Amazing job Matt!!! You're right on top of it as usual ... thank you for the updates and it looks like this whole situation is finally coming to a close.

I'm glad to hear Crabtree is going to be a part of the team ... FINALLY!

It's about time. Sign, get on the field and all will be forgiven.

Matt, why do you think they made the meetings so "top secret?"

ya baby!

Shoulda borrowed Nnamdi Asomugha for the day, told him to chase crabs down and keep him out of the SUV :D

I would think that if a deal was happeneing that Crabs would have smiled and made a few comments.....but I could be wrong.

Hopefully this will end in a Win/Win!!!

It may have been better to throw the leg out to stop him from leaving...thus injuring his foot...just kiddin...I have a Crabtree Jersey in the closet waiting to be worn again...

Sounds like it's a done deal... but I don't think Crabtree will say anything till after he signs. Details will emerge but I imagine he's going to try as hard as possible to let his playing on the field to the talking.

Great job Matt...
If it does get done today. How long before the details of the contract be released?
Thanks!

The niners don't want the media yelling out questions as they walk by. As I said,that has a possibility of ruining the negotiations. This is the same reason that the team will never confirm a free agent has signed etc,until after the deal is actually signed and sent to the League office to be approved. They don't want any second thoughts coming into the mind of the player or the agent,because of something they hear from the gathered media or something they read or see on tv.
Better to keep it private and get the deal done and not take any chances that outside influence will put a fly in the soup.As with everything else they are doling these days,the Niners brass are handling this perfectly !

Benny: The team will probably not confirm or deny until the contract gets ok'd by the League office. Probably won't have any announcement before tomorrow,even if he signs tonight.
But we will hear before the tem confirms. We just won't knoiw the details until after the team releases the info.
I expect a contract with a high number,that Parker and Crabs can crow about . But in reality it will be just about what the Niners have been offering all along.
I hope they make it look big by making it a 6 year deal.And I hope the last year is not voidable by the player,although I know Parker will want to hold out for at least that .Parker is famous for getting his players to free agency faster than most agents.

Crabtree will play for us, but who is to say that he's actually happy with the situation? I still firmly believe that he's all about the money. He realized that he would lose money if he was to sit out the whole year so he decided to sign.

Just wait until he puts up big numbers and demands a new contract. Another holdout will follow.

Well I guess this means that Crabtree may not be getting that 4 year $40 million deal after all. I'd meet him halfway between him and Raji, give him some reachable incentives to keep his agent happy. I've got to have a 6th year, since this one was wasted. After that, tell his agent to get out of town before some of the people on this blog
(Including me) find him, and tell Crabtree to be at practice at 6 a.m. He owes us Niner fans 50 suicides! Nutcracker with Willis at 9 a.m. sharp and if he can still walk, we'll let you practice with the rest of the team!!! Go Niners!!

Great sign hin. He is a very special talent.

Crabtree will not contribute until the end of the year. I hope Top_Cat is in the negotiating room.

Wow - Matt, how on earth did you find out where the mee...

Never mind - I guess you have your professional secrets and methods!! Very impressive, nevertheless.

Well, let's hope something positive comes out of this. I think you outlined exactly how the meeting would have started. There would have been Juke Box #1, "Express Goodwill", followed by Juke Box #2, "Reciprocate Goodwill", followed by ...

After which the royalty (York, McCloughan, Crabtree) would have exited, leaving the emissaries (Paraag Marathe, Parker) to work out the details.

And a great victory would be eventually declared by these two for tact and diplomacy, as both sides emerge beaming to meet with the media.

Yaaawn. Been there, done it, seen it before.

I'd love to be a fly on the wall in the room where Paraag and Parker are hashing it out. I hope the conversation between them went something like this:

Paraag to Parker: "Hi Eugene, before we get to business, I thought you might like to see this glove. Ain't it great? Made of the highest quality velvet, just feel how soft and warm and fuzzy it is. Doesn't it feel good? What was that? Oh, you want to know what's inside the glove? Oh, don't worry your little head any about it. It's just an old iron fist, but we have no intention of serving it to you. Let's just focus on the velvet. Feel it again, see how wonderfully soft and rich it feels? It even has a 49ers logo embroidered onto it..."

Here's why Crabtree sprinting - secret Paraag negotiating move http://media.fukung.net/images/6006/monkey_steals_peach-789200.jpg

Matt,

You two should have chipped in to pay him for an interview.

MM-I echo 49 cents worth....how in blazes did you know where the mtg. was taking place? Great journalism. Woodward and Bernstein could not have done better.

Matt!? Did you ever think about being a policeman or working as a PI!? We need better police in Elk Grove!
Is the food any good at that place? How about the drinks?

I'll be happy IF he puts up big numbers to see the niners pay big money then. Still would like to see him traded to the Rams so our team can hit him twice a year for being insolent. Also nice to see another UCONN fan in the bay area too.

Matt should have run beside him like that sideline reporter chasing Tom Brady (so classy).

Matt,

Any chance there is video of Crabtree's escape? Please tell me that CSN had a video camera there.

Johnster

Matt,

Should we assume that you and Mindi Bach were at a hotel together for professional reasons?

MM, was he crying when he ran past you?

It would have been nice if, while he was running away from Matt, Scott McCloughlan would have blindsided him, laid him out, stood over him and said, "Welcome to NFL negotiations, son."

I was wondering if it was only those two there but I wasn't going to ask?

Sorry Matt, you're doing a great job, no matter what it takes.

Well now we are stuck with him for sure...I really wished he was gonna sit out so we could have traded his rights in the offseason. Slow possession reciever that is not very big or strong. Well I hope I am wrong about this kid being a bust but I do believe his attitude should be fine and he will fall in line for now...don't expect anything from him until next year or maybe even the year after. We will see over the long term whether it is indivdual success or team success that makes him tick...BTW I sure hope he can run block...at least this finally looks like it is coming to an end

Andrew Brandt just created another view of what is going on, it is a good read. Anyone interest go here.

Hope this works this time

If he does sign, let's just hope the holdout was mostly his advisors doing. Also hope he's as good as the so called "draft experts" think he was or is.

Good stuff MM - you are the number 1 as usual......

i say 5yrs -20 mil

Mike Leach, offensive savant, says he is better than Welker coming out. Wes Welker can play on any team I have, football, cribbage...

Where is group of handlers? Where's Prime Time and his cousin ? I guess he ran out of money and had to sign to keep his diva lifestyle going. The idea of watching this fool run from reporters is funny. I headed to youtube to see if I can get time on how fast he ran out.

O.K. let me get this right: The 49ers spend 20 M for a wide receiver that Sing and raye don't want to throw to, except occasionally. They have stated their case and with Raye's comment " passing in the final minutes of the Vikings game is against the way they have chosen to play (RUN). Then why spend that kind of money. Somebody should explain that to Sing: Big Money, Big Receiver, Big Passes unless their secret plan is to use Crabtree as a runner. That must be it?

Maiocco for Hire. Matt you fit right in the Robert B. Parker line up with Spenser, Jesse Stone and Sunny Randall. Great sleuthing, I thinking my wife cheating. What are your rates? Nevermind, I don't you focused anything but stalking 49ers brass and in game blogs.

Did anyone ask him what he thought about Graham Harrell?? I bet you Mike Leach thought Harrell was better than any other QB not picked in the first round. That is what a college coach does...he sticks up for his players. Offensive savant is offensive to me....that fun and gun crap is a gimmick offense that has insanely inflated numbers. When Mike Leach wins a NC with that stupid offense then I might take notice but until then he can stay in Lubbock and keep on fooling all those who don't know any better into thinking he is running a legit program down there. HAWAII 2.0!!!

"Slow possession reciever that is not very big or strong"

Ike: what highlights have you been watching? This kid has hands that are off the charts, he's supposedly tremendously strong, and very elusive... and his football speed looks just fine. Jerry Rice only ran in the 4.5's.. but he ran that fast in pads too. that's why 40 times are overrated a lot of times. and he's 6'1 215, with long arms and big hands. when was that too small?

I think he plays after the bye.

I believe everything happens for a reason. This whole Crabtree saga simply served to introduce is to Andrew Brandt and Robert Borland. These guys are "classic", rack em.

Tell Mindi Bach that next time you do a stakeout one of you has to cover the black SUV out front.

Don't worry either...SMU will soon be putting up Red Raider like numbers as well because offensive savant June Jones is running that show. And don't get me wrong because I think Welker is one hell of a reciever...it is just Crabtree reminds me of a different WR that played with Tom-terrific....Deion Branch. While that might sound good to some because Branch has had a solid but injury-prone career...to me it sounds unworthy of a no. 10 overall selection.

Maiocco, your the man!

forget about the gimmick system he played in. look at his body movement and how he adjusts to balls and then turn upfield. look at the cutting ability for a guy his size...

If his work ethic is as good as everyone says, and he really wants to make an impact at some point this season, then my guess is he will.

remember, this guy's only played receiver for 3 years... he has a preternatural ability to catch balls. all we gotta do is throw them his way.

I think he said Graham Harrell would be the greatest arena league QB ever. If does win a national championship he'll have one more than the "Genius" had in college.So I'm not sure that is only criteria by which a great offensive architect is judged. Nolan is GREAT DC, stunk out loud as a HC. Leach is a very innovative offensive coach, HC? Maybe not. June Jones is good too.

Lott...
I totally agree with you. The way he adjusts to the ball is what separates him from other young receivers. Along with his ability to gain YAC.

Matt...
You are hands down the Patron of Niner news. Again thank you for so much for keeping us informed and almost in real time!!! Amazing job my friend =)

Spurt. If both you and Coach Leach called to recommend a wideout for my team, I probably put a little, just a little more stock in his evalution. Deion Branch, child please! I didn't just type that.

Assuming Crabgreed caves and signs, the first thing Sing should do is have him meet in a closed room with the team leaders (Willis, Hill, Spikes, etc.). Lay down the law and let him know it ain't about him, it's about the team. The last thing we need is T.O. part II.

He better be something special for holding out this long!

I would hope that we are still able to get compensation for the Jet's tampering issue. If so...WIN-WIN situation...

That may be what is making him sign... We took away his other option :-)

And yes, I would think we'll get something since Goodell is supposedly taking this charge very seriously.

Even if they take picks or fine the Jets, it doesn't mean by any stretch that we get them... in fact, I very much doubt it. unless the commish really wants to scare the hell out of league. especially with crabs signing. if he didn't sign, then the league might be more apt to help the 9ers out. I guess it really depends on how blatant and disturbing the tampering was... while the owners have made it clear that they have no sympathy for the 9ers in terms of compensation, the idea of 1 (or 2) teams stepping out and blowing up the system certainly doesn't sit well with them. had crabs gone back into the draft, gotten picked by the jets at say 27th? and they still payed him $40 mill? then you just made the draft obsolete in one fell swoop.

Chico John:
Stop reading some of the commentators nonsense and actually watch the games,and you will see that we are almost exactly 50% pass and 50% run so far this season.

Randy: Crabs has never shown any signs of being a T.O.,never. Not even after Parker was pulling vthe strings has Crabs acted anything like T.O.
T.O. would have been sitting outside his house lifting weights and holding court every day for the media. Crabs has had class and kept quiet as a mouse .
And remember,Crabs was in the mini-camps and OTA's,so he knows the Singletary foundation of team first as well as anyone.And Crabs has always been a great team mate,never a diva.(although he does have mucho confidence ! ).

Matt just tweeted that everybody left the hotel, he had nothing else to say about a deal.

From Matt's blog 1 minute ago

"Final twist: The guy with York and Crabtree, whom I thought looked a lot like M.C. Hammer . . . might actually have been M.C. Hammer."

WTF???

RonnieLott: We have still been hurt MUCH more than the bears were harmed by our so called tampering. They signed Briggs and never lost his services for even a moment. We have already lost Crabs services for at least 5 games and even more,he won't really be 100% ready this season because he missed all of TC and preseason and all those practices. It was even worse to not have Crabs in TC than it would have been for almost all other rookies,because he was never able to practice in the mini-camps or the OTA's at all because of his foot injury . So,if there is no East coast bias and things are done fairly,then if there is evidence of tampering,we should get a draft pick from the Jets and they should also be docked more than one other pick. My guess at what would be fair,if Crabs signs,would be about a 2nd rounder or thereabouts. Although it would be nice if the Commish makes it easy and just tells the Jets to hand over their #1 pick to the Niners.

Then please by all means tell me who Crabtree reminds you of when you see film or highlights of him?? I don't claim to be an expert but I do have a hard time taking talent evaluations from college coaches that do not run a pro-style scheme. He is better than Welker...in what way..football IQ?? athletic ability?? in the red zone?? Bobby Petrino is an offensive savant too...and for that matter Steve Spurrier...these gimmick ass offenses do not work in the pros and it takes special players to come out of these offenses and succed in the NFL...For face value and what I see Crabtree does not seem that special....I am a 9er fan through and through and I do not want this kid to bust but I see no other outcome because of his holdout, pricy contract, and below average speed and vertical. He does seem to have a shiftiness to him but I am not sure he can seperate from NFL corners...We will look back on this draft and forever wish we had gone with Oher!!

All is forgiven, especially after MC makes his first of many TD catches! MC is obviously behind but his special talent will bring him up-to-par in no time.
WELCOME TO THE NINER FAMILY - NOW 'GIT-R-DONE!

This is the worse news I have heard all week. I will hold my judgement until I hear what the 49ers have sold out for, but if they have caved in to this diva's demands, I will lose a whole lot of respect for this organization. It's not all about wins and loses; character should count for something on this team. I predict Craptree will bring nothing but headaches for this organization.

That is funny on so many levels.

Then please by all means tell me who Crabtree reminds you of when you see film or highlights of him?? I don't claim to be an expert but I do have a hard time taking talent evaluations from college coaches that do not run a pro-style scheme. He is better than Welker...in what way..football IQ?? athletic ability?? in the red zone?? Bobby Petrino is an offensive savant too...and for that matter Steve Spurrier...these gimmick ass offenses do not work in the pros and it takes special players to come out of these offenses and succed in the NFL...For face value and what I see Crabtree does not seem that special....I am a 9er fan through and through and I do not want this kid to bust but I see no other outcome because of his holdout, pricy contract, and below average speed and vertical. He does seem to have a shiftiness to him but I am not sure he can seperate from NFL corners...We will look back on this draft and forever wish we had gone with Oher!!

TOP_CAT: even worse than that... I have seen the evidence that the league punished us with, and it was pretty damn iffy...

the reason the league takes this (or appears to take this) so seriously, is that in the Briggs situation, Goddell wanted to make a point. with free agents, that happens nearly every time. This is a draft commodity. a teams future... and really when you think about it, the whole idea of of the draft rides on it. The league has a reputation for looking the other way with the Jets... but with the coverage of this issue, plus the fact that at least 30 owners will not be happy about this, then I can see the league maybe giving us compensation based on how guilty the Jets are, but I am not counting on it. My understanding is that the owners at least, think this is a worse offense than spygate. so we shall see.

Come on Ike,why look silly and make a judgement on Crabtree's NFL future ,before you even see him run one route ?
Anyone CAN bust ,but this guy is the ONLY WR to ever win the Balitnacoff award twice...THE ONLY WR to do that EVER ! So he may just be a product of a gimmick offense(like alex) but more likely the peoiple who vote on that award wouldn't award it two years in a row just on stats .They had to actually watch him play,don't you think?
We will soon see how he looks,but right now you gain nothing by sounding so pessimistic BUT do risk looking rather silly if all the experts are correct and he really is the best WR to come out in years.

Just so you know...until proven to be wrong I will be to Micheal Crabtree what oneniner is to Shaun Hill....difference is that when/if he proves me wrong then I will eat my crow and shut my mouth

Ike: honestly, in terms of body control and strength the receiver he most reminds me of is a much larger, stronger version of Steve Smith (Carolina). I know everyone compares him to Anquan Boldin, but I see much more elusiveness, and body control. however, like Boldin, I think the strategy to get the best out him, like Boldin is the same... get the ball to him on slants and crossing patterns, screens, and let him turn up field and use his gifts running north/south. he's also pretty dominant on jump balls...

"Just so you know...until proven to be wrong I will be to Micheal Crabtree what oneniner is to Shaun Hill"

wow... we have seen how well that's worked out for him.

IMHO Crabtree has great hands. He catches the ball away from his body and moves to it and its highest point. He adjusts to the ball really well.

He has good size, 6'3" 214 pounds and he is fast. How fast we don't know. He quickly separated from college cornerbacks and will most likely need to adjust to pro defenders..

His runs after the catch are excellent as he quickly explodes and accelerates.

He has all the tools to be an All-Pro Play-maker. He also was raised to be football player and is tough.

Will he? Not one cannot predict. If he signs we should all be excited. Coach Singletary will take him to the next level.

RonnieLott: What exactly was the evidence (I heard an e-mail or 2 and some phone records ?). But of course those e-mails and phone calls were to an agent that also represented a couple of niners players whos contracts were coming up for renewal,so big deal if we contacted the agent.It seems to me that the e-mails would need to have Briggs name in it somewhere or it was NO evidence at all.
And how did you get to see it ?

TOP_CAT: it was an in house email (not actually sent out to anyone outside the organization), and 2-3 unanswered phone calls with messages left that were fairly innocuous.

and the thing is, apparently the issue was never actually broached in a live manner. I.E. the 9ers never actually had any discussions with the agent or the player. just a misunderstanding/inquiry

the league decided it had had enough though, and cracked down hard.

"He does seem to have a shiftiness to him but I am not sure he can seperate from NFL corners..."

Funny. That's what scouts said about Jerry Rice during his days at Mississippi Valley. Yet he always seemed to get open in the right spots, and show up in big games. It took an SAC area scout to convince BW to take a chance at #16 overall in 1985.

Now I'm not sayin' he's gonna be Jerry Rice... {insert Jerry Seinfeld voiceover here}.

LOL well I really do hope you are right and I am wrong. I just don't see that kind of player when I look at him. For some reason I don't see the same talent level everyone else sees when looking at him. I feel like the one-eyed king ruling over the land of the blind but I guess I am in the extreme minority on this one...I just hope one day that I don't have to be the one to say I told you so...

He's 6'1", not 6'3"

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/players/9274

Ender: he's technically 6'1 and 3/8ths as measured at the combine. let's stop selling the kid short

RonnieLott: So what you are saying is that the League somehow got a hold of some in house e-mails that were discussing that they MIGHT,maybe ,possibly,sort of,might just,try to talk to Briggs' agent about Briggs,if they happened to be talking to him about one of the Niners players etc ?
Conspiracy to MAYBE commit a NFL crime?

Plenty of teams actually did the crime and we got busted for just thinking about it !!!
Man oh man, sort of like a couple of guys talking about what if we could get all that money that is in that armored car that just went by. Not planning a legit crime,just talking about ...what if.

Michael Irvin.

Ike: I understand... but you have to realize, that from picks 2-9 there were people in the draft room begging to take this kid. a lot of scouts/front office personnel think he is, or will be the best player from this draft.

the reason I'm so sold on him, is the reason everyone hates him. he really does believe he's the best player in this draft. I think he comes in with a chip on his shoulder. not unlike adrian peterson who is still pissed he went 7th, or randy moss, who is still pissed he went 17th, or for that matter, Jerry Rice. I actually am jazzed about the kid. he's by far the most physically gifted receiver in the draft. and he's pissed off to boot. he says he wants to be the Michael Jordan of football. I smell success.

TOP_CAT: my understanding was that a new commissioner wanted to make a statement about something that he felt was being exploited.. we just happened to be the team that came up next on the issue. not saying it's fair. supposedly, the 9ers feel as confident as they do filing the charges, is because they feel like they have at least the same quality of evidence, and the league would look hypocritical if they didn't feel the same way.

Exactly TC! The same year we got busted on briggs Miami signed "someone" 1 - 2 minutes after the start of free agency. That "someone" was from our team. Common sense tells me there is no way the contract could've been configured nor even printed in its entirety or even read before it was submitted without some sort of violation. But miami wasnt busted on anything.

Ronnie, please do not compare yourself with (!!!!), his name is not even worth mentioning! Just like many other niner fans, I have been very disappointed with Mr. Crabtrees whole situation however, he is talented and he will end up contributing to our team. Just keep the positive thoughts and hopefully one day we can celebrate his accomplishments with the niners.

Matt Hmmm........Don't you think it is "Great timing for Crabs" bye week coming up?

Hi Matt, Crabtree has MC Hammer in his entourage? Can Jerry Lee Lewis and Spider Turner be far behind?

He can't be the best WR to come out in years as that title easily belongs to Fitz and/or Calvin Johnson. That is my point though...those guys are beasts while Crabtree is shorter and does not jump nearly as high. He does have supreme body control which is an excellent thing for a slow possession reciever to have. And the past 2 years, NFL DB's have not been pouring out of the Big 12....Sure he won the Biletnikoff award (twice) but I honestly don't even think he is the best WR to come out of this draft. And rulercipherdivine I would give anything for Crabtree to be Micheal Irvin...even with all the baggage...just don't see it.

Jerry Sullivan will take him to the next level, I know more about coaching receivers that Coach Sing. Literally.

Guys

MM is not Jimmy Olson star cub reporter of the Daily Planet. If I were MM I would wait outside 9er HQ and follow Parag and Scott
to the meeting.Simpatico!

...And how did you get to see the evidence RonnieLott ? Did you or do you work for the Niners front office ? Or do you know someone that did or does work there?
Are you the REAL Ronnie Lott,lol ?

So they're done negotiating for today? Hopefully they'll resume tomorrow? We need a nugget here!

Here is a better highlight video of Mr. Crabtree

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

Ike: You should have stopped while you were only a little behind.Now you seem to be going backwards and putting your other foot in your mouth with the first one.
Why rip Crabs,what has he donne to you? You must just be irrationally mad at him because he did what his agent told him was best,it can't really be that you think he is going to be a bust,when he has not even run one route in the NFL yet,to prove you right or wrong.
Man ,get off it,wait a while and then lower the boom on the kid IF he stinks it up when he plays.
Do you always go against the grain?

Again...hope you guys are all right and he proves me to be an idiot for thinking the way that I do...and I have no questions about his hands...I do think he has the best hands in the draft but having good hands doesn't equate into being an elite WR though it can keep you from being one....Braylon Edwards....I am anxious to see him play and I hope he doesn't suffer any setbacks due to injury like Andre Smith...thinking about NFL corners..does anyone remember if Crabtree ever went against Aqib Talib and if so what were the results??

Slow possesion receiver, now he's Tom Waddle. The AP comparsion is apt, this kid is a star. HOF? You can't predict that before he even participates in his first practice. I believe he'll be closer to Cris Carter or Michael Irvin that Drew Bennett or Brian Finnerian. Hines Wards is another apt comparsion. He'll be one of the best players out of this draft. The best receiver easy, way more complete than say Harvin or Maclin. I've made more blocks in the NFL than Percy Harvin(smile).

I am not really trying to rip him but just stating what I see when I saw him play in college and from some of the highlights. The catch he made against Texas is one of the all-time clutch plays I have seen in college football. I just don't think his skills translate well to the league and if he does turn out to be a productive player...I think it could only be after a couple of years of growing pains...kinda like Vernon Davis

Ike keep the faith and lets give him a chance like we did with Vernon Davis, Manny Lawson, Haralson and even Alex Smith! None of the draft picks are guranateed to pan out! He might not contribute this year but he could have a bright future and help us win a few championships!!!

TOP _CAT: I am not the real Ronnie Lott (god bless him). I went to college with someone who currently works for the 9ers.organization. Now.. before you get all excited, I have to say that, as far as rumors go, the person in question has about a 75% accuracy rate. I do not know whether said person disseminates bad info to me on purpose, or if they are given bad info, and I have not asked. It's entirely possible that the person in question is fed bad or questionable info. It's also entirely possible that said person uses me to get out info that the team wants to spread. This person is what I would call a "mid-level" front office executive...

as for the evidence in the briggs tampering case, nothing I said hasn't been reported already in some form or another. but yes, I did in fact see documents from the league regarding the matter... like I said, the 9ers felt that they didn't do anything wrong according to the letter of the law.

Wowa, he's not a bust or HOL. Just a #10 draft pick with lots of potential - and that's it. What he is or isn't going to be will be up to him, like many high draft picks it's not the physical tools, but the dedication to be the best. I don't think anyone expects him to Jamarcus up, so let's see what happens.

Harvin and Maclin are kinda like Desean Jackson in my mind...quick recievers who are both agile and have great vision for making big plays....Kenny Britt seems to be the most complete WR to date with Hakeem Nicks not far behind...only time will tell but remember than Finneran and Bennett are 6'4 and size does matter...I like the Hines Ward comparison though

:) I think I should of said 'whoa' ha ha ha

Ike: I think you will find that the comparisons to V.D. aren't applicable. MC is so much more polished and NFL ready than V.D. was...

He a much better football player TODAY than Vernon Davis. Vernon is fast and workout strong, but is still working at his craft. Michael Crabtree has been football star since he was 8. He's one of those guys like the 3 I mentioned earlier Carter, Irvin and Ward he a football player who makes plays. Could he be Peter Warrick? Possibly, this is not an exact science. I think he going to be very good.

Me too, after trying it on.

Could you provide some supporting evidence for that last statement you made?

Matt: sounds like maybe Crabs doesn't trust Parker anymore and is having his friend Hammer sit in and watch out for him? Maybe They were hanging out together while Crabs was living in the SouthBay all that time?I believe Hammer is an ordained minister and is very active in a southbay church,maybe Crabs who is known to be a church goer,went to church with Hammer and trusts him ? Hammer has learned a bunch in finance ,since he blew his own fortune. I believe Hammer's brother is a player agent himself.
Hammer has been friends with several 49ers players over the years and is friends with Deion sanders . I believe Hammer even worked directly with Charles Finley,the former owner of the A's,when he was very young. Hammer is not unfamiliar with business negotiations,so maybe Crabs is listening to him and not so much Parker anymore ? Is it true that hotel personel overheard Crabs telling Hammer,when they were leaving the hotel,to "get it done" ? If he was telling Hammer that and not Parker,maybe Parker is just along for the ride and now Hammer and Crabs himself are driving ? Seems like this might be the next best thing to firing Parker . And smarter than firing Parker,since Parker knows all the ins and outs of what has transpired so far between the team and himself and would be able to help get this done quickly,with Hammer keeping an eye on Crabs interests. Since Parker has seemed to be more about himself than about Crabtree's interests,this all seems not to far fetched.
Just a possible senario for this wild turn of events,but it could be true,who knows ?

Or maybe Jed just had some gold to sell.

How dare you have the nerve to question the prevailing thought that Michael Crabtree is the best receiver to come out in the draft since Rice! And how dare you remember this same type of hype once surrounded Calvin Johnson and Larry Fitzgerald! Or that the top defense in the Big 12 last year was ranked somewhere around 50th in the nation! Or that a quarter of Crabtree's yards last season came against Nevada and SMU! Because in spite of the fact I don't really watch college football I saw this one good catch Crabtree had against Texas and Mel Kiper tells me he's dreamy and.....

Your sarcasm meter's on, right?

Stick to your guns, man. When you're right you're right regardless of what the horde says.

yes...I can.

Biletnikoff Award winner ... unanimous consensus All-America first team selection ... unanimous all-conference pick ... Big 12 Conference Offensive Player of the Year ... Big 12 Conference Offensive Newcomer of the Year ... several National Freshman of the Year honors ... led the nation and the Big 12 in receptions (134), receiving yards (1,962) and touchdowns (22) - all NCAA freshman records ... finished off his record-setting regular season with another outstanding performance, pacing the team with nine receptions for 101 yards and a touchdown in the Gator Bowl win over No. 20 Virginia ... led the team with 12 catches for 154 yards his 21st touchdown in Tech's upset of No. 3-ranked Oklahoma ... made a team-high nine catches for 195 yards and two touchdowns at Texas ... 195-yard total was the most by a Tech receiver against Texas since Donnie Hart's 241-yard outing in 1996 ... has had 55 receptions go for 15 or more yards ... was held under 100 yards receiving for just the second time this year, finishing with four catches for 61 yards at Baylor ... led the way once again with a 12-catch, 131-yard day against Colorado ... 19-yard third quarter touchdown catch against the Buffaloes broke former Red Raider Taurean Henderson's NCAA record for receptions by a freshman (98), his school record for single-season catches, and set a new Big 12 Conference record for touchdown grabs in a season (18) ... added 10 catches for 76 yards to his season total at Missouri, breaking the school record for single-season receiving yardage in just eight games (Joel Filani-1,300 in 2006) ... was held under 100 yards receiving for just the first time in his college career ... paced the team with his eight catch, 170-yard performance against Texas A&M ... despite being held out of the endzone for the first time this season, seven of his team-high eight receptions went for first downs against the Aggies ... broke the NCAA single-season freshman record for touchdown catches (14), with a three-touchdown effort against Iowa State ... torched the Cyclones for a team-high 10 catches and 154 yards ... finished the final non-conference contest against Northwestern State with eight catches for 145 yards and three touchdowns ... his final touchdown of the game also established a new single-season school record (14) and put Tech ahead 51-7 ... continued his spectacular rookie season with a 14-catch, 237-yard, three touchdown outing in the conference opener at Oklahoma State ... 237-yard output marked the fifth-highest single-game total in school history ... 75-yard first quarter reception against the Cowboys was his longest of the season ... named the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week after his impressive 11-catch, career-high 244-yard (freshman school record), three touchdown receiving effort at Rice ... 74-yard touchdown catch in the second quarter was the Red Raiders longest scoring play since Filani's 76-yard score last November against Baylor ... improved on his debut outing at SMU by tying the single-game school record with 15 catches for 188 yards and two touchdowns against UTEP ... starred in his first collegiate game, leading the team with 12 catches, gaining 106 yards and scoring a team-high three touchdowns at SMU ... set a school record with 12 catches through the first three quarters of the game ... was on the receiving end of three consecutive touchdowns for Tech, stretching the score from 14-6 to 35-6.

Still waiting!

Matt, great reporting.

In the words of that redneck dude, hopefully our management and MC can "get 'er done".

Amazing how we all have such short minds and we were ready to part with MC a few weeks ago when he thought he was too good for us. Now, like that hot girl in class who all of a sudden shows interest in us, we are all praying she (sorry, he) isn't screwing with our hearts once again.

I am looking forward to #15 joining our ugly unit of blue collar winners! Hopefully he fits in, shuts up, does his time and helps us out. and I hope we all have the patience to give him some time to get up to speed. I don't think we need to rush him seeing our ugly bunch has done just fine without him.

Maybe now we will be able cut Spurlock and the taser/wildcat/stupid trick play from our offense. Seriously, that works when you have two of your best players running it, not when you have Robinson/Spurlock running it. C'mon!

Go 49ers, and welcome MC. You got some work to earn our love and respect, but this is a show me league, so SHOW US!!!!

I'll say it again, never let the facts get in the way of a strong opinion. Close your eyes and bury your head if necessary.

And so you are saying that all the voters who voted Crabtree as the only player in college football history to ever win the balitnicoff award as THE best WR in all of the Country,were just voting on stats and never saw the kid play,they were all tricked ?
He fooled all the voters TWO years in a row and tricked them into voting him THE BEST wr over all the thousands of other WR's in the Country. Well if he is that slick,then maybe he can get open on trickery alone and is still worth the money !!!

NFL.com on the NFL Network has the 49ers #10 in the Power Rankings! I've been waiting years for the 49ers to be even mentioned on the NFL Network!

I hope this kid is the real deal. Dominating college doesn't always translate to being a dominating player in the NFL. He's way behind schedule. This holdout puts a huge spot light on him. You can't hide now. Now when you step on the field everyone is going to expect production. You held out because you're the best, now prove it! Once he signs that dotted line Sing owns you! It's almost joining the ARMY! I think we'll see him get some reps Week 7.

One thing for sure is that our DEFENSE is unforgiving! Violently swarming to the ball! Willis is putting it all together. Our line is bringing pressure. Lawson looks much improved. Our corners are stopping the pass and we look great!

GO NINERS!

And RonnieLott rests his case !!! And the jury votes for his client 12-0 !!!

Wow. College awards. Check the last few Biletnikoff winners and see how good an indication that is of NFL success. If college awards mattered then Tim Tebow would be looking forward to a sterling NFL career as a quarterback rather than a fullback.

Lots of talk about his freshman year. Not so much about his sophomore though. You do know he had a sophomore year, right? Over 1/4 of his yards came against SMU and Nevada. Once he got in to Big 12 play he only had two 100 yard games, one of which was against K-State (who completely sucked).

You bring up his Gator Bowl against Virginia his sophomore year but conveniently leave out the fact Ole Miss held him to four catches for 30 yards in this year's Cotton Bowl.

All those stats are also blown way out of proportion by the fact Graham Harrell attempts about as many passes in his 12 game season as Drew Brees does in a 16 game one so if the ball's in the air that much then all the receivers should have big numbers. When a QB puts the ball in the air an average of 48 times a game then the receivers should be putting up numbers like Crabtree. Product. Of. The. System.

I'll rephrase my original question for you: Do you have any compelling evidence to back up your last statement?

He's only two receptions behind Darrius Heyward-Bey.

Matt, I am seriously disappointed in your reporting. When Kurt Warner flew into town and refused to talk, we at least got detailed descriptions of a peach-shirted ward-robe. Now, with Crabtree-- the self-anointed fashion expert-- we get nada, zip. For all we know he could have been running through the hotel with a bare bum and a jockstrap.

Are you telling us this guy is so fast it was all just a blur?

PS Just Jokin'

What it takes to succeed at the college level and what it takes to succeed at the professional level are worlds apart. For Mike Leach's system, yes, Michael Crabtree is a great receiver. Tim Tebow is a great quarterback for what it takes to succeed in Urban Meyer's system. Heck he even won a Heisman for it and has a good chance to become the second player ever to win it twice. So does that mean you want him?

Heck if all you want is a college award winner I bet Troy Smith can be had on the cheap.

Which facts have I neglected?

If a copy and paste of TexasTech.com's player profile for his freshman year is what cinches it for you then, well, we're just going to have to disagree on that one.

Just about as much conclusive evidence as you have that he'll be a flop. I didn't see the Ole Miss game, what kind of coverage was he getting? A wideout is dependent on so many things to go right that are complete out of his control. I know 4 for 30 versus Ole Miss doesn't ensure a one way trip to Bolivian. No more then torching SMU we'll get you an RSVP to Canton. We'll just see now, won't we.

MC Hammer ,Prime Time,Jeez no wonder the water isn't clear..what a scene. Matt hilarious exchange with your wife on twitter.Any news on PS tryouts?

Maybe the fact that he went 4 for 30 with a TD, with an ankle and a DB's finger in his eye. They didn't lose that game because of Michael Crabtree, as you infer. He's a gamer, I like him even more now.

you do know he played injured most of his sophomore year? and still won the belitnikoff award? and if you want. I can include all the awards he won in his sophomore season (list is nearly as long) all while not sneaking up on anyone? he was a marked man with a bad ankle... I am not debating the merits of college stats..I look at his tape. you are entitled to your opinion. I believe he is advanced as far as NFL ready prospect. in a few weeks, we will know who is right.

Part of the problem in measuring any kid is this is a team sport. It's not golf and we measure his handicap. Did he play in a good offense, have a good QB, good OC, good running game? I'm sure someone could dissect all this, but really it's just going too far guys. He's signing, and it's we'll all find out.

So arguing of what could be doesn't mean much. And I don't think we'll really know what we have with him for 1-2 years. So hold your arguments and let's meet back here in 2012!

I just got word of what was told to Crabtree to cause him to finally cave.

York said to him, "Losers always whine about where they should've been drafted. Winners go home and f*** the prom queen. So are you a winner or a loser?"

With that Crabtree turned to Parker and said "Get this done. I've got a prom queen waiting for me at home"

MC Hammer was just there to sing his exit song....

My-my-my-my football moves hit you so hard makes you say oh my Lord

Thank you for blessing me with an entourage and two healed feet

It feels good when you know you're down
A superdope homeboy comin to the san fran town

And I'm known as such
And this is a diva uh u can't touch

I just got word of what was told to Crabtree to cause him to finally cave.

York said to him, "Losers always whine about where they should've been drafted. Winners go home and f*** the prom queen. So are you a winner or a loser?"

With that Crabtree turned to Parker and said "Get this done. I've got a prom queen waiting for me at home"

MC Hammer was just there to sing his exit song....

My-my-my-my football moves hit you so hard makes you say oh my Lord

Thank you for blessing me with an entourage and two healed feet

It feels good when you know you're down
A superdope homeboy comin to the san fran town

And I'm known as such
And this is a diva uh u can't touch

calvin johnson, braylon edwards, larry fitzgerald, randy moss. those first two aren't so hot right now... but they were really productive when they had qbs worth spit. the last two are good company.

Easy on the Kool Aid daddyo-lol!

genius!

Top Cat; I've been to every home game for 17 years and watched everyone on the road. I make my own decisions. Our offense is rated as what: 27th I think. It may be 50/50 in the books, but those up the gut runs aren't working. Thanks to Frank Gores tremendeous runs, the yardage looked great in one game. Remember the 1st game and running yards gained?
We don't have the O line to dominate anyone. Raye has been out of the league for 10 years and it shows.

The offensive line looks like it needs shoring up more than the Niners need Crabtree at the moment, but an investment in Crabtree is an investment in the future, so I can stand for that.

As much as Singletary wants to dominate the trenches, the only time that's being done is when the team is playing defense.

Hard evidence someone will be a flop is difficult to come by when you're looking at players near the top of the draft. There are some examples like, say, a skill position player on a college team loaded with talent but who wasn't good enough preseason to distinguish himself as the clear starter but has their team perform well and then somehow goes #1 overall in the next year's pro draft (I'm refering to JaMarcus Russell in case you were wondering). There are a number of things about Crabtree that make him suspect (gimmick college offense, underclassman, injury issues, character, level of competition etc.) but none in and of themselves make him a lock to be the second coming of Rashaun Woods. But to look at Crabtree's stat line and trophy case and just dismiss the legitimate questions that still surround him is, I feel, shortsighted.

It's looking more and more like he will soon be a 49er. Up until he signs I hope the holdout continues and he never plays for us. As soon as he signs I hope he's the second coming of Jerry Rice and that I've got a great big pile of crow to eat. We shall see.

Crabtree can't possibly be a slow possession receiver, he's not white.

Not a diva either.

The Niners are not going to get any "reward" from Jets tampering. That's just crazy thinking. If they did, the league office would be immediately inundated with tampering accusations from every other team. Goodall ain't that daft.

And Crabtree won't become a top receiver under Raye. Mr "run 60% of time" Jimmy Raye is the worst possible coach for developing WR talent. Can anybody name a wide receiver that flourished in a Raye coached team?

Didn't think so.

You can make that statement about every player regardless of draft round i.e. some drafted players turn out to be busts.

It's called stating the bleedin' obvious.

I look at his tape (which is more than one catch and a YouTube highlight reel long, BTW) as well.

I stand by and will not back away from my statement that college awards mean nothing. I don't care how many times he won which trophy. Ricky Williams won the Doak Walker award twice. How'd that work out? Archie Griffin was a marked man and still won the Heisman twice. Crabtree could have won the Biletnikoff Award four times and I would be unmoved by it. It counts for nothing.

I think we may be waiting more than a couple weeks to find out which of us is right. Crabtree's light years behind the other receivers on the team and contrary to what some people are saying there's a lot more to the position that just learning terminology. He's not ever even seen the play book and I'd put the odds of him making a meaningful contribution at all this year at practically zero. At best he might be used to try to draw off a defender on a running play; I don't want to say for sure he'll end up having DHB numbers this season but if they end up with similar-ish stat lines I won't be too surprised.

What am I supposed to say? It would be stupid of me to say he's a certain bust because he's not. The draft is a crapshoot (duh) and we're discussing whether we've bet on a 6 or an 11. Since he's not played yet none of us can present any more clear substantive evidence than what we've already done.

Speaking of presenting evidence.....

Are you yet prepared to back up that claim of yours that the Niners are going to lose multiple games this year by not caving in to Crabtree's original demands?

here is some pre draft evaluation...this is why we were so excited to see him fall to us
http://www.fftoolbox.com/nfl_draft/profile_display.cfm?Prospect_ID=1634

Yes. I can present a volume of evidence including forensic that proves with absolute certainty that with Crabtree on the team from day 1, the Niners would have won 2 more games this year. First of those games was against the Vikings.

I've deposited this evidence in escrow. Once you've presented logic, facts or opinion of equal value, you will be provided access. Until then ....

I agree with you that Crabs has never been a diva.

But I have to dissagree with you about the Niners NOT getting an award of a pick from the Jets if they are found guilty of tampering. It is certain they would get something from the Jets,since the Bears got something from us and what we were accused of doing was nowhere near as horrible as what the Jets have done to us(if they are guilty).There is no chance that we would get nothing.We have at the very least been deprived of 5 games of our first round draft pick and then if he signs he is still not going to be the same this season as he would have been if he had signed before TC. The bears were deprived of exactly NOTHING,and yet they were awarded a swap in draft picks with us.
Of course life is not always fair,so who knows if the Commish will be fair ? If they are guilty and we don't get at the very least a 3rd round pick free and clear(more likely a 2nd or maybe even a 1st),then that proves the Commish is all talk and not at all an honest broker.

alchemist67 replied to comment from TOP_CAT | October 6, 2009 9:05 PM | Reply What it takes to succeed at the college level and what it takes to succeed at the professional level are worlds apart
-------------------------------------------------------------
Duh. We all know that. But come on man,we all also know that he was the best player on the board when we drafted by far(or should I say best prospect by far,to make you happy ?).
The Niners and most so called experts believed he would probably be the best player to come out of this draft when everyone looked back a few years from now. Nothing has changed since draft day.
Maybe you will turn out to be right ,who knows,there are no guarantees in the draft. But right now you just look silly because you are judging his NFL career as a dud,before he even runs one NFL pass route.
It's no use in trying to change your mind because you have made up your mind before the evidence is even in. PLEASE,if I ever get in trouble with the law,don't sit on my jury,I want a fair trial.
But at least I hope (and I believe)that being a good 49ers fan,you will hope that he is as great as most experts believe he is,so he can help the team win. That would make you very different from that Troll that hates Hill and only loves one Niners bench warmer.

Whether or not he was the best prospect on the board when we drafted was a matter of opinion. I was waiting for someone to help me see what I've been missing and back it up with substantive evidence. I wanted to see references to plays where he did something to show he's got special talent. I didn't watch every Texas Tech game last year so I was hoping maybe someone had seen something I missed. IMO that carries more weight than a stat line or a trophy case. No one has been able to do it yet.

All of my objections are rendered meaningless now that he has signed. I sincerely hope he proves you right and me wrong; I'll gladly eat the mountain of crow I'll have coming and I hope I never live it down.

I thought not.

My speculation has at least been informed. Reaching in to a certain bodily orifice of yours and pulling out a statement criticizing MM for not asking why the Niners are willing to give up a couple more wins by not capitulating to Crabtree's original demands is in a whole other category. Glad you've seen the light.

Go Crabtree!

Matt,

All I want to know is how the heck did you and Mindy find out in which hotel the negotiations were taking place? It seemed to be a big secret.