The Michael Crabtree Holdout Leverage Debate – Time To Move On

September 24, 2009

Read the debate intro, Sports Geek’s argument that the 49ers should cut ties with Michael Crabtree and Bleacher Fan’s argument that the 49ers should sign Crabtree .

I get the feeling that the majority of people think Michael Crabtree has lost his mind.

Sports Geek thinks that it’s time for the San Francisco 49ers to cut ties with Crabtree. Despite his accomplishments at Texas Tech, Sports Geek argued that adding him to the team at this point would do more harm than good. Sports Geek points out that head coach Mike Singletary is working with a team that has been through rookie camp, OTAs, training camp, preseason, and the first part of this season. Adding Crabtree at this point would be disruptive because Crabtree, being a rookie, has too much to learn. Sports Geek also touches on the fact that 2010 will likely be an uncapped year in the NFL, thus freeing up more funds for the 49ers.

Bleacher Fan argues that the San Francisco 49ers should still make every effort to sign Crabtree, pointing out the struggles of the offense and the lack of depth at some offensive positions. Bleacher Fan also correctly points out that some of the more talented players in the NFL today didn’t start or play much at all in the NFL during their rookie campaign. How’d that turn out for Tom Brady so far? Three Super Bowl championships later, I’d say it’s turned out fairly well. Bleacher Fan uses those examples to highlight the fact that, if signed, the rest of this year can be used for the development of Crabtree’s skills.

After reviewing the case and taking a closer look at the points both parties made in their arguments, I am awarding the verdict to Sports Geek!

This was a closer case than I originally thought it may be. Bleacher Fan makes a good case in pointing out the current players who were non-factors their first year, but this Crabtree situation is a different cookie. The players Bleacher Fan mentioned didn’t hold out their rookie season because they disagreed with the contract their team was offering. They didn’t miss all of training camp and preseason and all of the regular season (to this point). I’m convinced by Sports Geek that adding Crabtree onto a 53-man roster at this point would be detrimental to the 49ers organization. It’s difficult enough to make it in the league and fit into a locker room as a rookie. Add to that the circumstances regarding Crabtree’s absence and it equals a recipe for bitterness, jealousy, and controversy.

Agree or disagree? Post your comments below. We’d love to hear from you. Check back later today for more debates!

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Posted by Bleacher Fan

The Michael Crabtree Holdout Leverage Debate – Nobody Likes a Quitter!

September 23, 2009

Read the debate intro and Sports Geek’s argument that the San Francisco 49ers are better off just letting Michael Crabtree go.

Every neighborhood has a quitter.

You know who I’m talking about. The quitter is the kid who pouts when things in a game don’t go their way, so they just throw a tantrum and quit playing. Nobody liked the quitter, and the quitter ruined the game for a lot of other people.

That is exactly what the San Francisco 49ers will be if they walk away from rookie wide receiver Michael Crabtree now – QUITTERS!

I can imagine that it is frustrating for the 49ers organization and fans to see their top draft pick continue to go unsigned because he is demanding more money than the organization thinks that he is worth. That is no reason to just pack up your toys and go home, though. The worst thing that the 49ers could do right now is give up. Then they would have truly wasted their draft pick, and would have absolutely nothing to show for it.

It doesn’t matter that they have started the season at 2-0. It ALSO doesn’t matter that it is likely too late for Crabtree to make any kind of contribution on the field this year. As Loyal Homer points out in the debate intro, the 49ers are 32-64 over the last six seasons. It is a bit premature to say that the 49ers don’t need Crabtree anymore, just because they won the first two games of the 2009 season.

The team has very limited depth at many offensive positions. Running back Frank Gore is undoubtedly the best player for the 49ers, but his ability to stay healthy is a concern for the team. Gore’s backup, Glen Coffee, has the potential to become a key player in San Francisco’s offense, but he, like Crabtree, is unproven. The quarterback and wide receiver positions are largely populated with veteran players that don’t have too much gas left in the tank, and tight end Vernon Davis has been very underwhelming in his performance to date.

Michael Crabtree is an exceptionally talented player, and he will most likely be very successful at the wide receiver position, no matter where he signs on. Head coach Mike Singletary and general manager Scot McCloughan have the responsibility of creating the best opportunity for the 49ers to be successful. While this year is very important, it is not the sole focus of that development process. Singletary and McCloughan have to also be concerned about the long-term viability of the San Francisco organization.

Crabtree WILL add value to the organization. It just won’t be this year.

Kellen Winslow Jr, Tom Brady, Willie Parker, Larry Johnson, and Aaron Rodgers are all examples of current players who did not contribute much (if anything) during their rookie season, but then went on to provide outstanding contributions to their respective teams. Even Hall of Fame quarterback Steve Young sat on the bench at the beginning of his career. Just because a team is unable to take advantage of a player during the rookie year of his professional career, it does not mean that the player is a bust.

If anything, the 49ers can use their current position as leverage to press the issue further with Crabtree. The fact that they seemingly are able to compete WITHOUT him on the team takes the pressure off of them. They can now continue to pursue signing him from a position of greater leverage than if they had lost their first two games.

The important thing for the 49ers to remember is that they may not NEED Crabtree, but they can definitely USE him. He will be a very productive player in the NFL. The 49ers just need to make sure that it will be for their organization!

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Posted by Bleacher Fan

The Michael Crabtree Holdout Leverage Debate – Crabtree MUST Go

September 23, 2009

Read the debate intro and Bleacher Fan’s argument the 49ers should sign Michael Crabtree.

By a show of hands, who here likes rookie contract holdouts? Anyone? Hello? Bueller?

No one likes rookie contract holdouts. That is why many sports fans are celebrating Michael Crabtree’s just desserts (hmmm, tastes bitter). The 49ers drafted him tenth overall in the 2009 NFL Draft, but Crabtree has not signed a contract yet because he does not believe he should be paid like a tenth overall pick. Another receiver was taken before him by the Oakland Raiders at number seven, and Crabtree and his handles simply cannot deal with reality. They are holding out for “first receiver taken in the draft money” instead of “tenth overall selection in the draft” money.

However, Crabtree hard-headed approach to the contract negotiations with his would-be employer is not going well – for Crabtree. He is holding to the belief that since the one billion mock drafts we all see prior to the actual NFL draft he should be paid in the spot he was predicted to be drafted at. It is a completely ridiculous notion, and the 49ers management is not buying at all.

After the 49ers week one victory, the team lowered the offer to the holdout. (Another win in week two will likely lead to another lowered offer.) The more Crabtree holds out, the more value he loses for the team. If I am head coach Mike Singletary right now, there is no way I sign Crabtree. In fact, I push to just release his draft rights. My team has good chemistry and it is getting built upon winning – winning without the holdout prima donna receiver.

Though if anyone can fix Crabtree’s indulgent attitude problems it is probably Singletary, why disrupt a winning team? The coach also must think about his time investment. At this point in the season he is working with an entire team of players who have either gone through rookie mini-camp, all of the OTA’s, training camp where the offense gets installed, the preseason where it gets practiced, and now two games of the real “these games actually count” season. Signing Crabtree now would be forcing a “special player status” into the team dynamic (something Singletary cares about a great deal). He simply has too much to learn right now, and the investment of time and resources to get him up to speed is not worth the return… especially when considering the fact that the team is actually winning!

It is easy to talk about the time and resources problems that Crabtree presents… especially when he is an unproven talent at the professional level. Right now he is just another rookie that thinks he deserves more than everyone else. But he has proven nothing in the NFL, as either a professional person or an athlete.

Crabtree is just another in a long line of prima donna receivers who believes he is better than everyone else in the league. He is a player who sees only his value in his own created context, not what the market or smart people are telling him. The 49ers hard line with Crabtree is absolutely the right move. They owe him nothing. Plus, now they are proving they do not need him on the field, either. The 49ers stand to gain a lot by allowing Crabtree to re-enter the NFL draft in 2010, and it starts with money. In what will likely be an uncapped year, the 49ers will now have extra cash to go after proven players.

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Posted by Sports Geek

The Michael Crabtree Holdout Leverage Debate – The Saga Continues

September 23, 2009

Read Bleacher Fan’s argument that the 49ers still should sign Crabtree. Read Sports Geek’s argument that the 49ers should let him reenter the draft.

Five months ago, San Francisco 49ers fans were tickled to death because their team had just selected wide receiver Michael Crabtree with the 10th pick in the 2009 NFL Draft. When combined with Frank Gore, this up and coming team (who showed promise under new head coach Mike Singletary late last season) might actually make a run at a division title, or at the very least a wild card berth. The 49ers have not made the playoffs since 2002, and their overall record since that time is 32-64 (Ouch!). But for the fans, Crabtree was coming to save the day just like he did in college at Texas Tech.

Something happened, however, to ruin this feel good story – Crabtree refused to sign. Among other things, he feels that he was the best receiver in the draft and deserves more money than what the Oakland Raiders gave Darrius Heyward-Bey, the wide receiver selected ahead of Crabtree at 7th in the draft. Heyward-Bey signed a five-year deal worth up to $38.25M with $23.5M guaranteed. The 49ers, at this point, are not willing to give Crabtree the money he wants.

There are now also reports that the 49ers have filed an official complaint with the NFL that accuses the New York Jets of tampering, but the Jets are denying the allegations.

With everything going on, this has not yet been a distraction to the 49ers who have started the season with two wins, including a road win over the 2008 NFC Champion Arizona Cardinals. Folks in the Bay area are starting to get excited about the 49ers again, despite the fact that the 49er offense is anemic without running back Frank Gore. Quarterback Shaun Hill currently sits 28th in the league in passing with 176.5 yards per game, and throwing to guys like Arnaz Battle, Josh Morgan, and an aging Isaac Bruce doesn’t help the passing attack.

What would you do if you were in charge of the San Francisco 49ers organization? Would you keep trying to sign Crabtree, or would you let him walk away and reenter the draft next year? No one is denying his talent and what his impact could possibly mean to the 49ers, but is it too late for the team to get any benefit from signing him this late in the season?

Enter the Sports Debates (cue dramatic theme music)!

Should the 49ers cut their losses and let wide receiver Michael Crabtree reenter the draft?

Sports Geek will argue that they should let him reenter the 2010 draft, while Bleacher Fan will argue that the 49ers should still sign him if at all possible.

The floor is yours! Ready, set, go!

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Posted by Loyal Homer

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