Crank Dat No Job

Crabtree’s team sends a message
By A-J Staff on September 14th, 2009
By Gary Peterson | MCT

Michael Crabtree could scarcely have been more productive Sunday had he been in uniform. For starters, his camp fed a report to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, who dutifully relayed it to a breathless world:

Crabtree, the would-be 49ers receiver, will sit out the 2009 season and re-enter the NFL draft next spring.

Then the 49ers, even in their inspiring upset of Arizona, confirmed themselves to be a team in need of a game-breaking pass-catcher. Which is what they thought they were getting in April when they took Crabtree with the 10th pick in the draft.


Crabtree, and his agent Eugene Parker, were thinking he should have been taken higher than 10th and paid accordingly, a stance the 49ers have summarily rejected. Therein lies the conflict.

This is the second time in two months that Crabtree has threatened to sit out the season; Sunday’s posturing could be nothing more than his all-in bluff. But if he’s serious, if he’s gambling that he’ll be picked higher than 10th next year, he should understand there are more moving parts to his strategy than meet the eye.

One, the collective bargaining agreement between NFL owners and players is a lame duck. The owners opted out of the current agreement, set to expire in 2011. Meaning: A new deal could be negotiated between now and then, perhaps one that includes a rookie salary cap.

The owners are said to favor a rookie cap, for obvious reasons. It’s hard to imagine current players objecting too strenuously, since the less money owners spend on rookies, the more they have to lavish (theoretically) on veterans.

Could it come to pass in the next seven months? Yes, but it doesn’t seem likely. For now, NFL owners seem content to let new players association boss DeMaurice Smith work his way through the seven stages of pay-attention-to-me. But Crabtree must at least consider the possibility that he might take this bold stand only to find himself subjected to a formatted contract next spring.

So we made it through Week 1 of the NFL season and there's still no Mike Crabtree in a 49ers jersey. I texted Muench during the Niners game yesterday and reminded him that LB Patrick Willis has one more catch than Crabtree this season.

I also saw a dude with a 49ers Crabtree jersey in Lubbock Saturday. What kind of self respecting man wouldn't swallow the 60 bucks he squandered on that thing and bury it deep in his dresser? If that guy should happen to stumble onto this blog, I want him to know he sucks at life. More than anything, I thought this reporter made some interesting points about the Collective Bargaining Agreement that I hadn't considered.


So happy birthday Mr. Crabtree. Your present from me? A spot on the BYB staff. That's right. I could really use an assistant for when I abscond to the LBK for a binge. If Chris Cooley can run Hot Clicks then Michael Crabtree can hold together the BYB.