My Michael Crabtree Blog

Well, it took long enough. After months of arguing and posturing, wide receiver Michael Crabtree has ended his holdout and signed with the San Francisco 49ers.

So far, there has been no hint from Crabtree's side as to what the final contract pays Crabtree. Usually the agent tends to leak this information, and since Crabtree's agent has yet to do so, it makes sense to believe that the agent is not that proud of the final agreement.

An NFL source has said that the contract is for 6 years and $32 million. $17 million is guaranteed just for signing (how about that for your autograph?) If Crabtree performs well enough, the final year of the contract worth a base salary of $4million will be voided. However, I understand that the qualifications for the final contract to be voided are so high that it is highly likely that this will turn out to be a 6-year deal.

For example, one of the stipulations is that Michael must make the Pro Bowl at least one year in his first four years. While he may turn into an elite NFL receiver, the competition in the NFC is just too great to expect him to make the Pro Bowl that quickly. The NFC has receivers such as Larry Fitzgerald, Calvin Johnson, Anquan Boldin, and Steve Smith just to name a few. It is pretty much a given that these guys will make the Pro Bowl, and that does not leave a lot of room left for Michael.

All in all, Crabtree ended up signing about the same contract that was offered at the onset of negotiations. It is just a shame that it took so long for him to realize that he was wasting his time and ruining his reputation.

How about those San Francisco 49ers? After a disappointing 2008 campaign that showed some promises of hope, it looks like this Niners team is ready to deliver on that hope in 2009.

Coach Mike Singletary seems to have masterminded what is quickly becoming one of the better defensive units in pro football today. Led by Patrick Willis, the 49ers defense has held its competition to just 26 total points in each of the team's first two games.

The more impressive of the two victories was San Francisco's week one win over the Arizona Cardinals, in Arizona of all places. A 20-16 win shut down the defending NFC champions, surprising many football fans around the country.

Efficient play from Frank Gore at running back, coupled with a great defensive presence thus far, has largely been responsible for this resurgence. Ironically, the team looks like it's better off without 1st round draft pick Michael Crabtree, the wide receiver so many expected to change the face of this franchise.

Crabtree refused to play after becoming unhappy with the contract that another rookie wide receiver had been offered with the Raiders, and it looked as if the state of the 49ers was in disarray entering the season.

After that win at Arizona and another impressive win in week 2 against the visiting Seattle Seahawks, things are looking up for the San Francisco 49ers, and they're surprisingly leading the NFC West division after two weeks of football.

Is this just one of those fluke starts that we see a few teams pull off each year, or are the San Francisco 49ers the real deal in 2009?

Enjoy an awesome San Francisco 49ers forum, at RootZoo Sports, home to the best sports forum online.

The Eagles will come into this game with a chance to clinch a playoff spot (with some help). This is a 49ers team riding high off a victory against the Cardinals but I think it was as much of the Cardinals giving away the game as the 49ers taking it. However, the Eagles don't need to play down to this team because if they do they'll end up the same as the Cardinals. The 49ers have a lot of young talent, they are still just trying to figure out how to put it all together. If the Eagles come out and play the way they have been the past couple weeks, they shouldn't have trouble putting this team away.

Here's some quick team stats and league rankings:

Offense

Points per game: 20.7 (18th)

Yards per game: 288.6 (27th)

Pass yards per game: 189.8 (22nd)

Rush yards per game: 98.8 (24th)

Defense

Points per game: 18.6 (8th)

Yards per game: 338.6 (18th)

Pass yards per game: 243.6 (27th)

Rush yards per game: 95 (5th)

Offense

Alex Smith - Smith is one of those guys who has struggled to find success in the NFL. He has been given another chance this year in San Francisco and is finding a mild success. His rating is higher than in years past (although not stellar) and his touchdown to interception ratio is better (still not stellar). However, I think he is finding some rhythm with Vernon Davis and Michael Crabtree who are two talented young players. The Eagles can't let him get the ball to these guys too often as they're both capable of making big plays.

Frank Gore - The Eagles number one priority on Sunday is going to be to shut down Frank Gore. He had a great game against Arizona last week and will look to repeat the effort against the Eagles. If the 49ers open up a run game early, it sets up Smith to get things done through the air. The Birds can't let Gore run all over them and need to force Smith to try and beat them with his arm. Defensively, the team must tackle better than last week and this starts with bringing down Gore.

Michael Crabtree - He arrived late on the scene but already has more receptions, yards, and touchdowns than Darrius Heyward-Bey who was drafted above him. Crabtree is consistently catching three to six passes a game and has found the end zone twice over the last four weeks. You can't deny the guys talent no matter how big of a hassle he made for the 49ers. He's not a stud yet, but he has the potential. The secondary will need to keep an extra close eye on him and not allow him to do anything big.

Vernon Davis - Even though he's a tight end, Davis it he 49ers number one receiver and is having a great year. Among tight ends, he is first in the NFC is receiving yards (815) and first in the NFL in touchdowns (11). This is scary because the Eagles always struggle to cover the tight end position. The defense can't let this guy get open too often and keep drives going or make big plays. It's a given that he's going to get his touches, but they need to be held to a minimum.

Defense

3-4 Defense - This is going to be the first 3-4 defense the Eagles see since they played the Chargers back in the middle of November. I don't think it's a huge deal, but I'm sure there are definite changes in the blocking scheme. We'd definitely like to see the Eagles have a successful run game so the lineman are going to need to communicate well and get good blocks on the linebackers.

Linebackers - Former Eagles Takeo Spikes lines up as one of the middle men in this scheme but he's not the one I'm worried about. Next to him is the pure tackling machine Patrick Willis who leads the NFL in tackles and always finds his name way up there on the leader board. The guys is a monster and is someone the Eagles will really need to get good blocks on if they want to be successful in the run game. With three games left, he's only nine tackles behind his mark from last year and has already tied his record for sacks in a season. The Eagles offense is going to need to pay close attention to wherever #52 is on the field.

Secondary - This secondary didn't allow Kurt Warner to throw a single touchdown last week while intercepting him twice. They do have talent, and we get to see another ex-Eagle in Michael Lewis at one of the safety positions. The Eagles offense has had a lot of success hitting on big plays this year so you know they're going to look to do that on Sunday. Establishing a run game should help set up the big play. However, I don't think this secondary is good enough to shut down the weapons we have all afternoon. I expect Donovan to be able to do some big things against this secondary.

Special Teams

I'll be interested to see if the 49ers willingly kick to DeSean Jackson after the damage he did against the Giants. If I were them, I wouldn't be kicking to him. I'd like to see Macho Harris get the Eagles some nice starting field position on kick returns. On the other side, the Eagles can't allow the 49ers to have a big play on special teams because this can really get a whole team fired up.

www.BirdsFan.com - A Philadelphia Eagles blog

The San Francisco 49ers 8-8 record in 2009 was their best finish since going 10-6 in 2002. It was the second straight season that the 49ers finished second in the NFC West, and they appear to have their best shot to win the division in years with the Arizona Cardinals losing star quarterback Kurt Warner to retirement. Still this team has to perform before they simply get the division handed over to them. Below is my 2010 San Francisco 49ers preview, plus my prediction on where they finish the season in the NFC West.

Offense:

Just how good the 49ers will be in 2010 will depend on the play of quarterback Alex Smith, who looks to finally live up to his potential after being drafted No.1 overall back in 2005. Smith played well at times in 2009, but still has plenty of room for improvements. The 49ers added another former No.1 overall pick in David Carr, who will step in as the lead backup to Smith.

One thing that has to make you think Smith will have a better season is the big improvements the 49ers made up front on the offensive line. The 49ers had two first round picks and used them on tackle Anthony Davis and guard Mike Iupati. Davis will step in right away at right tackle, while Iupati will join forces with left tackle Joe Staley at left guard. With the new additions look for 2009 right tackle Adam Snyder to battle Chilo Rachal for the starting right guard spot. This unit figures to make drastic improvements this season.

Look out for the 49ers running game this season, as the improved offensive line should pave plenty of big holes for running back Frank Gore, who had one of his best seasons of his career in 2009 with 1,120 yards and 10 touchdowns. Gore has been a workhorse for this offense in his five years with the team, but the plan is to spell Gore more in 2010 and allow second year back Glen Coffee and rookie Anthony Dixon to take over some of his carries.

The 49ers might have had to wait a little while to see what they got in 2009 first round pick Michael Crabtree, but they have to be excited that this guy is in a 49ers uniform for some time to come. Crabtree looked very impressive in 11 starts last year grabbing 48 passes for 625 yards and two scores. I look for Crabtree to have a monster second season, and will soon be grouped with the other elite receivers in this league. The 49ers also have a solid No.2 receiver in Josh Morgan and one of the league's top tight ends in Vernon Davis, who led the team with 13 touchdown receptions in 2009.

Defense:

The 49ers were one of the top rush defenses in the NFL last season, and that doesn't figure to change in 2010, as all three defensive lineman return. Aubrayo Franklin has been a pleasant find at nose tackle, and his solid play forced the team to use the franchise tag on him. Defensive end Justin Smith has a motor that never seems to stop and fellow defensive end Isaac Sopoaga has been a reliable starter playing in 79 of the teams last 80 games.

Another reason the 49ers have been so good against the run, is All Pro middle linebacker Patrick Willis, who rarely lets a runner get by him. Takeo Spikes is back to play alongside Willis in the middle, and has surprisingly played well despite the fact he is getting up there in age. Parys Haralson and Manny Lawson are back on the outside, and the team is hoping to get a much better season of Haralson in 2010.

The 49ers were 21st in the league against the pass in 2009, but a lot of that had to do with the fact that star corner Nate Clements started just six games. Clements is back and healthy for the 2010 season and will once again team up with Shawntae Spencer. The 49ers bring back 2009 starting safeties Michael Lewis and Dashon Goldson, but used their second round pick on USC safety Taylor Mays, and it won't be long before he finds himself making big plays for this defense.

Prediction - 1st NFC West: I think the 49ers could win the West going just 9-7, but I think they end up finishing the season right around 10-6. The key will be making sure they at least win one of two against the Cardinals and avoid any upsets against the Seahawks and Rams.

For a complete look at the upcoming season, check out our 2010 NFL predictions. If you plan on betting the NFL this season, than you want to make sure you have the best NFL odds for every game, and that is exactly what we provide at Betfirms.

The Arizona Cardinals have been the team to beat in the NFC West the last two seasons, but that could change this year. With future Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner deciding to hang it up, NFL lines makes are giving the San Francisco 49ers the edge in the division race, listing them as the -110 favorite to win the division. If the odds makers are correct, the 49ers will punch their ticket to the playoffs for the first time since 2002.

Offense: The offense struggled in 2009, scoring just 20.6 points per game (18th in the NFL). The 49ers finished 25th in rushing offense (100.0 yards per game) and 22nd in passing offense (190.8 yards per game). It was extremely difficult for the offense to sustain drives with its poor 29.8 percent third down conversion rate.

The biggest problem was a mediocre at best offensive line. Joe Staley and Eric Heitmann performed well, but the Niners knew they needed to add more talent up front. So they drafted tackle Anthony Davis and guard Mike Iupati in the first round. These two must be able to step in and perform right away.? The 49ers had a bit of misfortune with Heitmann fracturing his left fibula, but they are hoping to have him back by Week 2.

If the line can show improvement, Frank Gore could be poised for a monster year. Gore rushed for 1,120 yards and 10 scores in 2009, and he added 52 receptions for 406 yards and three more scores. The addition of former Eagles great Brian Westbrook should help keep Gore fresh.

The 49ers are a run-first team, but they have the potential to make big plays through the air with tight end Vernon Davis and wide receiver Michael Crabtree. Davis is coming off a career-year, catching 78 balls for 965 yards and 13 touchdowns. Once Crabtree's holdout was over, he wasted no time putting up big numbers, hauling in 48 passes for 625 yards in just 11 games.

It's been quite the process, but it appears Alex Smith is finally ready to be a starter in the NFL. After stepping into the role last season, he threw for 2,350 yards and 18 touchdowns with 12 interceptions. If he doesn't make the type of progress the Niners are expecting, former Texans starter David Carr will likely get the call.

Defense: Head coach Mike Singletary and defensive coordinator Greg Manusky have teamed up to put a solid defense on the field. This unit held opponents to only 17.9 points per game in 2009 (14th in the NFL).? Thanks to big nose tackle Aubrayo Franklin and stud linebacker Patrick Willis, the 49ers were among the best run-stuffing units in football, holding opponents to only 97.0 yards per game on the ground (6th in the NFL).

This unit was also very opportunistic in 2009. Its 33 forced turnovers tied for fifth-best in the NFL, and its 18 fumble recoveries tied for first.

While no player on the defense recorded more than 6.5 sacks, the 49ers tied for third in the NFL with 44 sacks. Defensive end Justin Smith, who has 13 sacks in two seasons with the Niners, brings the heat on a consistent basis.

If the 49ers can improve their 21st-ranked pass defense, they can really become an elite unit.? In order to do that, they'll need a bounce back season from Nate Clemens.

Prediction: 1st NFC West - Unless Matt Leinart completely surprises with a breakout season, I believe the 49ers will win the West, punching their first playoff ticket in nearly a decade. Be sure to check out my 2010 NFL predictions to see which teams I have winning the other seven divisions.

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