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Is It 3rd And Long For Michael Crabtree In San Francisco?

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) - Is Crabtree a third-down receiver?

So Michael Crabtree isn't happy with his role. He said so to reporters following the 49ers thrilling, possibly season-saving victory in New Orleans in which Crabtree hauled in the season-saving 51-yard bomb to set up the game-tying field goal.

He reportedly brushed past Head Coach Jim Harbaugh on his way to the bus. Hey, at least he's still ON the bus, right?

"Third down. I'm a third-down receiver," Crabtree told reporters. "I mean, I'm like the third option. So I come in and I do my job."

Can't be much more transparent than that. While all of the reports attributed to locker room disconnect have come from "unnamed sources," this is the first time an actual player goes on the record. Crabtree clearly feels his role has been diminished.

Most will argue that Crabtree's timing was highly questionable. What kind of team player would think of himself in the aftermath of a season-saving win, a win in which Crabtree himself was the one who saved the season?

This is where the team player gets off the bus and the business player gets on. Crabtree is a free agent after the season and it doesn't take Deloitte to tell you that the one-time favorite target of Colin Kaepernick is losing money. Possibly big money.

Two years ago the 49ers former number one pick had a breakout season. He was targeted 126 times, caught 85 passes for 1,105 yards and nine touchdowns. After injuries derailed his 2013 campaign, Crabtree knew a big season would mean a big payday. But with just 424 yards and a career-low 10.6 average, Crabtree will be another team's bargain in 2015.

Crabtree says he's been relegated to a third-down receiver. Do the numbers support him?

Targeted              Receptions         Yards

Anquan Boldin:               77                           51                           635

Michael Crabtree             68                           40                           424

Stevie Johnson                 40                           31                           399

Brandon Lloyd                   23                           11                           262

Crabtree was drafted 10th overall in 2010. His career has been plagued by a nasty hold out and injuries. His comments of discontent will do nothing to ingratiate him to potential suitors. With a base salary of $3.5 million, he is the 16th highest-paid receiver in the NFL trailing league leader Mike Wallace by a mere $11.5 million.

The numbers listed above don't support Crabtree's theory that his role has been diminished. Even if he wasn't on the field during first and second down, he was still targeted eight times. In other words, Crabtree is the 49ers second option, at the very least. Stevie Johnson was targeted just three times.

The notion that all 53 players in a locker room think about the team before their personal financial situation is naïve. It's a business before it's a sport.   It's a super contract before a Super Bowl. Alex Boone anyone? The 49ers guard held out in summer camp and nearly doubled his salary.

I'm guessing Crabtree's future is playing in his mind and was manifested in his postgame comments. Nothing wrong with that. It's reality. But Deloitte might advise him to keep it under the pads and accept a pat on the back from his coach. Image is everything.

See you on TV.

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