Around the NFL
Michael Crabtree is drawing heat for disrespecting Alex Smith in a recent interview. While there's no question Crabtree has been a disappointment as a pro thus far, he doesn't deserve much criticism for speaking his mind in this case. In fact, he's right.
"Who's the quarterback?" said Crabtree, when asked by a reporter about the importance of developing chemistry with the team's quarterback. This was taken as a snub of Alex Smith, who's expected to be the 49ers' Week 1 starter this season, after both new coach Jim Harbaugh and Smith himself have suggested as much in interviews this offseason.
But Smith is a free agent, and will be able to sign with any team that wants him once the lockout is over. Moreover, he hasn't been a particularly good starter in San Francisco, and the 49ers have so little commitment to him that they traded up to draft Colin Kaepernick out of Nevada early in the draft's second round.
So why should Crabtree assume Smith will be the starter -- or keep the job for long even if he returns? The rest of Crabree's quote, which went "Whoever the quarterback is, I'm 100 percent down with it and I'm ready to go. That's it," was considerably less controversial.
Mostly this is about Crabtree being criticized for initially working out on his own rather than in team workouts (he has since joined the team), and also his deserved diva rep. But can he be blamed if he hopes the team has a Plan B at quarterback rather than Smith?
Smith has started games for San Francisco in five of the last six seasons. Only once has he completed 60 percent of his passes, and his highest passer rating in that span has been 82.1. He has a career TD-Int ratio of 51-53.
Maybe Crabtree is just looking into the future, one that probably won't include Smith for very long.
--Andy Richardson
- Comments [0]
Readers' Comments
Add a Comment
Already a registered user? Please sign in to add comments.
To add comments, you must become a registered user of our site. To register, please click here.
