Good start for 49ers' Crabtree

<p>HOUSTON — Things could not have gotten off to a worse start for 49ers receiver Michael Crabtree in his first NFL game.</p><p>On the 49ers’ first offensive play, Crabtree botched an audible. Quarterback Shaun Hill wanted to get the pass to Crabtree, but the rookie did not make the adjustment. That allowed Houston Texans defensive end Mario Williams, who was unblocked, to throw Hill for a 6-yard loss.</p><p>“It was just a miscommunication,” Hill said. “More than anything, it was lack of experience. But after that, he knew exactly what had happened and was ready to move forward. He played a great game.”</p><p>Crabtree agreed.</p><p>“Yeah, it was a miscommunication,” he said.</p><p>His first-play miscue ended up being a mere footnote to an impressive debut for Crabtree, who delivered in his first game after ending a 71-day contract impasse on Oct. 7 when he signed a six-year contract.</p><p>Crabtree caught three passes to extend drives on third downs — the 49ers had just four third-down conversions in the game — but the 49ers still lost 24-21 to the Houston Texans at Reliant Stadium. Crabtree caught five passes for 56 yards.</p><p>“Do I think he did a great job today? Absolutely,” 49ers coach Mike Singletary said. “He did a heck of a job.</p><p>“I’m sure he did a lot of things wrong. The bottom line is when he had the chance to make plays, he made them. That’s good. You’re talking about a guy that’s been working his tail off and hasn’t been at camp, and he came in and it seemed like he had been here a while.”</p><p>Crabtree started and played more than the 49ers’ other wide receivers. Crabtree was on the field for 48 of the team’s 54 offensive snaps. Josh Morgan played 38 snaps, while Isaac Bruce lined up for 36 snaps. Bruce made the 200th start of his 16-year career.</p><p>“I think he played really well for a young guy only being in a couple weeks, going out there and playing like that,” said Alex Smith, who replaced Shaun Hill at quarterback at the start of the second half. “He competed against a lot of man coverage and played really well.”</p><p><b>LINE STRUGGLES</b></p><p>Right tackle Tony Pashos, making his first start of the season, exited the game in the second quarter with a left shoulder contusion. He did not return, and Singletary said he did not know the severity of the injury.</p><p>Veteran Barry Sims took over at right tackle, while Adam Snyder and Chilo Rachal split time at right guard. The 49ers allowed two sacks in the first half with Hill at quarterback, but Smith was not sacked in the second half.</p><p>“I don’t know if it’s Alex or the offensive line,” Singletary said. “Sometimes the quarterback makes the offensive line better, but we’ll have to find out which it was when we look at the film.”</p><p><b>BATTLE’S STRUGGLES</b></p><p>The 49ers released veteran return man Allen Rossum two weeks ago to make room on the 53-man roster for Crabtree. The 49ers appear to miss Rossum. On Sunday, Arnaz Battle muffed a punt that the Texans recovered at the 49ers’ 10-yard line in the second quarter. Houston immediately scored for a 14-0 lead.</p><p>When asked if the sun was a factor, Battle said, “It was. The one I muffed had a great hang time on it. I felt like I was right under the ball. I was in great position. Actually, when it came down, it shifted on me.”</p><p>Singletary tried to defend the team’s decision to cut Rossum, whom the Dallas Cowboys quickly signed.</p><p>“Rossum had some issues, too,” Singletary said. “It’s not like he was catching everything clean. They both have issues. We just have to find a way to get that settled, and that’s something we have to settle in a hurry because it makes no sense at all. It makes no sense to be dropping balls.”</p><p><b>EXTRA POINTS</b></p><p>Injury report: Pashos (left shoulder contusion), linebacker Takeo Spikes (right shoulder strain), nose tackle Aubrayo Franklin (right knee), defensive end Justin Smith (left calf strain) and linebacker Marques Harris (hamstring strain). Pashos, Spikes and Harris did not return after their injuries.</p><p>Rookie Scott McKillop saw his first extended playing time on defense after Spikes’ injury. McKillop recorded three tackles.</p><p>Receivers Brandon Jones, Jason Hill and Micheal Spurlock were declared inactive and were not among the 45-player maximum to suit up for the game. Jones is the second-highest paid wideout on the team after signing a five-year, $16.5 million contract in the offseason.</p><p>For more on the 49ers, go to Instant 49ers at blog.pressdemocrat.com/49ers. You can reach Staff Writer</p><p>Matt Maiocco at matt.maiocco@</p><p>pressdemocrat.com</p>