Crabtree, 49ers set to meet ... maybe
Published: Monday, October 5, 2009 at 4:08 p.m.
Last Modified: Monday, October 5, 2009 at 4:08 p.m.
News surfaced Monday that first-round draft pick Michael Crabtree and his agent, Eugene Parker, were scheduled to fly to the Bay Area for a negotiating session Tuesday with the 49ers.
Nobody seemed more surprised than 49ers general manager Scot McCloughan.
“It’s all speculation,” McCloughan of the ESPN report that the sides are scheduled to talk about a contract for Michael Crabtree, the No. 10 overall pick.
The 49ers had no contact with Parker, and no face-to-face meeting had been arranged, McCloughan said upon leaving the 49ers’ Santa Clara headquarters late Monday.
McCloughan said the club learned Parker and Crabtree were en route to the Bay Area through other parties. However, McCloughan did not rule out a meeting between the sides could take place.
The latest bizarre twist in the Crabtree saga is fitting. After all, there has been little meaningful conversation during the contract impasse that enters Day 71.
The 49ers submitted a contract proposal to Crabtree’s camp in late June that was commensurate with a deal expected from the No. 10 overall pick in the draft. It’s a five-year, $20 million base contract with $16 million guaranteed.
However, Crabtree’s camp thought he should warrant a contract of somebody who was picked earlier in the draft. The sides are approximately $7 million apart in guaranteed money with an $18 million difference over the life of the contract.
Deion Sanders, a trusted member of Crabtree’s inner circle and an analyst on the NFL Network, foreshadowed a Crabtree trip to the Bay Area. Sanders told the NFL Network audience, when talking about the 49ers: “Crabtree may be on his way. I’m just saying. I’m just saying.”
Coach Mike Singletary spoke at his press conference about the No. 1 trait of the 49ers’ defense being “unselfishness.”
Then, Singletary was asked why he would agree to a deal with a player “who perhaps is being selfish?”
“You said the key word: ‘Perhaps,’” Singletary said. “I don’t know that. I don’t know that for sure. Why say no to someone who might be one heck of a kid. Like I said, I met him. I talked to him. I had a good feel for him.
“I haven’t been wrong too often. I think he’s a great kid.”
Rookie quarterback Nate Davis might be Crabtree’s best friend on the team. They first met at the NFL scouting combine and grew close during 49ers organized team activities in June. But Davis said he has not spoken with Crabtree in three weeks.
“We’ve hung out a lot together,” Davis said. “He’s a great guy.”
That point was apparently under some debate around the NFL, as Crabtree reportedly rubbed at least two teams the wrong way with his attitude during pre-draft visits. His label as a “diva” is one of the reasons he went undrafted through the first nine picks of the draft.
There is room for improvement from the 49ers’ receiving corps. Isaac Bruce, Josh Morgan and Arnaz Battle are the only three 49ers wideouts with receptions this season. They have combined for 26 receptions for 322 yards. Ten individuals in the NFL have more receiving yards than the 49ers’ wide receivers combined.
GUARDED OPTIMISM
Singletary is confident the 49ers’ offensive line can live up to his lofty expectations, but he knows guards Chilo Rachal and David Baas must improve dramatically from their performances Sunday against the St. Louis Rams.
“I would just say that they did not play up to par,” Singletary said. “I know that whatever it is, we’ll just have to figure it out. Baas could still be banged up a little bit. I don’t know.”
Singletary said he plans to meet with offensive line coach Chris Foerster to figure out the team’s next course of action.
“We’ll get to the bottom of it and find out exactly what it is because both of those guys, we have to have the whole offensive line in sync,” Singletary said. “We’ll get there.”
LEADERS STEP UP
Through his 13 games as 49ers coach, Singletary has been the face and voice of the franchise – even behind closed doors. But that might be changing, as leaders are stepping up to say things that need to be said.
“The less I say, the better I feel because I’m going to say what has to be said and hopefully they beat me to it all the time,” Singletary said.
He said the defense is full of leaders, including Justin Smith, Patrick Willis, Takeo Spikes and Michael Lewis. He said quarterback Shaun Hill is emerging as the leader on offense, along with linemen Joe Staley and Eric Heitmann.
“As far as echoing what he’s saying, the whole locker room has bought in,” Hill said. “What he’s saying, everybody’s feeling and everybody’s believing.”
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