Youtube Michael Crabtree and then come back and tell me he isn't a starting caliber WR. Our best players will start. Do you need anymore help reading between the lines? This is the best news I have heard in weeks. I don’t want to punish Crabtree for his 71 day holdout, I want to see us WIN on Sunday. Obviously, the coaches do to.

I've been rooting hard for Morgan, but he's showed lots of concentration gaffes. If Crabtree is indeed lighting up the practice field, I think it might be good for Morgan to drop to the slot; steel his resolve. He could be excellent returning kicks as well.

I also want to see Brandon Jones and Jason Hill on the field. Crap...

Big J: I think it just means that Hill is getting antsy about constantly gettin less than 2-3 seconds to set up and release the ball before he gets hit. Last year even Rachael was pass blocking better. Give Hill that one more second he was getting last year and he will be fine (that is the purpose of this O line shuffle ,because all the coaches see that it is not Hill's fault at all). Hill is close to being really good,but without time to pass he is starting to be conditioned to needing to release the bal too quickly,before the play develops and if he keeps getting pounded he is also close to becoming nearly alex smith like (well,not THAT bad,but in danger of becoming NEARLY that useless).
Hopefully the O line changes give Hill that 1 more second ! If not it might turn into a long season. And if anyone thinks Smith would improve the situation...NO,he would be far worse,unless a miracle has happened overnight with the guy,lol

I do agree with you. I don't like either the whole way Raye has been managing this offense. I understand that under Martz it was a too risky offense, but with Raye we are having our defense on the field a lot of time.
As far as Hill feeling comfortable with Martz, I am not sure, but he didn't seem too comfortable the last game... well, I guess nobody was comfortable the last game anyway...
But it was exciting to have the offense from last year after JTO was benched...

I would also like to thank Morgan for being a team player. That is great news. If not this season, you can be certain he takes over for Bruce next year.

I guess we have to give Sing the benefit of the doubt. If Crabs plays poorly though, Sing's credibility will surely take a hit in the locker room. All of his words about working together and earning your spot will seem hollow. It would be very interesting to hear what Sullivan has to say about starting Crabs.

My other thought is how simplistic can an offense be if a player can learn his role in 10 days. If they are only using Crabs for a handfull of plays then why start him? Morgan has been a team first guy and learned to stick his neck out there blocking DE's in the running game.

A few things occur to me.

First,and most important, given the prior statements of both Singletary and Raye this says to me that Crabtree has worked hard and been impressive since he arrived. This is also consistent with Dilfer's report from when he threw to Crabtree during the holdout that he (Dilfer) was impressed and thought Crabtree could be helpful immediately.

Next, if you looked at the tape of Singletary when he was miked up for the Ram game, one of the segments involved Morgan dropping the long touchdown pass and Singletary speaking with him about consistency. And, then during the following week in the Falcon game implosion, Morgan pulled up and got caught instead of running hard through the goal line for the TD. Consistency and finish - finish every play.

Third, all along the speculation has been that Crabtree would eventually take over at split end (X) and Morgan would move to flanker (Z). This is the first step in that transition. Game one has Morgan (with more experience) transitioning to Z. Makes sense to have Crabtree only learn one spot given his delayed start. Also, tells Morgan he must continue to work hard. Nothing like a little competition between the two best receivers on the team.

Finally, the 49ers are coming off an absolutely awful game when it looked like the 49ers all believed their hype and thought they could just show up. This reinforces, assuming that Crabtree has worked hard and looked good, the best people will play and everyone must play hard all the time.

Let's remember, the Niners record was made without much contribution from the offense. The next stretch of games is very tough. The 49ers' offense is better when the defense has to be concerned about stopping Gore, preventing VD from getting open in the seam and the outside. To this point, the 49ers have not been able to scare the defenses to widen out and help on the outside. Everything is bunched in to stop Gore and keep a ceiling on VD. That apparently will change on Sunday if Crabtree proves to be too much for single coverage on the outside.

Thank you Mike in SF #2!!

When the coaches and front office say they aren't giving starting spots away, and positions have to be earned, no where in there does it say that you have to wait any length of time. If he's ready, he's ready. I like Morgan, and think he can be a talent, but he was a late round pick who while having the starting job has 13 catches for 200 yards. He's not exactly lighting it on fire, so if Crabtree is ready with the playbook, don't you think he generates just a little more fear for opposing D-Coordinators then Josh Morgan? This guy was the best WR for his two years in college, and while the NFL is a whole different level, let's see what he can do.

Remember Sing's comments about the players coming to him and saying "This guy has to play":

"By all accounts, Crabtree had some impressive practices during the 49ers bye week. He hung out with Frank Gore, Alex Smith and receivers coach Jerry Sullivan, and reportedly looked very good. Mike Singletary said Crabtree's "progress is excellent" and that the rookie is "working his tail off." "Even though he came in late," Singletary said, "he looks like he's ready." Said Gore: "Watching him over the bye week, he looked explosive off the line. He's got great hands and runs good routes." Shaun Hill hasn't thrown very many passes to Crabtree, but that will change this week in practice. "You kind of think, 'ok, he's a little bit on the short side.'" Hill said of the 6-1 receiver. "But when he's out there playing and he gets his hands up and his arms out, he's big. He's big out there, a big target. Very strong hands to the ball. He attacks the ball. I think he's going to be good for us."

It's OK, Morgon is still the Assistant to the #2 Reciver. Some would say he's even more important.

Jimmy Raye is not missing assignments and getting Tobias Beecher'd (see Jared Allen v. anyone we put in front of him). Any play Jimmy Raye calls will work if each player executes well enough to make it go.

I say put in Nate Davis to. If your gonna throw away the season to tap into rookie pontetial, might as well let Craby Patty and Nate develop some magic together.

You have all just been b!t

How in the he** does replacing Josh Morgan, not Jerry Rice constitute throwing away the season? I think you where looking for the Raider blog.

Morgan will play a lot next Sunday. The starting role only applies to a single play. Which is most likely a run anyway.

Morgan is the guy who blames his QB if he fails to catch a pass and stops running at the 5 yard line. I understand moving him down the depth chart.

@ Big J - maybe cuz S.Hill had time to learn the offense while JTO was playing the first half of the season.....

.....this of course fooled Coach Sing to think S.Hill is better than a 3rd string backup Qb

Now he needs to get S.Hill a weapon so he can look good and make him look good while stunting the growth of a promising WR.....

I like the idea of Crabtree starting, but why demote Morgan. Bruce is the one who has been showing his age lately.

I am excited about Crabtree starting, but I still think neither Hill nor Smith is the QB of the future. I hope Singletary starts bringing in Nate Davis in key spots (maybe whenever the team is in the red zone) to get him to develope a rapport with Crabtree. I remember Bill Walsh did exactly that with DeBerg / Montana. With two first rounders coming up next year, we might as well find out sooner rather than later if Nate is in fact the real deal. We don't want to pass up on McCoy or Bradford only to find out we were wrong about Nate.

The thing I am looking forward to seeing is the first time Crabtree goes over the middle and takes a hit. We will know if Crabtree is a Jerry Rice or (god forbid) a JJ Stokes the first time he takes a hard hit.

Can't wait for Sunday.

Pierre: I am the biggest Nate Davis fan around BUT Nate is not quite ready yet. Give him the season to watch and learn and then maybe next season he can fight it out with Hill for who starts?
And in NO way is the season lost.We are stil in first place and Hill is still a really good QB(if he gets 3 seconds to pass ). WR is different than QB,a whole lot different,as far as being ready to play.

Umm... "Start" is such a BS term in the NFL now adays. A starter is a player who's out on the field for the first play from scrimmage. If an offense lines up 3 wide, the #3 WR is technically starting as is the nickel DB if the defense goes with that package. It's entirely possible for them to line up with a package that gets CT out on the field early, but he still only ends up playing a handful of snaps, and gives way to Morgan from time to time.

Morgan has shown flashes, but he needs to be consistent. He shouldn't have dropped that pass against the Rams, there are a number of passes where he hasn't been able to bring them in. Solve those problems, and he'll get his starting job back... just on the other side of the offense.

I don't give a crap who starts over who, just as long as they perform and the team keeps adding to the W column.

"What is wrong with some of you? This shows how good Crabtree has looked."

- Cmon Mike - ONE PRACTICE.....WITHOUT THE TEAM

WE ARE TALKING ABOUT ONE PRACTICE - ITS NOT EVEN THE END OF THE WEEK YET...

Dude - if he was that good - he would have been picked Number 1 overall...

Morgan is a class act!! id love to have him and crabs on the field. Bruce is bruce, but lets face it. after this season do you really think he will be here still?

im happy at WR, but i still think we need to find another RB. Love frankie but the dude just can't keep his ankles heatlhy. that will leave us with Coffee and Robinson. if coffee goes down which it seems like its almost happend a few times. that leaves us with robinson and no other back that knows our system just incase something were to happen to robinson as well. and with our line playin like it is, its not to far fetched to think something like that could happen

Wow! If this actually happens, then it does seem to send a very contrary message to what Singletary's words have been so far. It raises many, many questions.

I can see it now...... Ummm coach it came down like a punt...... It was a punt dang-gummit.

GOD I WISH THERE WAS A WAY TO BAN YOU!!!!!

When was Tom Brady drafted? How about Montana? What about Jerry Rice? Marquese Colston anyone? The list of non #1 overalls who totally blew up the NFL is far longer than the list of #1s who did.

I'll wait and see how he does on Sunday before I start questioning the coaching staff. They have a lot better of an idea on his progression than we do.

Posting here too in case you missed it...

Skeebers, can you supply the quote or link to that info?

I don't recall what you are saying, ever being said by Raye.

Singletary did quote that Hill BEAT Smith as mentioned above. Matt was just reporting what Singletary said.

What I saw that yes, as Matt reported, was"TEAM SOURCES SAID"

"But Hill took began to take a sizable lead in the competition with his play Tuesday and Wednesday against the Raiders during the four joint practices, team sources said. "

I am sure Matt is not in the habit of reporting only the things he thinks and not having sources.

My point however is this, are we really calling for a QB change to a guy who couldn't perform the knock out punch as you mention to push himself over Hill in the competition?

If he couldn't perform that knockout punch in his start against the raiders in preseason then what can we expect him to do against the good teams in the NFL.

The team gave him a free pass, a cake walk of a game in the raiders for him to take command and he failed miserably.

So you would have him not but the better player on the field in order not to stunt Morgan's growth? ALWAY go with the better player, even if he does not what he's doing. Example Derek Smith was a better MLB than P. Willis when he got his spot took, but not a better football player. The 10 overall pick better be a better football player than a 7th round guy. You really need counseling about this Shaun Hill thing.

Preseason means jack. We were the #1 rushing team during the preseason, where are we now?

I'm not saying Smith should unseat Hill, but like Rod Woodson says all the time, QBs shouldn't be immune from getting benched if they play like crap.

I wonder if this was part of Crabs demands at contract time. "Start me right away even if I only get in on 10 plays, I want to be the starter immediately."

HA! Love it "assistant to the..." - title change only and you can't tell anyone for ..... six months
This move is kooky and says a lot:
A. Raye's playbook ain't that complex
B. Morgan hasn't been the guy we all thought he was gonna be
C. It's ironic that he complained that he couldn't catch Hill's pass cause it came down like a punt and now he'll be fielding punts LOL

With all the leverage he had? That and Hammer perform the National Anthem.

Maybe IF Bruce is really running out of gas as badly as it looked last week,Morgan will start across from crabs sooner than next season ??? Hopefully that off week has recharged Bruce's batteries !

..i thought the better idea was to start him in the slot and let him grow in the offense...

ALL of you know Nobody comes into the NFL as a skill player and dominates 100%....you have to allow this skill players to grow in your system..i.e percy harvin, Fitz was allowed to grow because A.Boldin was number 1...

WHY RUSH IT - WE STILL HAVE Brandon Jones on the bench - HE WAS THE BEST RECEIVER IN CAMP AND HE HAS BETTER SPEED

its just too risky.....AND LETS GET THIS STRAIGHT...

HE HIS TAKING AWAY S.HILL ONLY OPTION WHEN IT COMES TO THE DEEP BALL..

..its been 5 games how many receivers has S.Hill thrown the ball deep too.....?

"C. It's ironic that he complained that he couldn't catch Hill's pass cause it came down like a punt and now he'll be fielding punts LOL"

...that is funnny....

First, I want to say that I am a life long die hard 9er fan. Born in SF, raised in the Bay Area. 2nd, I worked with this organization when I was younger, even spent our last Super Bowl on the side lines with my team (a dream come true).

Now, I have to say that I don't care how good Crabtree (and I do like the kid) looked in Practice. It's PRACTICE. They need to get him into a real game at the split end X, where he's supposed to end up, but to name him the starter is just asking for trouble. It can hurt the morale of the team and make the coach look bad, short of Crabtree having a stellar game.

What should have been done was to leave the Depth Chart the same and rotate Crabtree in here and there just to be sure he acclimates to NFL game speed. Now, if he has trouble adjusting, you look like you made a mistake and may have to demote him.

It just doesn't seem worth the risk.

Also, as a long time reader of this paper, I have to comment that I love the comedy I see from OneNiner. You couldn't POSSIBLY be serious with your assertion of Alex Smith. Alex Smith is not a good QB for the NFL. He's far too cerebral and over-thinks plays. He doesn't play with the instinct that a QB needs to make the fast decisions that need to be made. The circumstances that have led Alex Smith to where he is now may not have been his fault, but it's done and so is his time in San Francisco. He'd be better off going elsewhere and playing out his days as the back up he's proven to be. Give him a decade in the league and maybe things will gel for him. San Francisco doesn't have that much time to wait on him.

What risk? If he stinks put Morgan back in. Rachal stinks slide Snyder over. All I see is upside.

So much for Josh "great WR" Morgan... Exciting isn't the same as "good." Lots of WRs are exciting. Can make exciting plays. Koren Robinson comes to mind...

But exciting isn't "good and dependable." And the skills that make a WR are what seems to be missing from Morgan's game.

Well, that and a QB who is willing to throw the ball more than two yards on most pass plays. Seriously, whatever Morgan's flaws happen to be, with Shaun "Check down, check down, check down" at QB, we only NEED one WR. We should just go two TE, two RB like Atlanta.

Not true Big J. In fact Hill challenged Martz offense schemes for that exact reason. JT didn't and that is a BIG reason for the turnovers. Raye's offense fits Hill's skill level. Whether you see it as limited, not qb friendly so be it. But keep in mind it is a new offense for ALL of them. You can't jump in head first, you open it up as the season goes on, the success, failure, comfortability. All that has to be accounted for with a new offense. So give it time. Judge at he end of the year when we see the FULL product not the first quarter of the season.

Crabtree statring is a head scratcher. But if that means he is ready and will be a spark plug asap, then get that kid on the field! Before I make a judgement on what I think, I will wait till the end of the 4 qtr in houstan when the time reads 0.00. Then will I know if the Crabtree "experiment" was a success or failure.. .

LET'S GO NINERS!!!

So much for Josh "great WR" Morgan... Exciting isn't the same as "good." Lots of WRs are exciting. Can make exciting plays. Koren Robinson comes to mind...

But exciting isn't "good and dependable." And the skills that make a WR are what seems to be missing from Morgan's game.

Well, that and a QB who is willing to throw the ball more than two yards on most pass plays. Seriously, whatever Morgan's flaws happen to be, with Shaun "Check down, check down, check down" at QB, we only NEED one WR. We should just go two TE, two RB like Atlanta.

We often do.

And remember,McGloughan revealed that all the reporters were wrong...Crabs DID have a playbook all the time he was holding out. So it has nothing to do with Raye's playbook being easy,but the fact that Crabs learned well and quickly and still looks like a veteran receiver when running his routes(like dilfer said back during the hold out.).

And Sing would never allow and Scott would never allow any silly clause in the contract that would force Crabs to start before he was ready,period !

And once again,I repeat,Sing clearly said that Hill's performance last week was NOT the QB's fault,but that of the O line for the most part ! Hill has been really good so far this year and don't forget that he still has had less than half as may starts in the NFL than smith has had and he is already a great deal better than smith in every way. He SHOULD improve even more as he gets experience. (as long as he is not dead from getting hit 100 times a game !!!).

oneniner

I know week one was a long time ago, but if u recall from that game against the Cardinals it was Bruce, not Morgan who caught the 50 yard pass from Hill.

And i don't think asking Crabtree to start would be asking for him to dominate...a lot of starters don't dominate (just ask the offensive line)

Alex Smith is not a good QB for the NFL. He's far too cerebral and over-thinks plays. He doesn't play with the instinct that a QB needs to make the fast decisions that need to be made.

1. That can be learned, because,

2. nobody who comes into the NFL can actually do that. Not like a professional. It takes, even really good and talented QBs like Montana, years to get that way. And that is IF they get good coaching.

Remember how shocked everyone was at the beginning of the season when Shawntae Spencer was named starting CB over Bly? Where are all the naysayers now? Singletary is a straight shooter and recognizes talent when he sees it.

Thus, I'm enthralled to hear Crabtree has shown enough in 2 weeks of practice to unseat Morgan as the starter. Let's see if he can prove deserving of the starting spot this weekend before we rush to judgment. I personally think Crabtree is going to have a big time debut in his hometown of Houston. Go 49ers!

Remember how shocked everyone was at the beginning of the season when Shawntae Spencer was named starting CB over Bly? Where are all the naysayers now? Singletary is a straight shooter and recognizes talent when he sees it.

Thus, I'm enthralled to hear Crabtree has shown enough in 2 weeks of practice to unseat Morgan as the starter. Let's see if he can prove deserving of the starting spot this weekend before we rush to judgment. I personally think Crabtree is going to have a big time debut in his hometown of Houston. Go 49ers!

Kinda amusing that the guy who dropped the TD pass because it came down like a punt is now being considered as a punt returner.

Anyhow, my hunch is that next year our top 3 wides will be Crabtree, Morgan & Hill (I don't rate Battle or Jacobs based on history). Given that, I'd like to see that trio take as many snaps this year as game situation allows.

Not much chance of that with JR in charge tho.

You're right. He had no leverage as evidenced by his contract. I posted that with a bit of tongue in cheek.

We may not all agree on some issues, but we're all fans of the San Francisco 49ers.

EVERYONE PUT A HAND IN FOR OUR TEAM..

GO 9ERS!!!

We may not all agree on some issues, but we're all fans of the San Francisco 49ers.

EVERYONE PUT A HAND IN FOR OUR TEAM..

GO 9ERS!!!

We may not all agree on some issues, but we're all fans of the San Francisco 49ers.

EVERYONE PUT A HAND IN FOR OUR TEAM..

GO 9ERS!!!

Jacobs ???

The revisionist forget that even in the glory days while the west coast o was on the cutting edge all around us Washington, NYG, Chicago and Dallas all ran by comparison primitive offenses. Key is to have supreme believe in what you run and to execute it flawlessly. I personally choose blunt force football over trick em every time. I'm a GB Sweep and Counter Trey kinda guy, everybody in the stadium knows what is coming and they are powerless to stop it. If it means living with the occasional ugly series or game even , so be it. I think that's what Coach Sing is trying to build and I'm all the way on board.

Morgan has no one to blame but himself. He has all but disappeared in our first 5 games. When he has gotten open the guy has dropped some key passes. He is a solid number 3 that might and I stress the word "might", be albe to be our number 2.

IMO, Bruce is the guy that needs to sit down. If it wasn't for his veteran status and the respect he gets from the coaches he would of been benched a long time ago. I hate to see a guy who has been our nemisis for years play out the twilight of his career and ruin our team....:-(

Time to go to work! S.Hill gets a weapon back in F.Gore, and a new one in Crabs. Time for the offense to powder keg baby! GO NINERS!

Mine was too(smile).

IMO, Bruce is the guy that needs to sit down.

I have wondered if this would be a good move too. Sing says that you get on the playing field by excelling on the practice field. I just hope that it works both ways. I mean, if someone beats everyone else out on the practice field, but does not deliver on Sunday, then you have to go to player B.

Maybe this is the situation with Bruce and Jason Hill.

Putting a in a rookie, who has missed the first 4 months of the season, and putting him in as the starting wideout after only being on the team 2 weeks. is thowing away the season. How does this look to the rest of the team. How does putting in a rookie who pouted for 4 months because he people didnt think he was as good as he thought he was, coinside with Singelary Montra of "work hard, do what your supposed to do and you'll have a chance with team"?

Pierre: Please settle down and get real and think about what you say . First of all the season is not 4 "MONTHS" old,you do know that don't you ???
Secondly,Sing would not even put Crabs on the field, let alone START him,unless Sing thought it would help the team.
It is just plain silly of you to say anything like they are "throwing away the season". It is laughable .
What is your point anyway ?

Our Top 3 recivers Next year will be Crabtree, Morgan, and a rookie from rounds 2-3, maybe Eric Decker from Minnisota, The rest of the niners recivers (except Bruce) our all practice squad materal.

It never fails to amaze me that so many people who know so little are always determined to prove it so often on Matt's site.

BREAKING NEWS: A highly-sought after graduate from Stanford just joined the Press-Democrat Sports Department... Maiocco is out as the 49ers beat writer. We don't really know if this kid can cut it outside the college newspaper ranks, but he sure looked good in his coverage of Stanford water polo. And he doesn't really know the 49er players at all, but the publisher and managing editor thinks he'll jump right in this weekend and do a spectacular job covering the team and the game in Houston. When asked about this, Maiocco simply said, "I'm training the kid to do my job -- but hey, if that's what makes the coverage better, I'm all for it. I'm looking forward to covering San Jose State football games on Saturdays."

No, sir. It's just not right.

Getting the starting nod with one week of practice from Coach means one thing, he earned it.

He will make mistakes, drop some passes, but this kid has talent. I always agreed with Kiper that he was the best football player in the draft. Now all our words are meaningless. He has to prove it.

If you trust Matt's boss as much as we and the Niner's players trust Sing,then it would be the right move !

finally someone in this offense who is a game-changer. I am sorry if Battle, Hill, Spurlock, or Morgan's feelings is hurt.... grow up, take it like a man.

Matt: don't you think this offense is bordering on Jim Hostler's offense. 3 and outs... is there a song for this?

1st and 10,.lalala....2nd and 8, fala la.... 3 and out, woww wowww wahh........ouch!!

That's lame!

Niners need an offensive spark on the outside if Gore is going to have anywhere to run. Do you have any other suggestions? The sooner he plays, the better.. If he is totally lost out there, I'm sure it won't last long.

I know how long the season is from Aug - Jan, plus OTA,s. I think crabtree will EVENTUALLY be one of the best in the game, but no way he's coming into the league as a 22 year old kid from a spread offence, to the middle of a hotly contested battle for the division title, with two weeks of practice, and make an make a positive impact. The kids only going to have a week working with the first team. He's going to be a huge liability on offence if he starts. Maybe get him in 8-10 snaps to work him in, and let him get a feel for the game, but start him. Absolutly INSANE.

AMEN BROTHER!

So,you are saying that Sing is stupid and you know more than the Niners coaching staff.
But you didn't even know that the season was NOT 4 months old ?
OK,now I understand !

Well let's see...

He is a Top 10 pick, and signed for a bonus of 17-18 millions. Its not like Morgan is not going to play in the game people. I am a Morgan fan, but I also know that he stills has to learn the WR postion. Crabtree catches balls and make plays. Every play has a reason, he could be a decoy for a double team or a run play. Let's give this a chance. We are a TOUGH road schedule coming up and we need to make changes so we have the best chance of winning. Let's not fear change, but embrace it.

Get the Division!
Go Niners

Morgan is probably gonna start in Bruce's spot next year anyway, I don't think we need to shed a tear for Josh Morgan.

He's missed 4 months of the season to this point. IDIOT.

LOL!!

I don't see how it hurts us.. How many differnt receivers have caught a pass this year? Vernon darting down the middle won't be a suprise to anybody anymore. Not to mention 8-9 guys stacked in the box to stuff Gore. Shaun Hill can't overcome that, sorry guys!

Everyone quit BIT----G!! Jesus Christmas

GO NINERS!! the TEAM

Good stuff.

Actual Maiocco quote to Josh Morgan: "You're one hell of a guy. I'm not sure I could do what you did."

--Matt M.

NO,he did not miss 4 months of the season.He was with the team all through the OTA's and the mini camps etc. WAKE UP buddy !!!
He missed all of Aug and Sept. Thats all !!!
Obviously you are wrong about that,and hopefully you are wrong about how "insane" Sing is for getting Crabs in the starting lineup.
But you do have one option,you can send your resume to Jed York in Santa Clara,maybe he will fire sing and Scott and hire you,lol.

How Many Reps did he ge(miss) before Oct 7th? IDIOT!!

Why was that post addressed to me alex ? I have not been bitc**ng ,but I have been supporting the team and defending the team from the bitc*ers .

No, I was laughing at your reply to PIERRE the REAL IDIOT!!

just adding my two cents on top of that..

If preseason means Jack, then why is it useful as a tool to gauge who should be our starting QB? Why is it used to see who we were going to cut and keep, start and sit?

The statement that preseason doesn't mean jack is an ignorant one.

Preseason is a valuable tool to use to gauge players abilities and limits. Especially when it comes to our first stringers play. As it gets later in those games, I will agree, preseason's value diminishes a bit.

There are also many practices and a couple scrimmages where A. Smith was also inept in separating himself from Hill. It wasn't just the preseason games.

Thier not paying Singletary do be better than me, an average guy from Sacramento, thier paying him to be better than Belichick, Coughlin, Whisenhunt and the rest of the Elite NFL coaches, Non of whom would of made a bonehead deciision like this. IDIOT!!!

Thier not paying Singletary do be better than me, an average guy from Sacramento, thier paying him to be better than Belichick, Coughlin, Whisenhunt and the rest of the Elite NFL coaches, Non of whom would of made a bonehead deciision like this. IDIOT!!

Pierre: I call you buddy and you call me idiot. Why must you act like a child,when all I did was point out that you were wrong about the season being 4 months old. ?

Crabs was in all the OTA's and Mini-camps and had a playbook and learned the playbook during that time. He sat in on all the team meetings and classroom teaching etc etc. Then he took his playbook with him and studied it for the just over 2 months he was away. He also worked out like a demon and kept ready to perform . So what is your gripe,that Sing is an idiot too ,for getting him on the field ? (like you childishly called me "idiot").
Maybe you are right and Crabs will not be fully ready to play,I have said as much myself,so what is your problem with me ? Is it only that I pointed out your obvious mistake in not knowing that the season is only 6 weeks old and not 4 months old,as you eroniously stated ?
Put in your resume,or write Sing a letter ,to tell him he is an idiot. Maybe that will calm you down ? , (or go to a game and tell him to his face that he is an idiot,lol ).

Thier not paying Singletary do be better than me, an average guy from Sacramento, thier paying him to be better than Belichick, Coughlin, Whisenhunt and the rest of the Elite NFL coaches, Non of whom would of made a bonehead deciision like this. IDIOT!!!

Thier not paying Singletary do be better than me, an average guy from Sacramento, thier paying him to be better than Belichick, Coughlin, Whisenhunt and the rest of the Elite NFL coaches, Non of whom would of made a bonehead deciision like this. IDIOT!!!

Why are you so angry, Pierre? Issac Bruce is old, and Josh Morgan needs to pull his head out.. Maybe this will help him do that!!!

this offense is going nowhere fast and Crabtree can only help.. Even if he is a decoy!

Just because he is starting, doesn't mean he will be in there for 40+ plays.. The faster he plays, the faster he develops and the coaching staff knows exactly what they have in Crabs going in to next year.

This current Offense won't even sniff the Super Bowl!! If we manage to get in to the playoffs then playing time for Crabtree will have been very beneficial. Do we want him to learn now, or to still be learning come playoff time? wake up, IDIOT!!!!!

Thier not paying Singletary do be better than me, an average guy from Sacramento, thier paying him to be better than Belichick, Coughlin, Whisenhunt and the rest of the Elite NFL coaches, Non of whom would of made a bonehead deciision like this. IDIOT!!!

Thier not paying Singletary do be better than me, an average guy from Sacramento, thier paying him to be better than Belichick, Coughlin, Whisenhunt and the rest of the Elite NFL coaches, Non of whom would of made a bonehead deciision like this. IDIOT!!!

I highly doubt that sing and the coachin staff would start crabtree if he didnt deserve it. They wouldnt pay him the money he wanted because it would make them look soft. so why would they give him a starting role if he didnt deserve it?

if the kid really did bust his ass this past week learning the offense and knows it well enough to start then so be it. im not worried about hurt feelings. Morgan aint goin anywhere except in Bruces spot after this season is over. Morgan knows that the coaches know that.

Throw crabtree the rock and lets see with this kid can do!!

Everyone needs to calm down... Does anyone know how many snaps Crabtree / Morgan will get this week against HOU??

NO.

Wait and see before you complain about something that hasn't happened...

I dont know why it posted that many of my one Submission. I wanna go home!!!

I don't like the move, but I am not the coach and I have not seen him practice. I would have felt better about seeing crabs and morgan as starters. Bruce is just about done and is starting to drop balls, when he is able to get open. I think this will send a bad message to the team about earning your job and sing is walking a thin line on this.

I would say this, crabs must have shown that he is FAR BETTER than morgan in order for sing to make this switch.

doesnt matter since we have no qb and a horrible OL. our qb is pathetic and without at least an average qb our WR are going to look bad. too bad nate cant get in. Hill is garbage and everybody knows it now.

WOW Pierre,you must be really emotionally unbalanced and overly angry about something in your life,to post your silly message 4 times,lol

And my name is TOP_CAT,not Idiot. But then you knew that already,right,like you think you know everything else on earth,regular guy ,lol.
How old are you ? 8?
I look forward to your next post to see what other childish names you can call me.
Or you could grow up and have an adult conversation ?

Yes, Shaun Hill is garbage!!!!

this is factually correct!

Nope no other names, IDIOT works perfect. IDIOT

doesnt matter since we have no qb and a horrible OL. our qb is pathetic and without at least an average qb our WR are going to look bad. too bad nate cant get in. Hill is garbage and everybody knows it now.

GLTzero: Everyone know it now ??? LOL

Speak for yourself and stop the way out exageration.
Hill has been great this year. He had one poor game,that was the fault of the O line (according to my eyes and according to sing) and you want to quit? Stop being fortyWhiners people !!!
Hang in there with your team or hit the road,you won't be missed !

I love you too ! lol

Is that your mommy calling you for dinner ? I you do't get in trouble for playing with daddy's computer.

What do you call a fish with no eye?
fsh

hill has had a great year? wtf are you talking about?? your an idiot. he holds are team back and our line is horrible. as far as being a fan im entitled to like or dislike a player or players. if you dont like my comments dont read them! but hill sucks!!! and wont help us at all this year.

Hill has been Great?

he has been serviceable - I think "GREAT" is a reach.

My 10 year old son can throw a better ball than Shaun Hill.

That was actually funny,in an adolesent sort of way .It looks like you have as little keyboard skills as me. Maybe it's just that my fingers are sooo big and I can't hit these little keys properly ?
At least you actually posted something that didn't call any of the adults names or that didn't end up with you throwing a tantrum !!! Good boy !

Crabtree: Finally a true WR, instead of converted from QB, DB, TE, PH, TX, LP, RT...
Instead of jack of all trades, be the best you can in the position that you played in college. NOT converted, so that you can make the roster(Battle, Robinson comes to mind...)

What did the Top_Cat say when he opened up a box of Cherios?
Oh look, little donut seeds.

IDIOT!!!

He HAS been great (for a QB of limited skills). He has played great most of this season and even has the statistics to back that up . He had one horrible game but he has been THE man for most of the other games and has led thew offense to long game winning drives in every game except the one Gore scored those two long TD's. (and he also led the offense to the game winning 4th qtr drive in the Vikes game,but the defense couldn't hold it with 2 seconds to go.
How soon we forget all the good -great things he has done this year and last,just because he looked so bad in one game (when he wasn't given 2 seconds to pass).

Shaun Hill is a STUD! It's the offensive lines fault he can't het anything beyond 20 yards.. PSSSHHHH!!

It wasn't the O-lines fault though when Alex Smith was running for HIS life.. ya, whatever! I don't understand some of you people's thought process.

If you guys want a game manager, then Shaun Hill is are guy! However, the rest of the teams holes do not allow for that type of player. Defense is good, but not great.. Offensive line is putrid right now!

Have you ever seen so many little girl type crybabies whine like this over a first place team ? Imagine if we lose three in a row ,will they all line up to jump off the GG Bridge ? Grow a set guys,hang in there !

Why should Top_Cat not be given coffee breaks?
It takes too long to retrain him.

Matt, I am wondering about your thoughts on a partiucular topic. It would appear that singletary has been straightforward and blunt about things in the past, but now we have some odd decisions/ comments by him. 1. this crabtree thing where he is getting the start and not just playing time... which could be seen as rewarding bad behavior... and demoting morgan who has worked hard for us this year.
2. His comments that pashos has won the RT starting spot... when weeks ago it was we are going to see less of pashos..... these seem particularly uncharecteristic of coahc sing.. he doesn't usually seem to contradict himself, and is usually blunt.

A more reasonable explination for 2, is that he feels the difference isn't as significant between snyder and pashos as it is between snyder and chilo and so thinks the overall quality of the line would be improved by such a move... but why wouldn't he just say that?

Now for my real question. Is this oddity / inconsistentcy one of the less favorable traits that perhaps singletary picked up from his previous boss Mike Nolan? And if he keeps it up, does that mean he is likely going to lose his players confidence in the same way?

Matt, I am wondering about your thoughts on a partiucular topic. It would appear that singletary has been straightforward and blunt about things in the past, but now we have some odd decisions/ comments by him.
1. this crabtree thing where he is getting the start and not just playing time... which could be seen as rewarding bad behavior... and demoting morgan who has worked hard for us this year.
2. His comments that pashos has won the RT starting spot... when weeks ago it was we are going to see less of pashos..... these seem particularly uncharecteristic of coahc sing.. he doesn't usually seem to contradict himself, and is usually blunt.

A more reasonable explination for 2, is that he feels the difference isn't as significant between snyder and pashos as it is between snyder and chilo and so thinks the overall quality of the line would be improved by such a move... but why wouldn't he just say that?

Now for my real question. Is this oddity / inconsistentcy one of the less favorable traits that perhaps singletary picked up from his previous boss Mike Nolan? And if he keeps it up, does that mean he is likely going to lose his players confidence in the same way?

Lets see now,S. Hill has a QB rating of about 94 before last weeks game,one of the best in the League !
He has one bad game,because the O line let him down,and so...
Some pathetic fans want to lynch him ?
Pathetic was not a strong enough word.
Grow a pair and hang tough with your team and HC etc.
Or there are 31 other teams out there for you to choose from.Or,for those few little girly whiners that keep crying on this site,you could get another hobby,like knitting,lol.

Hi Matt. The comments and logic coming out of Santa Clara sound more and more like another bay area football franchise. These teams are NFL retarded. I mean that literally, not derogatory. Maybe they do belong together sharing a stadium.

What does Top_Cat say when you blow in his ear?
Thanks for the refill!"

you're a fool!

Nobody is whining, dude!! Well, except for Pierre!

As fellow FORTY-NINER fans, not WHINER fans (are you a Raider fan?) We are entilted to our opinions just like you, sir Top_Cat!! You do an awful lot of posting, I guess that makes you a WHINER too!

Alex: what you forget is that Hill played much better than Smith behind the same O lines. Smith was horrible ,and Hill ,with his much faster release has a better chance behind a bad line.
Not to mention that even in practice this year in TC,Sing had to yell at alex about NOT being able to get rid of the ball within 3 seconds. So,Hill is a much better option right now. Until Davis is fully ready .

And Pierre: Did your mommy buy you that little joke book or do you make those gems up all by yourself? What a bright little child you are !

Goodness another oneniner. But his name is pierre. I thought we had turned a corner since most of oneniners comments were starting to be well thought out. Now we get a new this guy.

Goodness another oneniner. But his name is pierre. I thought we had turned a corner since most of oneniners comments were starting to be well thought out. Now we get a new this guy.

And 49ertime: What bad behavior by Crabtree are you referring to? His holdout was just business and during that holdout he probably worked as hard as if he were in camp singletary,maybe harder than some guys in camp ? He studied his plybook and got himself ready to play in record time.
What bad behavior,seems like a model team mate to me !

Then, presumably, your 10 year old son can throw better than you? Well, what does that say about you Mr. #1 Overall?

And if you're son can throw better than S.Hill while getting sacked/hurried/hit 20 times a game, better not let the whipper snapper waste time in HS and college; petition to have him be eligible for the 2010 draft.

Stampede: The voice of reason !

I'm Out!!!

Alex: I was not specifically referring to you as a Whiner,just the few who want to give up on the starting QB and the season,while we are still in first place.

Anything to get some glory back here in SF!

Yep Brekkon,
Pierre ,that sounds more like a Hockey fan than a football fan.No wonder he knows so little about the Niners.

Top Hat is really sharp most of the time. But as a female Niner fan I have to say that Hill is not a good QB. We all want Nate the Great. Defenses know Hill cannot throw deep or even short very well. Hill is a back-up QB and nothing more. Sing. is making a mistake staying with him. Nate is ready. Crabs wants to play with Nate. We all do.

Hurray for Morgan. He is too slow to be a great WR and his hands are average. But he has a big heart to help out Crabs. Bruce needs to retire by the way. he looks done.

Top Hat is really sharp most of the time. But as a female Niner fan I have to say that Hill is not a good QB. We all want Nate the Great. Defenses know Hill cannot throw deep or even short very well. Hill is a back-up QB and nothing more. Sing. is making a mistake staying with him. Nate is ready. Crabs wants to play with Nate. We all do.

Hurray for Morgan. He is too slow to be a great WR and his hands are average. But he has a big heart to help out Crabs. Bruce needs to retire by the way. he looks done.

Man... just watched the big play from Jamarcus to the TE for that long TD. Their receiver Murphy made 3 critical blocks that were amazing... plays like that can turn a season around.

I hope Crab's watches that play over and over and over. I would be more excited to have Crab's make a play like that rather then making some crazy catch. WOW

Man... just watched the big play from Jamarcus to the TE for that long TD. Their receiver Murphy made 3 critical blocks that were amazing... plays like that can turn a season around.

I hope Crab's watches that play over and over and over. I would be more excited to have Crab's make a play like that rather then making some crazy catch. WOW

Man... just watched the big play from Jamarcus to the TE for that long TD. Their receiver Murphy made 3 critical blocks that were amazing... plays like that can turn a season around.

I hope Crab's watches that play over and over and over. I would be more excited to have Crab's make a play like that rather then making some crazy catch. WOW

Goodness another oneniner. But his name is pierre. I thought we had turned a corner since most of oneniners comments were starting to be well thought out. Now we get a new this guy, pierre.

Allie:Hill is a very accurate thrower and actually throws deep fairly well most of the time.They are often wobbly ducks,but they get there and usually on time (probably because he has a quick release and makes decisions quickly,so he gets rid of the ball faster ,so since it travels slower ,it gets there about the same time as a strong armed QB).
The only rreal problem is that te o line is not getting Hill enough time and Hill seems to have started to get a little shell shocked.That makes him unload the ball a heatbeat too fast and thereby makes his throws look off the mark. (only in that one game. Don't forget that in the other games he has been on time and on target most of the time,that vis why his QB rating was sooo high !).
As I have always said,I believe Davis is the future,but we must be realistic,Nate is not ready. Hill IS a good QB and is a great leader and most of the time makes things happen when the called play breaks down,unlike Alex.
Give the new offense some time and hopefully we will see a better called game and a more comfortable Hill,behind an adequate line. If so,we win the division. And next year and in years to come the sky is the limit.

uggg i hate when the submission errors happen

HAAHAHAHAHAHA only on the Matt Maiocco blog may you find Cheerios and "OZ" metaphors concerning San Francisco 49ers news!

I LOVE THIS BLOG!!! *raises arms and Ghostbusters theme plays*

Man, this bye-week thing is not good for some of you guys. That and a little rain and you guys go stir crazy. Like too many rats in a very small cage.

Let the games begin......

I would typically be a bit annoyed that this news got out ruining the element of surprise for the Texans defense...I mean, would the Patriots ever let this information be known...but then I remembered our WRs have like 20 catches in 5 games, so I doubt they are spending a lot of time looking at our passing game (no offense VD). ughh. At least this season we will be playing meaningful games in December.

And Matt, with all this love for Nate Davis, how is he looking in practice? I assume he didn't stick around during the bye week?

I would typically be a bit annoyed that this news got out ruining the element of surprise for the Texans defense...I mean, would the Patriots ever let this information be known...but then I remembered our WRs have like 20 catches in 5 games, so I doubt they are spending a lot of time looking at our passing game (no offense VD). ughh. At least this season we will be playing meaningful games in December.

And Matt, with all this love for Nate Davis, how is he looking in practice? I assume he didn't stick around during the bye week?

Are we all really talking about how we have ANYTHING to lose by adding one of the most explosive WR to EVER come out of college...... Come on people lets all let go of the bitterness/ Anger for the hold out and all embrace the fact that theres a possiblity that we FINALLY have a big play WR

I agree with you that say put him in and let him show us all why he should of been paid that extra money,,,,

He has alot to prove, i say let him prove it.

PS... Morgan you are a True Team player and more of a man than most of us, hopefully your unselfishness will pay off when you finally do become the WR that you have the potentiel to be, because with a attitude like that, good things allways happen

Are we all really talking about how we have ANYTHING to lose by adding one of the most explosive WR to EVER come out of college...... Come on people lets all let go of the bitterness/ Anger for the hold out and all embrace the fact that theres a possiblity that we FINALLY have a big play WR

I agree with you that say put him in and let him show us all why he should of been paid that extra money,,,,

He has alot to prove, i say let him prove it.

PS... Morgan you are a True Team player and more of a man than most of us, hopefully your unselfishness will pay off when you finally do become the WR that you have the potentiel to be, because with a attitude like that, good things allways happen

Digest the playbook?

I have only seen six pass plays from the Raye playbook so far. That shouldn't take too long to digest.

The other 5 plays are run up the middle.

Nate the Great? Nate is ready? You are wayyyyyy off the mark. Wow.

Time to digest the playbook?

I think Jimmy Raye playbook only has four pass plays. At least that's all I've seen.

The other six are run up the middle.

Hi Matt,

Is it possible to add a statement next to the submit button on this page reminding posters to HIT THE SUBMIT BUTTON ONLY ONCE. Even if you think the site has hung up don't be impatient and hit the submit button again. It is very irritating to see two or sometimes three copies of the same message in a row.

It seems to me only the newer posters make this error. Maybe they just need a simple reminder.

Hi Matt,

Is it possible to add a statement next to the submit button on this page reminding posters to HIT THE SUBMIT BUTTON ONLY ONCE. Even if you think the site has hung up don't be impatient and hit the submit button again. It is very irritating to see two or sometimes three copies of the same message in a row.

It seems to me only the newer posters make this error. Maybe they just need a simple reminder.

This 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.

This 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.

Matt, these submission errors suck.

maybe crabtree is ready to go. coaching staff seems to believe so. Sullivan spent the weekend with as well. let's get him in there. we all know morgan will be the #2 soon enough. he'll make contributions from the 3 spot this year.
regarding s.hill. i like him, but we will need a better qb to carry this team further down the road. maybe that'll be n.davis, maybe someone else. it will need to happen in the next year or so.
and if the playbook is as vanilla as everyone jokes about, maybe natee will get a real shot next year to prove himself. he's got a rocket launcher and seems to be fairly accurate.
i see a lot of positives with our niners team.

Hahahha... nice job Rick!!! Looks like you're the rookie here

lets see crabtree out there. morgan will still get his shots to. we all know he'll be our #2 when bruce decides to pack it in. the future looks bright. especially with a future qb starter on the bench in nate. i can't wait to see hoim launching the all all over the place.

error, error, error....

Great team spirit Morgan is displaying. But what the heck it doesn't matter who plays WR we never throw the ball to them anyway

eh. even though crabtree is taking morgan's current receiver slot, I think morgan is looking down the road, as in bruce's contract expires this year.

Great team spirit displayed by Morgan. But what the heck it doesn't matter who plays WR, we never throw to them anyway

after watching tonight game between the bolts and the broncos I think we should seriously look at Mike Nolan as our next head coach....

.. can't argue with 6-0. At least not when we're 3-2.

Good thing Martz isn't burning it up someplace. I still don't understand him being fired after he & Sing had those run of victories last year. Maybe his smarts scared Sing.

Going from a player in a situational 3rd down package to starting opposite Bruce over Morgan is a huge leap. I know that Sing would not give a starting spot lightly so Crabtree must be making incredible progress. Awesome! What's even more awesome is Morgan's showing he has real class. Dont give me wrong, he's prob a bit frustrated and I hope he would be. But he knew he was going to take Bruce's spot and Crabtree was going to take his spot so this is just according to plan. I hope we start w/ 3 wide sets and open it up for a while and then give em the Gore!!

Let's just hope Crabtree tears it up like Boldin did with his Rookie Debut.

As goes anything in the NFL, surprise elements in any Offense help to confuse and slow the opposing Defense.

ATL following their BYE anyone?

GOOD. He will do just fine starting. It isn't like he is playing QB and has to know a MASSIVE amount. They didn't sign him to wear a ball cap backwards and look good.. As I have stated eles where he will catch 3-5 balls 13-15 yards per catch.. maybe his first TD on a Hill to Crabtree fade???
Good Luck CrabMan..

It shouldn't take Crabtree very long to digest Rayes playbook. There are only six passing plays in it.

The remaining eight pages contain 15 running plays, of which 14 are up the middle. The last one is a punt.

VOICE that was hilarious.. I suspect Texas Tech's passing game is more complex than Rayes......

I could not agree more... I hate the fact that we fired Martz... the bottom line was our offense improved greatly. You cannot question Martz experience and talent as an offensive mind. Yes he throws way too much, but you figure that Singletary being the great leader he is would be able to work with Martz and get him to try to revise his offense to tailor the talent they had. I think firing Martz was premature....

It got your attention did'nt it.

To those who complain about the quickness of this move: remember how long it took Willis to be the starter in his first camp? I believe he surpassed Derek Smith within days.
These guys simply have more talent. the way Morgan got chased down against Atlanta didn´t really help his cause.

If Crabtree is the better, quicker, stronger man, then he deserves to start despite his holdout. TRhe holdout is over. This kid is now a memebr of the team and looking behind won´t help. I wish him the best as a 49er!

This is unfortunate news for Morgan. I am really rooting for that guy. Pretty amazing he would stay over the bye week and teach Crabtree his position. I hope this allows him to move into Bruce's spot. Morgan can play every position. Although he lacks some speed after the catch he sure has a way of coming down with the ball in traffic. I think when all is said and done, Bruce will be in the hall of fame, but the niners need to develop this talented wide reciever core they have. Also, where is Brandon Jones? He should of stayed during the bye week.

Hopefully Crabtree is really that good and can make a difference right away. I am guessing he had the playbook with him his entire 71 day holdout.

nice point brucker... that says it all, and like ive been saying this whole time, anyone who is doubting crabtree,,, have you seen his highlights??? if he is half as good as he was at tech, hes still our best WR

I think this is a big mistake, but I hope I'm proven wrong on Sunday. Bruce and Michael are the weakest WR's in my opinion--unless the Atlanta game was just a fluke for Bruce.

I think Morgan and Hill (or Jones--if he's ready, physically) are our #1, #2 starters among the WR's.

I sure hope that Michael doesn't get killed in his rookie debut, no matter how I feel about his 71-day hold out on his team.

I hope the coaches know what they are doing! My crystal ball is very blurry...

Niner Mom

I think this is a big mistake, but I hope I'm proven wrong on Sunday. Bruce and Michael are the weakest WR's in my opinion--unless the Atlanta game was just a fluke for Bruce.

I think Morgan and Hill (or Jones--if he's ready, physically) are our #1, #2 starters among the WR's.

I sure hope that Michael doesn't get killed in his rookie debut, no matter how I feel about his 71-day hold out on his team.

I hope the coaches know what they are doing! My crystal ball is very blurry...

Niner Mom