After a six week wait, we finally got to talk to the one and only Michael Crabtree today. Six-and-a-half minutes later I was wondering to myself what all the fuss was about.
Okay, Crabtree wasn't that bad, he gave us a couple of useful tidbits such as he had surgery to fix his broken left foot "sometime in July" and that he'll be wearing custom-made molded Michael Jordan brand cleats, but on the whole it's pretty obvious that talking to the media is not something he enjoys or feels comfortable doing. I don't think he's a bad guy or a grouch or anything like that. He's just a really shy dude.
A reporter asked him if practicing again for the first time was like riding a bike and Crabtree responded, "It was like playing football."
Oh.
Shortly after Crabtree complained about the heat of the camera light on him, but it was one of those LED lights that gives off no heat.
At one point Crabtree seemed almost offended when asked which receiving positions he feels comfortable playing in the offense, saying "All of them. I'm a wide receiver and that consists of playing all three positions."
However, another time he admitted that he may not be as much of an expert on the playbook as some of his coaches have been suggesting. "I've got the basics down, but it's different when you go out there," Crabtree said.
He's an odd duck, that Crabtree, but the good news for 49ers fans is that he looked full speed and hitch free running routes during individual drills in practice. How much playing time he gets on Sunday is up in the air, but the good news is that while he'd certainly be an asset in the coming weeks, the team doesn't need him to beat Seattle.
You may recall last season Crabtree missed most of camp and all of preseason with a neck injury. The 49ers still rushed him out there for the first regular season game at Seattle because A) Mike Singletary kowtowed to Crabtree from day one and B) they really didn't have anybody else to start. Crabtree was rusty as hell in the game, had a couple of balls clank off his hands (one for a costly interception) and the 49ers got routed. In the second half ex-radio color man Gary Plummer was hollering for Crabtree to be benched, he was playing so poorly, and so clearly confused about his assignments.
Now, with Braylon Edwards on board, along with Joshua Morgan and even Ted Ginn, there isn't as much pressure for Crabtree to produce right away. He can be mixed into the game and play in a few packages he's comfortable with instead of being relied on for 65 snaps off the bat. It's good for him, good for the team and good for Alex Smith, who doesn't have to force passes his way.
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On the other side of the injury ledger is Dashon Goldson. He pretty much declared himself out for Sunday's game, saying his left knee still has "irritation."
Goldson didn't practice on Sunday and worked out with trainers on the side field.
Reggie Smith, who's recovering from his own knee injury was on the scout team, impersonating Seahawks safety Earl Thomas, so that's a good bet that he's not gonna start since guys on the scout team rarely do.
That leaves it to Madieu Williams to start, which means the 49ers will have an entirely different starting secondary than they did last season. Williams and Donte Whitner are both free agent pickups, as is left corner Carlos Rogers; and the right corner is expected to be Tarell Brown, who was a reserve last year behind starters Shawntae Spencer and Nate Clements. Clements is a Cincinnati Bengal these days and Spencer, who just started practicing yesterday himself (he reported no setbacks from his balky hamstring) probably needs to earn the confidence and faith of his coaching staff before he regains his starting job -- or he needs to wait for Brown simply play poorly enough to give it to him.
Count Ray McDonald, who was a reserve last year, linebackers Ahmad Brooks and NaVorro Bowman (ditto) and rookie edge-rusher Aldon Smith, and the 49ers defense could have as many eight different guys playing the majority of the snaps on Sunday than the ones who started in 2010. That's massive turnover.
Here's the thing though: The defense needed to be turned over. They needed to get younger and faster. The national reputation about the 49ers defense was they were good these past couple seasons, or at least above-average, but while that might have been the case in 2009, in large part to all the turnovers they got at home, they were pretty bad last year, especially as a pass defense. Look at the numbers if you don't believe me, the 49ers ranked in the bottom quadrant of the league in just about every pass defense category except interceptions.
I think the 49ers have upgraded their talent on defense considerably, especially at linebacker, but it will take a while for all these guys to play cohesively. Having defensive coordinator Vic Fangio at coordinator will help a lot, and he'll be able to patch over their flaws better than Greg Manusky did. Fangio also favors blitzing more than his predecessor did, so we're liable to see more big plays both for and against the defense than the Chinese water torture we'd grown so accustomed to with the past regime.
One thing that I found interesting is that, according to Williams, no coaches have come up to him to pick his brain about Seahawks QB Tarvaris Jackson or offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell. Williams practiced against those guys every day for three years at Minnesota, and yet no one is coming to him for tips? I find that odd.
"We've got a good coaching staff here, they don't need my help," said Williams.
He's another guy who hasn't exactly been engaging with us or snapping off witty one-liners. My theory is he's a bit chagrined about having joined the team with the idea that he'd only have to beat out Reggie Smith for a starting spot only to discover soon after he came on that Goldson was re-signed and immediately promoted to starter again.
Now he'll get a chance to show his stuff. Maybe if he has a big game, picks off a wayward Jackson pass or two, the coaching staff might feel Goldson's knee is still too irritated...
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The 49ers didn't make any roster moves the past couple days, but it hasn't been for lack of trying.
They made waiver claims on two guys the New England Patriots cut: CB Darius Butler and TE Lee Smith. Carolina wound up getting Butler and Smith went to Buffalo, since both those teams had worse record than the 49ers last year.
It's well known the 49ers are in the market for a third tight end who's a blocking specialist, and I suppose Smith fits the bill there (no pun intended), but the Butler claim is the more interesting one to me. Who would they have dropped if they got him? Tramaine Brock? Spencer? I've gotten the sense that staff isn't that high on Spencer and that the only reason he's still here is because literally nobody else has done well enough to justify cutting him. Brown has been so-so as a starter in preseason, but I fully expect the Seahawks to target him on Sunday (as well as Whitner and the linebackers with passes to tight end Zach Miller and their running backs), while Brock has been worse than so-so.
I'm a bit surprised the 49ers didn't try trading for Eagles slot corner Joselio Hanson, who was a 49er once upon a time. Philadelphia is so deep there that Hanson was on the market, but general manager Trent Baalke is loathe to deal away draft picks.
Obviously we'll all pay attention to how Alex Smith and the linemen play, but I'm very curious how corners will perform this week and the next against Dallas. I have a feeling that spot on the defense may see some shuffling. Heck, 3rd round pick Chris Culliver might see some action by the end of the year.
Also, the 49ers worked out former Rams receiver Donnie Avery. He's a talented kid, but he tore his ACL in preseason last year and apparently didn't recover sufficiently enough for coach Steve Spagnuolo's liking, as the team cut him at the end of preseason.
It's true the 49ers could use another deep threat at receiver, and I guess it doesn't hurt to kick Avery's tires, but what does it say about him when St. Louis -- a club that's hardly got all-world guys in their receiving corps by the way -- cuts the guy?
If their coaches felt that Avery was worse than Brandon Gibson and Danny Amendola, then you probably won't help the 49ers.
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An updated guess on who will be the 46 guys active for Sunday's game:
QB (2) Smith and Colin Kaepernick, with Scott Tolzien still trying to learn the playbook.
RB (3) Offensive coordinator Greg Ramon said Frank Gore, Kendell Hunter and Anthony Dixon will all play.
FB (2) Moran Norris starts, Bruce Miller sees time at tight end and on special teams.
WR (5) I think everybody is up for this one. Kyle Williams dresses in case Crabtree has some kind of setback during the game.
TE (2) Vernon Davis and Delanie Walker are the only two they've got.
OL (7) Rookies Daniel Kilgore and Mike Person will have a great view all season long.
DL (5) I have Demarcus Dobbs joining Ricky Jean Francois as the reserves, Will Tukuafu and Ian Williams scratched. Just a guess here.
LB (7) I don't think new guy Tavares Gooden will be up to speed in time for Sunday.
CB (5) You need to keep Brock/Culliver in there to protect Spencer.
S (5) Goldson's out and everyone else would dress anyway.
ST (3) David Akers, Andy Lee and Brian Jennings as per usual.
Inactives: Tolzien, Kilgore, Person, I. Williams, Tukuafu, Gooden, Goldson.
If I'm wrong about anyone, it's Gooden, but good luck figuring out who he comes in for. They'd be taking a chance at corner or receiver with only four guys.
Alright time drive to the Cohn abode. Hope the game will be a high scoring affair. Call it 31-24, Pack.
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