Crabtree, Morgan to share time

SANTA CLARA — Rookie wide receiver Michael Crabtree missed all the hard work on the 49ers' practice fields during training camp this summer. But his 71-day contract stalemate is now a distant memory.

Crabtree will see significant playing time — and remains a “strong possibility” of being in the starting lineup in place of Josh Morgan — when the 49ers play the Houston Texans on Sunday.

Coach Mike Singletary says he wants to send a message to his team, all right.

“The most important message is that we want to win,” Singletary said Wednesday. “I could be stubborn. I could be a knucklehead and say, ‘You know what? He wasn't here, Josh is going to start ... and that's the way it's going to be.'

“I think I want to be fair to the team. The team comes first, and the team wants to win.”

Crabtree has done everything right since signing a six-year contract with the 49ers on Oct. 7, Singletary said. Crabtree has taken his share of good-natured ribbing, including singing “Happy Birthday” to Singletary at the request of his teammates.

He missed all of training camp, including four exhibition games, and the first four games of the regular season. During his first week on the roster, Crabtree ran Atlanta Falcons plays on the scout team to get the defense ready for that week's opponent.

Last week, he finally began getting on-field work in the 49ers' system. Crabtree does not have to learn every play in the team's playbook. He needs to only concern himself with approximately 50 pass plays that comprise this week's game plan.

Shaun Hill said it would be impossible for a quarterback to catch up so quickly, but the challenge is not so daunting for a wide receiver.

“I think it's a heck of a lot easier,” Hill said. “There are little nuances that quarterbacks have to know that other positions don't. It's a lot easier for somebody at a wide receiver position.”

Hill said he would start “zeroing” in on building chemistry with Crabtree, but he said Crabtree is responsible for making the adjustments to fit into the 49ers' system. Every receiver — regardless of their speed or physical attributes — must run pass routes with the same precision and timing.

“Our route depths aren't different if somebody else is in there,” Hill said. “The only thing is reading somebody's body language and knowing what they do well.”

Morgan, who helped Crabtree get acclimated to the system over the weekend, will likely see a significant reduction in playing time. But Singletary said Morgan will probably still see more action than Crabtree against the Texans. Morgan will play in run-oriented formations with two backs and two tight ends. And once Crabtree takes over full time as a starter, Morgan will be the team's third wideout.

“We're not in a position to name the starter yet,” Singletary said. “I look at (Isaac) Bruce, Josh and Crabtree. We look at all those guys as starters — possible starters. I think the most important thing for us is to get him (Crabtree) out there as soon as we can, as much as we can, and see what he can and cannot do.”

Said Singletary of Crabtree's NFLdebut, “If he's having a good game, he's in rhythm, he's running the right routes, he's blocking, he's doing all the things that we see him doing out here, then I think chances are he will play more.”

For more on the 49ers, go to Instant 49ers at http://blog.pressdemocrat.com/49ers. You can reach Staff Writer Matt Maiocco via e-mail at matt.maiocco@pressdemocrat.com.