(Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images)
Give the kid some credit. He's got quite the infectious smile.
He also has Deion Sanders and MC Hammer in his corner.
Hey, that's a combination even cyanide would steer clear of.
Michael Crabtree was said by some to have been the best receiver in the history of college football. Not by sheer statistics or national championships, but by potential, prowess, and intentness to succeed.
Now he's legit. He's Hammer legit. He's got his contract, his money, and now, already a quarter ways through the 2009 NFL season, he's got a winning team.
It's obvious that the Crabtree camp saw their boat taking on water once San Francisco, lead by a staunch defense and a right-place, right-time offense were suddenly 3-1 and turning heads around the league.
Money suddenly became a non-issue, albeit how difficult it would be to imagine that being the case.
The kid's got his agent and cousin; Eugene Parker left the kid out in the cold today facing an arsenal of questions from the media.
Crabtree was nervous—you could tell.
He was so elusive with his answers, it was no wonder the press couldn't keep up with the fleet-footed wideout Tuesday afternoon as he evaded the local media at the hotel in which the negotiations between the team and Camp Crabtree took place.
"It's a very humbling experience," said a grinning Crabtree during his introduction.
Yeah, I don't quite get it.
You sit out. You wait. And wait. And wait. And wait some more. Miss out on what NFL legends such as Jim Brown and Jerry Rice called extremely valuable time, and suddenly, everything is peaches, Mike?
That's not humbling, that's a missed assignment down-field. A fail in what could've been a seamless transition from the beginning.
I don't blame Crabtree. He was mislead by Parker and the onslaught of his contrived, superstar-status entourage, whether Mike Leach, Trent Dilfer, or Crabtree himself want to admit it or not.
The Samurai concurred.
"Obviously, Michael's missed a lot of time, a lot of valuable time and has a lot of work to catch up," coach Mike Singletary said.
Playing catch up will be the easy part for Crabtree.
He's gotta win over Nate Clements, Dre Bly, Patrick Willis, and Justin Smith, not to mention those guys on offense who could've become as glued to one another as possible had No. 15 been there since day one.
The kid's tenacity for the game is not in question.
If you managed to catch any game during his years as a Texas Tech Red Raider, you'd have known what you see is what you get.
He's driven. So much so he shrugged off a defender and Usain Bolt-ed into the endzone to best rival Texas. Everyone knows that story.
The real transcript that will be remembered will be of his first year as a 49er and the years to come.
Singletary said his new receiver is in "great shape." He'll have to grow accustomed to a rather meat-and-potatoes type offense—nothing akin to what his in Lubbock was.
He'll be asked to become a stout run-blocker down-field for the likes of Frank Gore and Glen Coffee, and also try and establish himself as someone that can help Shaun Hill escape a jam or become that downtown threat that San Francisco has lacked.
Talent is what is tattooed all over the smiley-faced newbie. He should and probably will play an integral part in the 49er offense this season. It's college 101. Do your assignments, study up, and pass your tests with flying colors.
Its apple pie, folks.
And hey, if Vernon Davis can do it, why can't Crabtree?
The 22-year-old affirmed his supposed selfless attitude by saying, "I'm not a numbers guy, I'm a football player."
The pen is to the paper. It's signed, sealed, delivered. He's in camp. He'll take his licks, he'll deal with the jokes of his holdout and you can bet that the Samurai has some things up his shoulder for the rook.
How he progresses as a football player and a person will be because of the system and environment established by Singletary and his staff.
The 49ers head coach put all those rumors of Crabtree as an entourage-having "diva" to rest.
"We don't even have time for that," Singletary said. "We're working so hard and we're going in another direction. And anything else that tries to enter that picture cannot fit."
And for those of you who were unable to listen to the press conference and hear how the inflection was at the end of that sentence it was sorta like this: "Cannot. Fit."
How unfortunate for a young man as talented as Crabtree to fall into such circumstances, but boy did he luck out? He's got a guy that believes in him even after this five-month long circus act.
You have the Samurai in your corner, you'll do just fine.
It's not like we can feel too bad for the kid, after all he is getting upwards of $17 million guaranteed in this now-laminated and probably-framed contract.
Why did it take so long? Who cares now. We'll never know, maybe one day, after the 49ers are celebrating their second Super Bowl win in a row, an older, wiser and not-so-nervous Crabtree will tell the story of why it took all that time for him to come to his senses and embrace a team that was waiting and wishing to embrace him?
Maybe he'll say something asinine like he wanted to make his NFL debut in his home-state of Texas. Highly, highly doubtful, but any guy that has MC Hammer in his corner in the year 2009, is enough to leave the door open on anything.
As for right now?
"I'm doing the best job I can do, man," Crabtree said. "Anything Coach asks me to do, whether it's blocking, running a go-routes for no reason, I mean, I'm doing it all. Just to win. Anything I can do to win, (to) help this team win, I'm here."
The kid had yet to partake in a real practice with his team and he's already answering the right questions in a right manner to impress the big guy.
After all, what the Samurai says goes.
Tomorrow will be the season premiere of "Real World: Crabtree," and the world will be watching.
One can only wonder when it'll be "Hammer time" for Singletary and Crabtree, or if it'll even get that far.
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