What Was He Thinking?

via extras.mnginteractive.com

The final tally is in, and Michael Crabtree's holdout didn't proved a thing. Selected with the 10th pick by the 49ers in the 2009 Draft, the young wideout thought he could out leverage  a Major Sports Corporation. Crabtree let the "experts" convince him that he was deserving of a higher draft position, so he and his agent Eugene Parker chose to call the bluff of San Francisco's front office, and demand a salary commensurate with the #3 overall pick.

Michael Crabtree declared himself eligible for the 2009 NFL Draft, after his College coach and a few NFL Reps told him that he would be a 1st-round pick. In fact, Mel Kiper himself, had projected Crabtree to be selected by the Seahawks as the 4th overall pick, a selection that turned out to be LB Aaron Curry. It was apparent that Crabtree had a healthy opinion of himself and was surrounded by a herd of people around him that may not have had his best interests at heart. That group included Deion Sanders, a cousin, and a self-proclaimed adviser who started the idea of Michael sitting out the season in an interview with ESPN.

He failed to report to the 49ers because he had yet to sign a contract and even several days later his agent, Eugene Parker, still had not reached a contract agreement with the team. he became the first 49er rookie to be a no show at training camp since 2005.

The 49ers had until November 19th to sign Crabtree or he wouldn't have been allowed to play this season. At that point they would've had to wait until March 1st 2010, to have the option to trade his rights. If they failed to sign him by the next draft they would have surrendered his rights, putting him back into the draft pool for 2010.

On October 7, Crabtree and the 49ers finally agreed to a contract. The deal is reportedly worth $32 million, for six years, with $17 million guaranteed. However, if Crabtree has two Pro Bowl seasons during the first 4 years, the deal will transform into a 5-year, $28 million contract. There are other contract escalators that could ramp the deal up to $40 million over six years, but in order to reach those numbers he would have to be a phenomenal performer, making many of those incentives unlikely to be achieved. Details here, if it interests you.

At a news conference at 49ers headquarters Wednesday, after signing the contract and ending his 72-day holdout, Crabtree stood before the cameras expressing humility and a desire to please.

"I'm very humble right now, man," he said. "It's a very humbling experience."

This clashes with Crabtree's diva reputation, much of which was forged between draft day and the signing of the contract. Crabtree will either mesh with his new team or he will get a face full of Mike Singletary. Just ask Vernon Davis. He learned after being benched for the 4th quarter of a game last season, that Samurai Mike has no tolerance for the 'Diva' attitude.

Singletary said:

"We're working so hard, and we're going in another direction. Anything else that tries to enter that picture cannot fit."

Crabtree will start his NFL career as a slot receiver, according to 49ers OC Jimmy Raye. That's the fastest way for the Niners to get their 1st-round draft pick on the field, and he likes the idea of forcing opposing defenses to cover TE Vernon Davis with a safety on one side and then matching up Crabtree on the other side with another defender to work the middle of the field.

But it will be a steep learning curve for Crabtree, who by Raye's estimations ran two routes in the wide open scheme he played in at Texas Tech.

"He basically played on one side in college, didn't flip, stayed on the one side and he ran a hitch, and if he was pressed, he ran a go," Raye said. "So, it's a little bit more learning that he has to do than time will allow us to teach him, but we've got to make do as we can."

 

What Crabtree learned during his holdout, learned emphatically, is none of that comes without being part of a team.It takes years to build a good reputation, but it only takes a few minutes to lose one. A current case in point, is Brandon Marshall's contract situation. Is running two routes in college good enough to make Crabtree the 10th pick in the 2009 draft?

One thing is certain. Michael Crabtree is growing up.