Crabtree finally signed by 49ers

[lilyoder6]

Originally Posted by xfl2001fan

I doubt he's anywhere near ready...not only does he have to get in football shape...but he's WAAAAY behind on the playbook and the speed of the game.

There's more to it (at the NFL level) than just saying run a fly/post/curl, etc... You have to know how to alter your route based on the coverage and be on the same page as your QB when you make those subtle alterations. A slant pass against a Cover-2 is going to look different than when it's run against a Cloud defense...and even more so than against a Man coverage. Also, your slant pattern changes (subtly) based on route combinations...because if your TE is running an out...or a drag (if he's opposite side of the field) it alters angles and such as well.

oh i forget he doesn't know any of this.. b/c he is a rookie...

i guess he just played back yard football when he was at texas tech...

[steelreserve]

Originally Posted by Slick93

I think it had a lot to do with it. He realized that they are a "legit" team this year and now wants in on the action. If they were 1-3 I'd be willing to bet he's still holding out. He probably figured he'd better get in before they realized they could do it without him.

That's more like it. The 49ers actually winning games on their own took away a huge amount of leverage from him; they no longer need him so desperately. I don't think that many pro athletes -- especially ones who are on the verge of holding out a whole season -- are going to throw all their money concerns out the window just because the team wins a couple of games. If they're any good, hell, he can win with them later, whenever he gets around to signing the deal he wants, you know?

I also think this has a lot to do with the (illegal) offers and dealmaking from other teams drying up after the Jets got busted. There was no way anyone was going to draft him high next year unless they had a deal in place already. And there was no way he was going to actually go back into the draft unless there was already a deal in place that guaranteed him the money he wanted -- otherwise, that move would most likely hurt him. So once the tampering was shut off, he really had no choice but to work something out with the Niners.

Ironically, I happened to be sitting in the parking lot at Candlestick Park when they announced the deal (I had to go out that way for something work-related). So that was kind of a weird coincidence.

[Hines0wnz]

Originally Posted by SteelMember

So does anyone think the 9'ers 3 and 1 record had anything to do with coming to an agreement, or is it really "all about the benjamins"?

I'm sure going to a bad team (last year) wasn't getting him motivated any.

Just a thought.

I'm sure the 49ers playing well had something to do with it because he realized they really dont need him to win. This translates to less value for himself and since DHB across the bay sucks so far, he still has time to prove his point (his reason for holding out). But I dont expect him to see any significant playing time until after their bye week.