Michael Crabtree
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Now these articles are during the year closer when Oklahoma State played Texas Tech. I would not know where I could dig those up to tell you the truth. However, you do seem to have 200 odd some articles of stating that Crabtree is better than Dez from ligit people so surely you have proof out of that many?
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Checking in with Michael Crabtree
By Chris Steuber
TheRanchReport.com
Posted May 6, 2008
After a spectacular freshman campaign, Texas Tech WR Michael Crabtree looks to continue his dominance in college football this season.
Texas Tech WR Michael Crabtree enjoyed one of the finest freshman campaigns in the history of college football and went on to be a unanimous first team All American and the winner of the Biletnikoff and Paul Warfield Award, which is given to the nation’s top college receiver.
As a redshirt freshman, Crabtree amassed 134 receptions for 1,962 yards and 22 touchdowns, which is unheard of. But in a pass-oriented offense where the receiver’s production is crucial, Crabtree was the beneficiary of many Graham Harrell passes and flourished.
With Crabtree’s spectacular freshman season behind him, Scout.com’s Chris Steuber asked him about his playing days at Dallas Carter and why he decided to attend Texas Tech, what receivers he patterns his game after and if there’s a chance this draft-eligible player declares for the NFL Draft after this season.
Chris Steuber: I remember watching Friday Night Lights, and in the championship game, Odessa Permian played Dallas Carter. You attended Carter High School – what was that like?
Michael Crabtree: It was pretty cool. It was a great football environment to play in.
CS: Is Texas high school football portrayed correctly in the movies, or is it different?
Crabtree: It’s really competitive where I’m from. In the Carter area, there are a lot of people supporting the team. It’s a great place to play, and it’s really exciting.
CS: You played multiple positions at Carter, but primarily at quarterback. How did you wind up becoming a wide receiver?
Crabtree: I was a receiver my sophomore year [at Carter]. I was basically a receiver my whole life; I played quarterback and receiver. When I left high school and attended Tech, I wanted to play receiver.
CS: Did you like one position over the other?
Crabtree: I prefer being a receiver. It’s a real fun position, and I’ve learned a lot.
CS: What went into your decision to go to Texas Tech?
Crabtree: They throw the ball, and I wanted to be a receiver. They say that this system only has system players. It doesn’t matter what the system is, if you’re a football player, you can ball.
CS: Was there another school that you were strongly considering?
Crabtree: Kansas was the other school, but everyone was saying that Kansas wasn’t good. Everyone was telling me that Kansas is just a basketball school; don’t go there, don’t do that.
CS: They finished 12 – 1 last year and won the Orange Bowl.
Crabtree: Yeah, I know.
CS: How would you describe your relationship with Coach Leach? He seems to have a lot of confidence in your abilities for you to go out there and put up the numbers you did last season.
Crabtree: Yeah, definitely; Coach and I are really cool. He’s really good with the plays, and he’s all business on the field. He jokes around a little, but on the field he tells you what he wants to see. If you don’t do it, then you don’t play. I just do whatever he wants me to do.
CS: Last year, as a freshman, you had 134 receptions for 1,962 yards and 22 touchdowns; that’s video game-like numbers. How much are those numbers based on the system you’re in compared to the talent you have?
Crabtree: I think it’s just based on hard work. It’s not the system. As a football player, you just go out and play, and that’s what I did.
CS: After a season like that, you proved that you’re a true playmaker, but are there some aspects of your game that still need to be improved?
Crabtree: There are still aspects of my game that I have to improve. I have to improve some of the physical things like my speed and strength. Plus, I’m trying to get smarter on the field and to understand the game better. The more you know the game, the easier it is.
CS: What was your favorite game from last season? It doesn’t have to be a game where you had a career day, although you only had two games where you didn’t record 100 yards receiving. But was there one game that you got pumped up for?
Crabtree: I’d say the Oklahoma State game, even though we lost. It was the game where I missed the game-winning catch. That was probably the roughest game I played in.
CS: Why was that your favorite game?
Crabtree: We were just going back and forth. It was just a classic shootout. That was probably one of the best games I played in.
CS: How is your relationship with your quarterback, Graham Harrell? He seems to have a lot of confidence in you, and you always seem to be in the right position to make a play.
Crabtree: Yeah, we’re real cool. We talk even if I don’t get a ball thrown to me the whole day. We have a good relationship like that. We can just talk and be cool. Our relationship is pretty good.
CS: How would you describe your game? Is there a player or players you pattern your game after?
Crabtree: I’d say I’m like Jerry Rice with a little T.O., mix a little Chad Johnson in there, and top it off with a bit of Randy Moss. That’s my game.
CS: Now that’s what I call a wide receiver.
Crabtree: No doubt. I’m trying to do what they do and more. I’m trying to put a little running back into my game too. I’m trying to get more physical, more strength; that way I would be harder to tackle. I have a lot of stuff coming out, you’ll see.
CS: I came across an interesting music video entitled, “Crank that Crabtree” on the Internet. What’s that all about?
Crabtree: They do that to get crunk; to get the crowd going.
CS: So do you have your own fan club at the games?
Crabtree: I guess you can say that; it’s crazy. I couldn’t even explain it to you. You will have to come to a game and see it one time.
CS: Do they do some kind of crab dance?
Crabtree: They’re all dancing, and they got the crab claws; they got everything.
CS: Do you get in on it? Do you do a little dance in the endzone?
Crabtree: I do what I feel at the moment, but I do it with them sometimes on the sideline. I try to get everyone crunk.
CS: Do you talk a lot on the field?
Crabtree: Yeah, I talk, but I really don’t talk unless somebody else starts it up. It usually starts when somebody starts with me, and then I’ll start talking from then on.
CS: Do most of the players you go up against talk trash?
Crabtree: Yeah, they do, and I just tell them to be quiet. They all talk noise and make you mad. I get mad, and it makes me want to beat them. It just makes me go that much harder.
CS: You mentioned that you’d like to understand the game better. How do you think your route running is at this time?
Crabtree: I think my route running is good, but I can always get better… [Pause]… I think it’s pretty good right now.
CS: Is there a particular route that you like to run the most?
Crabtree: I don’t really have a favorite route, but if I had to choose I’d say a fade route; just throw it up and I’ll get it.
CS: What is your best attribute as a player?
Crabtree: I’d say my hands.
CS: Your hands led you to one of the most prestigious awards last year. What was it like to win the Biletnikoff Award?
Crabtree: It was great. It was a great experience being up there with all of the All Americans, joking around, and seeing who was going to win. It was a great time, and it was cool to win the award.
CS: If you keep posting numbers like you did last season, a Heisman Trophy may be in your future. Do you ever think about being a Heisman Trophy winner?
Crabtree: Yeah, I think about winning the Heisman. I think about it, but I try not to dwell on it. I’m thinking about my team this year. We’re trying to win every game this year.
CS: That will definitely help your Heisman credentials if you guys win every game.
Crabtree: That’s what I’m saying, it will fall in place if we win every game and I do what I’m supposed to do. But if I don’t do what I have to do, then I don’t deserve it.
CS: Even though you just finished your first year playing ball at Texas Tech, after being redshirted your first season, you’re eligible for the NFL Draft after this year. Have you given any thought to your future at the next level?
Crabtree: Yeah, I’d be lying if I said I haven’t, but I try not to think about it. When that time comes I’ll make that decision.
CS: Do a lot of people ask you about it?
Crabtree: [Sigh]… Yeah, I get asked that question everyday.
CS: Well, pretty soon you will be taking the field everyday at practice. Looking ahead to this upcoming season, what are your goals and what do you want to accomplish?
Crabtree: I’m looking to do great things. I’m going to work as hard as I can this summer, and get ready for this season and give it all that I got. Whatever the results are, that’s what they are, but I want to get us to a BCS game.
A member of the Pro Football Writers of America and the Football Writers Association of America, Chris Steuber has provided his analysis of the NFL and NFL Draft prospects on the web and on the radio since 1999.
http://dal.scout.com/2/752914.html
By Chris Steuber
TheRanchReport.com
Posted May 6, 2008
After a spectacular freshman campaign, Texas Tech WR Michael Crabtree looks to continue his dominance in college football this season.
Texas Tech WR Michael Crabtree enjoyed one of the finest freshman campaigns in the history of college football and went on to be a unanimous first team All American and the winner of the Biletnikoff and Paul Warfield Award, which is given to the nation’s top college receiver.
As a redshirt freshman, Crabtree amassed 134 receptions for 1,962 yards and 22 touchdowns, which is unheard of. But in a pass-oriented offense where the receiver’s production is crucial, Crabtree was the beneficiary of many Graham Harrell passes and flourished.
With Crabtree’s spectacular freshman season behind him, Scout.com’s Chris Steuber asked him about his playing days at Dallas Carter and why he decided to attend Texas Tech, what receivers he patterns his game after and if there’s a chance this draft-eligible player declares for the NFL Draft after this season.
Chris Steuber: I remember watching Friday Night Lights, and in the championship game, Odessa Permian played Dallas Carter. You attended Carter High School – what was that like?
Michael Crabtree: It was pretty cool. It was a great football environment to play in.
CS: Is Texas high school football portrayed correctly in the movies, or is it different?
Crabtree: It’s really competitive where I’m from. In the Carter area, there are a lot of people supporting the team. It’s a great place to play, and it’s really exciting.
CS: You played multiple positions at Carter, but primarily at quarterback. How did you wind up becoming a wide receiver?
Crabtree: I was a receiver my sophomore year [at Carter]. I was basically a receiver my whole life; I played quarterback and receiver. When I left high school and attended Tech, I wanted to play receiver.
CS: Did you like one position over the other?
Crabtree: I prefer being a receiver. It’s a real fun position, and I’ve learned a lot.
CS: What went into your decision to go to Texas Tech?
Crabtree: They throw the ball, and I wanted to be a receiver. They say that this system only has system players. It doesn’t matter what the system is, if you’re a football player, you can ball.
CS: Was there another school that you were strongly considering?
Crabtree: Kansas was the other school, but everyone was saying that Kansas wasn’t good. Everyone was telling me that Kansas is just a basketball school; don’t go there, don’t do that.
CS: They finished 12 – 1 last year and won the Orange Bowl.
Crabtree: Yeah, I know.
CS: How would you describe your relationship with Coach Leach? He seems to have a lot of confidence in your abilities for you to go out there and put up the numbers you did last season.
Crabtree: Yeah, definitely; Coach and I are really cool. He’s really good with the plays, and he’s all business on the field. He jokes around a little, but on the field he tells you what he wants to see. If you don’t do it, then you don’t play. I just do whatever he wants me to do.
CS: Last year, as a freshman, you had 134 receptions for 1,962 yards and 22 touchdowns; that’s video game-like numbers. How much are those numbers based on the system you’re in compared to the talent you have?
Crabtree: I think it’s just based on hard work. It’s not the system. As a football player, you just go out and play, and that’s what I did.
CS: After a season like that, you proved that you’re a true playmaker, but are there some aspects of your game that still need to be improved?
Crabtree: There are still aspects of my game that I have to improve. I have to improve some of the physical things like my speed and strength. Plus, I’m trying to get smarter on the field and to understand the game better. The more you know the game, the easier it is.
CS: What was your favorite game from last season? It doesn’t have to be a game where you had a career day, although you only had two games where you didn’t record 100 yards receiving. But was there one game that you got pumped up for?
Crabtree: I’d say the Oklahoma State game, even though we lost. It was the game where I missed the game-winning catch. That was probably the roughest game I played in.
CS: Why was that your favorite game?
Crabtree: We were just going back and forth. It was just a classic shootout. That was probably one of the best games I played in.
CS: How is your relationship with your quarterback, Graham Harrell? He seems to have a lot of confidence in you, and you always seem to be in the right position to make a play.
Crabtree: Yeah, we’re real cool. We talk even if I don’t get a ball thrown to me the whole day. We have a good relationship like that. We can just talk and be cool. Our relationship is pretty good.
CS: How would you describe your game? Is there a player or players you pattern your game after?
Crabtree: I’d say I’m like Jerry Rice with a little T.O., mix a little Chad Johnson in there, and top it off with a bit of Randy Moss. That’s my game.
CS: Now that’s what I call a wide receiver.
Crabtree: No doubt. I’m trying to do what they do and more. I’m trying to put a little running back into my game too. I’m trying to get more physical, more strength; that way I would be harder to tackle. I have a lot of stuff coming out, you’ll see.
CS: I came across an interesting music video entitled, “Crank that Crabtree” on the Internet. What’s that all about?
Crabtree: They do that to get crunk; to get the crowd going.
CS: So do you have your own fan club at the games?
Crabtree: I guess you can say that; it’s crazy. I couldn’t even explain it to you. You will have to come to a game and see it one time.
CS: Do they do some kind of crab dance?
Crabtree: They’re all dancing, and they got the crab claws; they got everything.
CS: Do you get in on it? Do you do a little dance in the endzone?
Crabtree: I do what I feel at the moment, but I do it with them sometimes on the sideline. I try to get everyone crunk.
CS: Do you talk a lot on the field?
Crabtree: Yeah, I talk, but I really don’t talk unless somebody else starts it up. It usually starts when somebody starts with me, and then I’ll start talking from then on.
CS: Do most of the players you go up against talk trash?
Crabtree: Yeah, they do, and I just tell them to be quiet. They all talk noise and make you mad. I get mad, and it makes me want to beat them. It just makes me go that much harder.
CS: You mentioned that you’d like to understand the game better. How do you think your route running is at this time?
Crabtree: I think my route running is good, but I can always get better… [Pause]… I think it’s pretty good right now.
CS: Is there a particular route that you like to run the most?
Crabtree: I don’t really have a favorite route, but if I had to choose I’d say a fade route; just throw it up and I’ll get it.
CS: What is your best attribute as a player?
Crabtree: I’d say my hands.
CS: Your hands led you to one of the most prestigious awards last year. What was it like to win the Biletnikoff Award?
Crabtree: It was great. It was a great experience being up there with all of the All Americans, joking around, and seeing who was going to win. It was a great time, and it was cool to win the award.
CS: If you keep posting numbers like you did last season, a Heisman Trophy may be in your future. Do you ever think about being a Heisman Trophy winner?
Crabtree: Yeah, I think about winning the Heisman. I think about it, but I try not to dwell on it. I’m thinking about my team this year. We’re trying to win every game this year.
CS: That will definitely help your Heisman credentials if you guys win every game.
Crabtree: That’s what I’m saying, it will fall in place if we win every game and I do what I’m supposed to do. But if I don’t do what I have to do, then I don’t deserve it.
CS: Even though you just finished your first year playing ball at Texas Tech, after being redshirted your first season, you’re eligible for the NFL Draft after this year. Have you given any thought to your future at the next level?
Crabtree: Yeah, I’d be lying if I said I haven’t, but I try not to think about it. When that time comes I’ll make that decision.
CS: Do a lot of people ask you about it?
Crabtree: [Sigh]… Yeah, I get asked that question everyday.
CS: Well, pretty soon you will be taking the field everyday at practice. Looking ahead to this upcoming season, what are your goals and what do you want to accomplish?
Crabtree: I’m looking to do great things. I’m going to work as hard as I can this summer, and get ready for this season and give it all that I got. Whatever the results are, that’s what they are, but I want to get us to a BCS game.
A member of the Pro Football Writers of America and the Football Writers Association of America, Chris Steuber has provided his analysis of the NFL and NFL Draft prospects on the web and on the radio since 1999.
http://dal.scout.com/2/752914.html
Arch Stanton
it was the grave marked unknown right beside
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THE SPACE BETWEEN
If you get a chance to see Michael Crabtree play this season, take it. He might just be the best college wideout ever.
by Bruce Feldman
Michael Crabtree looks overmatched. It is July 31, 2006, and Crabtree is getting posted up in the Texas High School Coaches Association all-star basketball game. In a few days he'll begin his football career at Texas Tech, but tonight the 6'3", 200-pound kid is locked up with Dexter Pittman, a 6'10", 320-pounder with a backside as broad as a Buick. Pittman wants position, and Crabtree isn't about to give it to him.
Crabtree started the game on the bench and watched Pittman, a nationally ranked recruit bound for Texas, stake the South squad to an early large lead. Pittman would be a load for some NBA bigs, but Crabtree loves this challenge. All season he banged with big men as the brawniest player in Dallas Carter High's five-guard lineup.
Crabtree's dad, Michael Sr., isn't worried either. He knows this is the same kid who, as a high school freshman, persuaded the varsity football coach to let him play lockdown corner. This is the same kid who, in second grade, used to fight sixth-grade bullies. And it's the same kid who, as a 5-year-old, was hospitalized with an infection in his leg that forced him to miss all but the last game of the flag football season—then, the first time he touched the ball, Li'l Crab ran up the middle, over a defender and 80 yards downfield for a touchdown.
On this night, Crabtree's 16 points and seven boards aren't enough to lead a comeback. But the media still vote him the North's MVP. "My kid," Crabtree Sr. says proudly, "has heart!"
And hands. And smarts. In fact, ask anyone who knows Crabtree how a redshirt freshman who never played wideout can catch 134 passes for 1,962 yards and 22 TDs, and each will give you a different answer. We know—we did just that. But all the answers led to this ultimate truth: Michael Crabtree is college football's premier receiver.
"A GREAT SENSE OF SPACE"
Prod Texas Tech coach Mike Leach to say what makes Crabtree such a prodigious receiving talent, and he responds with a curious answer for a football coach: "He has a great sense of space." Usually you'll hear coaches wax on about a pass-catcher's blazing speed or soft hands or quick feet coming out of breaks. But Leach explains that maneuvering in space is essential to route-running. Or, as it should be called in Tech's four-wide, no-huddle, shotgun attack, route-adjusting.
Leach explains that Crabtree, like former Tech and current Patriots star Wes Welker, has an uncanny knack for reading coverages and adjusting his routes "without breaking the integrity of the combination of the other routes." In layman's terms: Crabtree doesn't run into teammates or flood spots designed to be opened up by the play.
Once the ball is snapped, Red Raiders QB Graham Harrell and his receivers quickly recalculate, reading coverages and scouting downfield for holes instead of automatically running a precise route. "We coach it. We encourage it. We insist on it," Leach says of improvisation. "You show the player on film: 'You're standing here covered by this guy, but there's a big hole right here. Why is that?' " The coach rubs his eyes in mock frustration before continuing. " 'If you take three steps over here, you're wide open.' "
Leach has no such problems with Crabtree, and the coach thinks the player developed his keen sense of surroundings on the basketball court. But Crabtree says he just puts in a lot of time studying film and getting reps with his QB. But Mike, don't all receivers know to do those things? "It's one thing to know it," Crabtree says, "and it's another thing to do it."
"FIGURE OUT HOW TO COUNTER EVERYTHING"
Crabtree's cousin David Wells believes the receiver's greatness is rooted not in hoops but in boxing. Sparring taught Crabtree what his body could do. Wells knows what he's talking about: He trained former WBC middleweight champ Quincy Taylor. And when his cousin was in junior high, the two worked out together for three hours several nights a week. "Training like a boxer really worked on Michael's reflexes," Wells says. "He worked on his hand-eye coordination and was constantly working with his body, always having to figure out how to counter everything, how to change angles." And although Wells says Crabtree "looked like a scared rat" the first time he got into the ring, the kid was slick enough to win the respect of the older guys in the gym.
Boxing taught Crabtree something else, too: about the solitude of sports, about how to hardwire your mind to adjust to your environment. In late summer 2006, before Crabtree's freshman year, he was put in academic limbo by the NCAA because his high school had lost some of his paperwork before finally sending it to the NCAA clearinghouse. Crabtree waited while Tech appealed. Weeks passed. No updates. "I was like, Man, what am I gonna do?" he says. "I was so lost."
Crabtree hurt too much even to go to the stadium and watch his team play. By the time he found out he was eligible—after Tech's third game that season—coaches had decided to redshirt him. He was still too upset to attend games in person, so he sat in his apartment and listened to them on the radio.
Allen Wilson, the coach at Carter High, says the year off was a blessing for Crabtree, giving him time to learn the nuances of playing receiver. Better still, it fueled him, adding to the hunger that Wilson believes makes the receiver special: "Not getting to play that year was the best thing that could have happened to him."
"JUST PLAY FASTER"
Remember that little kid with the leg infection who went 80 yards to score in a flag football game? He grew up to be the Wing-T high school QB who, when Texas recruiters asked him about playing defense for the Longhorns, waved them off and said, "I want to score touchdowns." He grew up to be the kid who, when Bobby Knight asked him about playing hoops for the Red Raiders, said no thanks but claimed he'd be All-Big 12 if he did play.
Sound boastful? Well, Tech's football coaches have learned not to doubt him. Receivers coach Lincoln Riley says Crabtree has looked polished from his first day playing the position. "Welker and Crabtree are definitely the smartest wide receivers we've ever had here," Riley says. "And not just by a little. And whether they run a 4.4 or a 4.7, they never get confused, so they just play faster.
"WELKER AND CRABTREE ARE THE SMARTEST RECEIVERS WE'VE HAD," SAYS ONE TECH COACH. "AND NOT BY A LITTLE."
"Michael knows where the holes are gonna be, especially in those scramble situations," Riley continues. "And you can tell him things that may screw up other guys. He just gets it. "Welker, whom Tech coaches dubbed The Natural, says Crabtree's burst is what separates him on the field, although neither player has ever been called a burner. Leach likes to say, "If the NFL were one-hand touch, Welker would be out of a job."
When Crabtree's teammates hear the same things about their superstar, they have a standard response: For not being very fast, Crabtree sure runs past a lot of former track stars.
"HE GOES UP AND FIGHTS FOR THE BALL"
No matter how well Crabtree does on the field this season, there will always be skeptics who say that his greatness is merely a result of the Tech system. They'll say he's a step slow. They'll predict he'll be exposed if he goes pro a year from now and faces real defenses. And they'll be wrong.
This summer, Wells, who says he has worked security for some of the Dallas Cowboys, arranged for Crabtree to work out at Deion Sanders' football camp in Dallas. For two days, Crabtree ran routes against Pacman Jones and other NFL defensive backs while Sanders and his pal Michael Irvin gave him pointers. Crabtree says Irvin showed him how to beat press coverage and maneuver through a defensive backfield. The NFL players say Crabtree showed them a few things too. "Man, he's a helluva player," says Omar Stoutmire, an 11-year NFL vet. "The way he goes up and fights for the ball—you won't find many receivers who can do it like that. I saw him make three catches against some of the best cornerbacks in the NFL. That's all about attitude."
Add it to the list.
If you get a chance to see Michael Crabtree play this season, take it. He might just be the best college wideout ever.
by Bruce Feldman
Michael Crabtree looks overmatched. It is July 31, 2006, and Crabtree is getting posted up in the Texas High School Coaches Association all-star basketball game. In a few days he'll begin his football career at Texas Tech, but tonight the 6'3", 200-pound kid is locked up with Dexter Pittman, a 6'10", 320-pounder with a backside as broad as a Buick. Pittman wants position, and Crabtree isn't about to give it to him.
Crabtree started the game on the bench and watched Pittman, a nationally ranked recruit bound for Texas, stake the South squad to an early large lead. Pittman would be a load for some NBA bigs, but Crabtree loves this challenge. All season he banged with big men as the brawniest player in Dallas Carter High's five-guard lineup.
Crabtree's dad, Michael Sr., isn't worried either. He knows this is the same kid who, as a high school freshman, persuaded the varsity football coach to let him play lockdown corner. This is the same kid who, in second grade, used to fight sixth-grade bullies. And it's the same kid who, as a 5-year-old, was hospitalized with an infection in his leg that forced him to miss all but the last game of the flag football season—then, the first time he touched the ball, Li'l Crab ran up the middle, over a defender and 80 yards downfield for a touchdown.
On this night, Crabtree's 16 points and seven boards aren't enough to lead a comeback. But the media still vote him the North's MVP. "My kid," Crabtree Sr. says proudly, "has heart!"
And hands. And smarts. In fact, ask anyone who knows Crabtree how a redshirt freshman who never played wideout can catch 134 passes for 1,962 yards and 22 TDs, and each will give you a different answer. We know—we did just that. But all the answers led to this ultimate truth: Michael Crabtree is college football's premier receiver.
"A GREAT SENSE OF SPACE"
Prod Texas Tech coach Mike Leach to say what makes Crabtree such a prodigious receiving talent, and he responds with a curious answer for a football coach: "He has a great sense of space." Usually you'll hear coaches wax on about a pass-catcher's blazing speed or soft hands or quick feet coming out of breaks. But Leach explains that maneuvering in space is essential to route-running. Or, as it should be called in Tech's four-wide, no-huddle, shotgun attack, route-adjusting.
Leach explains that Crabtree, like former Tech and current Patriots star Wes Welker, has an uncanny knack for reading coverages and adjusting his routes "without breaking the integrity of the combination of the other routes." In layman's terms: Crabtree doesn't run into teammates or flood spots designed to be opened up by the play.
Once the ball is snapped, Red Raiders QB Graham Harrell and his receivers quickly recalculate, reading coverages and scouting downfield for holes instead of automatically running a precise route. "We coach it. We encourage it. We insist on it," Leach says of improvisation. "You show the player on film: 'You're standing here covered by this guy, but there's a big hole right here. Why is that?' " The coach rubs his eyes in mock frustration before continuing. " 'If you take three steps over here, you're wide open.' "
Leach has no such problems with Crabtree, and the coach thinks the player developed his keen sense of surroundings on the basketball court. But Crabtree says he just puts in a lot of time studying film and getting reps with his QB. But Mike, don't all receivers know to do those things? "It's one thing to know it," Crabtree says, "and it's another thing to do it."
"FIGURE OUT HOW TO COUNTER EVERYTHING"
Crabtree's cousin David Wells believes the receiver's greatness is rooted not in hoops but in boxing. Sparring taught Crabtree what his body could do. Wells knows what he's talking about: He trained former WBC middleweight champ Quincy Taylor. And when his cousin was in junior high, the two worked out together for three hours several nights a week. "Training like a boxer really worked on Michael's reflexes," Wells says. "He worked on his hand-eye coordination and was constantly working with his body, always having to figure out how to counter everything, how to change angles." And although Wells says Crabtree "looked like a scared rat" the first time he got into the ring, the kid was slick enough to win the respect of the older guys in the gym.
Boxing taught Crabtree something else, too: about the solitude of sports, about how to hardwire your mind to adjust to your environment. In late summer 2006, before Crabtree's freshman year, he was put in academic limbo by the NCAA because his high school had lost some of his paperwork before finally sending it to the NCAA clearinghouse. Crabtree waited while Tech appealed. Weeks passed. No updates. "I was like, Man, what am I gonna do?" he says. "I was so lost."
Crabtree hurt too much even to go to the stadium and watch his team play. By the time he found out he was eligible—after Tech's third game that season—coaches had decided to redshirt him. He was still too upset to attend games in person, so he sat in his apartment and listened to them on the radio.
Allen Wilson, the coach at Carter High, says the year off was a blessing for Crabtree, giving him time to learn the nuances of playing receiver. Better still, it fueled him, adding to the hunger that Wilson believes makes the receiver special: "Not getting to play that year was the best thing that could have happened to him."
"JUST PLAY FASTER"
Remember that little kid with the leg infection who went 80 yards to score in a flag football game? He grew up to be the Wing-T high school QB who, when Texas recruiters asked him about playing defense for the Longhorns, waved them off and said, "I want to score touchdowns." He grew up to be the kid who, when Bobby Knight asked him about playing hoops for the Red Raiders, said no thanks but claimed he'd be All-Big 12 if he did play.
Sound boastful? Well, Tech's football coaches have learned not to doubt him. Receivers coach Lincoln Riley says Crabtree has looked polished from his first day playing the position. "Welker and Crabtree are definitely the smartest wide receivers we've ever had here," Riley says. "And not just by a little. And whether they run a 4.4 or a 4.7, they never get confused, so they just play faster.
"WELKER AND CRABTREE ARE THE SMARTEST RECEIVERS WE'VE HAD," SAYS ONE TECH COACH. "AND NOT BY A LITTLE."
"Michael knows where the holes are gonna be, especially in those scramble situations," Riley continues. "And you can tell him things that may screw up other guys. He just gets it. "Welker, whom Tech coaches dubbed The Natural, says Crabtree's burst is what separates him on the field, although neither player has ever been called a burner. Leach likes to say, "If the NFL were one-hand touch, Welker would be out of a job."
When Crabtree's teammates hear the same things about their superstar, they have a standard response: For not being very fast, Crabtree sure runs past a lot of former track stars.
"HE GOES UP AND FIGHTS FOR THE BALL"
No matter how well Crabtree does on the field this season, there will always be skeptics who say that his greatness is merely a result of the Tech system. They'll say he's a step slow. They'll predict he'll be exposed if he goes pro a year from now and faces real defenses. And they'll be wrong.
This summer, Wells, who says he has worked security for some of the Dallas Cowboys, arranged for Crabtree to work out at Deion Sanders' football camp in Dallas. For two days, Crabtree ran routes against Pacman Jones and other NFL defensive backs while Sanders and his pal Michael Irvin gave him pointers. Crabtree says Irvin showed him how to beat press coverage and maneuver through a defensive backfield. The NFL players say Crabtree showed them a few things too. "Man, he's a helluva player," says Omar Stoutmire, an 11-year NFL vet. "The way he goes up and fights for the ball—you won't find many receivers who can do it like that. I saw him make three catches against some of the best cornerbacks in the NFL. That's all about attitude."
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Crabtree is no catch of the day
By Jason King, Yahoo! Sports Nov 14, 5:32 am EST
LUBBOCK, Texas – Before Michael Irvin would talk – before he’d share details about his relationship with Michael Crabtree – the NFL Hall of Famer said he needed to ask permission.
But Irvin was having trouble reaching the Texas Tech receiver he’s mentored for the past year. Once during the afternoon and again in the evening earlier this week, Irvin attempted to call the 21-year-old sophomore. Each time, the result was the same.
“The number you’ve dialed is not a working number,” a message said. “Please check the number and dial again.”
The recording wasn’t an error.
Earlier that day, Crabtree contacted his cellular company and asked for new digits. His father said his son’s phone has been “blowing up” ever since his game-winning touchdown catch against top-ranked Texas two weeks ago. Everyone from reporters to relatives he didn’t know existed to “friends” he hasn’t heard from in years.
“So many people,” Michael Crabtree Sr. said, “want a piece of him.”
That includes the folks who bombarded Crabtree this week at South Plains Mall in Lubbock. Crabtree popped in on Monday to buy a shirt and a bag of sweets from his favorite cookie shop, but after an hour, he left empty-handed.
“I must’ve posed for pictures with 20 different people,” Crabtree said later that afternoon. “When it was time to leave, I hadn’t even got what I needed.
“I’m telling you, it’s crazy around here right now. You can’t do normal stuff.”
Crabtree smiled.
“I don’t mind, though,” he said. “If I’ve got to play that role, I’ll play it.”
As well as he’s adapting to his status as the “it” guy at Texas Tech, folks in Lubbock still aren’t sure how to act when they see Crabtree’s gray Chevy Tahoe rolling through campus.
At 10-0, the Red Raiders are on the cusp of their first Big 12 championship thanks to Crabtree, who’s already being hailed as the top NFL prospect in school history despite playing less than two college seasons.
Cheerleaders do the “crab walk” each time Crabtree scores a touchdown. Texas Tech’s media relations department has launched a Heisman campaign for him and quarterback Graham Harrell, and almost every week, former Dallas Cowboys standouts Irvin and Deion Sanders call to offer advice.
Unless, of course, they can’t get through.
” (Irvin) definitely wants to talk to you about (Crabtree),” says Clarence Carter, who produces Irvin’s radio show. “But he won’t do it until he talks to him first. He respects him that much.”
When he was hired in March of 2006, Gail-David Dupree became the third principal at Dallas’ Carter High School within a single academic year. He said he’ll never forget his inaugural week on the job.
Hundreds of students – many of them on cell phones – walked the halls after the tardy bell had rung. Girls sported sunglasses in class and boys’ britches sagged below their hips.
“There were 11 fights in my first seven days,” Dupree said. “It was total chaos. I thought I’d been sent to Iraq.”
Dupree paused.
“The one thing I noticed,” he said, “is that the football players weren’t involved in any of that stuff – especially not Michael Crabtree.”
Indeed, even though he attended one of the roughest high schools in Dallas, Crabtree’s bright future in sports always steered him clear of the trouble that infested the halls and neighborhoods surrounding Carter.
Crabtree’s potential in football was evident from the moment he stepped onto the field for his father’s little league team. The first time he carried the ball for the Moreland YMCA Cowboys flag football team, he barreled over a defender at the line of scrimmage and dashed 80 yards for a touchdown.
In grade school, when it came time for pads and tackling, Michael Crabtree Sr. forced his son to play in leagues that featured players two and three years older. Dad never heard one complaint.
“I actually cried the few times he made me play against people my age,” Crabtree said. “I was like, ‘Dad, I don’t want to hurt those little kids.’”
When Crabtree enrolled at Carter, coach Allen Wilson knew immediately this player had a chance to have a great impact at a tradition-rich school that produces four to five top division signees each year.
Wilson recalled Crabtree approaching him on the sideline during a freshman game and asking him to insert him at cornerback. Crabtree told Wilson that he was friends with one of the opposing players.
“He’s fast, coach,” Crabtree told Wilson. “Let me cover him. Let me get him.”
Crabtree’s wish was granted after the player burned Carter’s cornerback for a touchdown on the game’s opening possession.
“He shut him down for the rest of the game,” Wilson said. “I knew then that he was special. Any time someone is begging to be thrown into the heat, into the fire … they’ve got something you can’t coach. He doesn’t fail very often.”
Crabtree’s athletic prowess extended beyond the football field.
By the time he was a junior, college coaches were flocking to AAU tournaments and to Carter to watch Crabtree play basketball. He averaged 20.8 points as a senior, which drew the attention of former Texas Tech coach Bob Knight.
“One game,” Crabtree said, “I dunked the ball and started talking noise to some guys I knew on the other team. I heard Coach Knight scream, ‘Michael, quit talking (trash) and play basketball.’ I shut up after that.”
The incident didn’t deter Knight from pursuing Crabtree. Knight’s son, Pat, who is now the Red Raiders’ head coach, said Crabtree would’ve been one of the top players in the Big 12 had he chosen to stick with hoops But Crabtree eventually decided his talents were best suited for the football field.
Even though he played quarterback as a junior and senior at Carter, college coaches could sense that the 6-foot-3, 214-pound Crabtree was a natural fit for receiver at the next level. That was especially the case at Texas Tech, where Crabtree’s cousin, Ricky Williams, had starred as a running back in the late 1990s.
Back then, under Spike Dykes, the Red Raiders were known for their ground attack with all-conference tailbacks such as Williams, Byron Hanspard and Bam Morris. But when Mike Leach took over in 2000, Texas Tech switched to the spread and began throwing 40-50 passes a game.
“It was the perfect fit for Michael,” Crabtree’s father said. “I’m not really surprised by what he’s done there. But I don’t think anyone – not even me – expected him to do this well this fast.”
Even though he committed to Texas Tech a few weeks before National Signing Day in 2006, Michael Crabtree continued to field calls from Mike Leach up until the morning he faxed in his letter of intent.
“He absolutely hated talking on the phone,” Leach said. “He would always say, ‘Coach, I told you I was going to Tech. I don’t know why you keep calling. I enjoy talking to you, but we had a late practice today, so I’m going to bed. I’ll see you later.’
“It was always very abrupt. He’s not into these long, flowery conversations. He just focuses on football.”
Crabtree has always been the quiet type who shies away from attention. Heck, he didn’t even take a date to his senior prom.
“But there were still plenty of girls asking to take pictures with him,” said Dupree, the principal.
Crabtree said he doesn’t understand why fans and strangers seem so awestruck in his presence. If anything, he seems embarrassed by the bumper stickers and website that’s part of his and Harrell’s Heisman campaign.
“I really, truly don’t care about most of that stuff,” Crabtree said. “It’s just a bunch of people’s opinions. As long as we win, that’s all that matters.”
The Red Raiders have been doing just that with Crabtree, who needed just 23 games to move into eighth place on the NCAA’s career touchdown receptions list with 40. Crabtree is only 98 receiving yards of breaking Wes Welker’s school record of 3,069.
As well as his college career has gone, Crabtree didn’t get off to the best start at Texas Tech. He missed the 2006 season when the NCAA Clearinghouse refused to certify him because of a questionable grade from his sophomore year of high school.
Crabtree was disheartened by the situation – he never attended a Red Raiders game that season – but he didn’t let it deter him.
Instead Crabtree made frequent trips back to Dallas to work out with his cousin, David Wells, a former bodyguard for Irvin and Adam “Pacman” Jones. Wells also trains professional boxers in a non-air-conditioned adjacent to his home. Crabtree became a staple there, jumping rope, punching speed bags and heavy bags and lifting weights.
Wells ordered a second set of the equipment and had it sent to Crabtree’s home in Lubbock. With each workout, Crabtree’s intensity increased. His teammates said they could see the difference his efforts were making on the field.
At times, a few of Crabtree’s teammates even became irritated with him for running through tackles too hard during what many felt was supposed to be a “light” practice.
“He’s the most fierce competitor I’ve ever been around,” defensive back Darcel McBath said. “Even when the ball isn’t coming to him, he’s blocking his tail off. He’s trying to drive people out of bounds or into the turf.
“Whether he has the ball in his hands or not, he wants every play to go 80 yards.”
“I’m around pro athletes every day and he’s been around them, too. You see how they screw up. You see the money they’ve made and lost. That’s not going to happen to Michael. He’s got his head on straight.”
– David Wells, professional trainer
Crabtree won the Biletnikoff Award after a freshman season in which he also earned first-team All-American honors. The success hardly caused him to become complacent.
Instead Crabtree spent most of this past summer in Lubbock working out with Harrell, who’s considered the current leader in this year’s Heisman race.
Crabtree said he and Harrell spent their afternoons running 10-yard routes up and down the field at Jones AT&T Stadium, stopping near the end zone for three consecutive plays from the goal line. Down and back, down and back they went – without any water.
“Doing that every day in this Texas heat?” Crabtree said. “Now that’s a workout.”
Maybe the most beneficial experience, though, came when Sanders invited Crabtree to attend his camp at SMU last summer. With NFL all-stars such as Devin Hester and T.J. Houshmandzadeh looking on, Crabtree went one-on-one with Pacman. More times than not, the college kid beat the pro.
“It was remarkable,” Wells said. “He looked like he’d already been playing in the NFL for years. Pacman, naturally, was all mad and pissed off about it. But in the end he couldn’t help but compliment Michael and show his respect.”
Crabtree’s maturation off the field has been striking, too. Last spring he returned to Dallas and went to a party with some of his friends from high school. The next day Wells learned that Crabtree had returned home before midnight.
“He said there was some stuff going on that he didn’t want to be around,” said Wells, who declined to provide specifics. “You’re not going to catch him smoking. You’re not going to catch him drinking. You’re not going to catch him doing things he’s not supposed to do.
“I’m around pro athletes every day and he’s been around them, too. You see how they screw up. You see the money they’ve made and lost. That’s not going to happen to Michael. He’s got his head on straight.”
A few weeks ago Michael Crabtree picked up his cell phone and called Deion Sanders and asked him if he ever used to dream.
Not about money or cars or women or fame, but about making plays and scoring touchdowns.
“I’d been doing that a lot,” Crabtree said, “and I wanted to find out if it was normal. Deion said it was.”
That’s why Crabtree wasn’t surprised when he made the game-winning catch with one second remaining in Texas Tech’s 38-33 victory over Texas on Nov. 1. He said he’d visualized the play countless times in his sleep.
Some snickered at Crabtree’s comments, but Leach believed every word.
“I bet he thought it through thousands of times,” Leach said. “That’s the thing about Michael: He’s not doing this for a bunch of attention or trophies. Michael just loves football at a level that most players don’t.”
Leach said one of his favorite all-time quotes came from Crabtree after the game that night.
“Someone asked him about the next opponent and about playing in all these big games against ranked teams,” Leach said. “Michael just said, ‘I never think about any of that. All I see are balls in the air.’”
Found those articles during the season. Thought they'd be of interest.
By Jason King, Yahoo! Sports Nov 14, 5:32 am EST
LUBBOCK, Texas – Before Michael Irvin would talk – before he’d share details about his relationship with Michael Crabtree – the NFL Hall of Famer said he needed to ask permission.
But Irvin was having trouble reaching the Texas Tech receiver he’s mentored for the past year. Once during the afternoon and again in the evening earlier this week, Irvin attempted to call the 21-year-old sophomore. Each time, the result was the same.
“The number you’ve dialed is not a working number,” a message said. “Please check the number and dial again.”
The recording wasn’t an error.
Earlier that day, Crabtree contacted his cellular company and asked for new digits. His father said his son’s phone has been “blowing up” ever since his game-winning touchdown catch against top-ranked Texas two weeks ago. Everyone from reporters to relatives he didn’t know existed to “friends” he hasn’t heard from in years.
“So many people,” Michael Crabtree Sr. said, “want a piece of him.”
That includes the folks who bombarded Crabtree this week at South Plains Mall in Lubbock. Crabtree popped in on Monday to buy a shirt and a bag of sweets from his favorite cookie shop, but after an hour, he left empty-handed.
“I must’ve posed for pictures with 20 different people,” Crabtree said later that afternoon. “When it was time to leave, I hadn’t even got what I needed.
“I’m telling you, it’s crazy around here right now. You can’t do normal stuff.”
Crabtree smiled.
“I don’t mind, though,” he said. “If I’ve got to play that role, I’ll play it.”
As well as he’s adapting to his status as the “it” guy at Texas Tech, folks in Lubbock still aren’t sure how to act when they see Crabtree’s gray Chevy Tahoe rolling through campus.
At 10-0, the Red Raiders are on the cusp of their first Big 12 championship thanks to Crabtree, who’s already being hailed as the top NFL prospect in school history despite playing less than two college seasons.
Cheerleaders do the “crab walk” each time Crabtree scores a touchdown. Texas Tech’s media relations department has launched a Heisman campaign for him and quarterback Graham Harrell, and almost every week, former Dallas Cowboys standouts Irvin and Deion Sanders call to offer advice.
Unless, of course, they can’t get through.
” (Irvin) definitely wants to talk to you about (Crabtree),” says Clarence Carter, who produces Irvin’s radio show. “But he won’t do it until he talks to him first. He respects him that much.”
When he was hired in March of 2006, Gail-David Dupree became the third principal at Dallas’ Carter High School within a single academic year. He said he’ll never forget his inaugural week on the job.
Hundreds of students – many of them on cell phones – walked the halls after the tardy bell had rung. Girls sported sunglasses in class and boys’ britches sagged below their hips.
“There were 11 fights in my first seven days,” Dupree said. “It was total chaos. I thought I’d been sent to Iraq.”
Dupree paused.
“The one thing I noticed,” he said, “is that the football players weren’t involved in any of that stuff – especially not Michael Crabtree.”
Indeed, even though he attended one of the roughest high schools in Dallas, Crabtree’s bright future in sports always steered him clear of the trouble that infested the halls and neighborhoods surrounding Carter.
Crabtree’s potential in football was evident from the moment he stepped onto the field for his father’s little league team. The first time he carried the ball for the Moreland YMCA Cowboys flag football team, he barreled over a defender at the line of scrimmage and dashed 80 yards for a touchdown.
In grade school, when it came time for pads and tackling, Michael Crabtree Sr. forced his son to play in leagues that featured players two and three years older. Dad never heard one complaint.
“I actually cried the few times he made me play against people my age,” Crabtree said. “I was like, ‘Dad, I don’t want to hurt those little kids.’”
When Crabtree enrolled at Carter, coach Allen Wilson knew immediately this player had a chance to have a great impact at a tradition-rich school that produces four to five top division signees each year.
Wilson recalled Crabtree approaching him on the sideline during a freshman game and asking him to insert him at cornerback. Crabtree told Wilson that he was friends with one of the opposing players.
“He’s fast, coach,” Crabtree told Wilson. “Let me cover him. Let me get him.”
Crabtree’s wish was granted after the player burned Carter’s cornerback for a touchdown on the game’s opening possession.
“He shut him down for the rest of the game,” Wilson said. “I knew then that he was special. Any time someone is begging to be thrown into the heat, into the fire … they’ve got something you can’t coach. He doesn’t fail very often.”
Crabtree’s athletic prowess extended beyond the football field.
By the time he was a junior, college coaches were flocking to AAU tournaments and to Carter to watch Crabtree play basketball. He averaged 20.8 points as a senior, which drew the attention of former Texas Tech coach Bob Knight.
“One game,” Crabtree said, “I dunked the ball and started talking noise to some guys I knew on the other team. I heard Coach Knight scream, ‘Michael, quit talking (trash) and play basketball.’ I shut up after that.”
The incident didn’t deter Knight from pursuing Crabtree. Knight’s son, Pat, who is now the Red Raiders’ head coach, said Crabtree would’ve been one of the top players in the Big 12 had he chosen to stick with hoops But Crabtree eventually decided his talents were best suited for the football field.
Even though he played quarterback as a junior and senior at Carter, college coaches could sense that the 6-foot-3, 214-pound Crabtree was a natural fit for receiver at the next level. That was especially the case at Texas Tech, where Crabtree’s cousin, Ricky Williams, had starred as a running back in the late 1990s.
Back then, under Spike Dykes, the Red Raiders were known for their ground attack with all-conference tailbacks such as Williams, Byron Hanspard and Bam Morris. But when Mike Leach took over in 2000, Texas Tech switched to the spread and began throwing 40-50 passes a game.
“It was the perfect fit for Michael,” Crabtree’s father said. “I’m not really surprised by what he’s done there. But I don’t think anyone – not even me – expected him to do this well this fast.”
Even though he committed to Texas Tech a few weeks before National Signing Day in 2006, Michael Crabtree continued to field calls from Mike Leach up until the morning he faxed in his letter of intent.
“He absolutely hated talking on the phone,” Leach said. “He would always say, ‘Coach, I told you I was going to Tech. I don’t know why you keep calling. I enjoy talking to you, but we had a late practice today, so I’m going to bed. I’ll see you later.’
“It was always very abrupt. He’s not into these long, flowery conversations. He just focuses on football.”
Crabtree has always been the quiet type who shies away from attention. Heck, he didn’t even take a date to his senior prom.
“But there were still plenty of girls asking to take pictures with him,” said Dupree, the principal.
Crabtree said he doesn’t understand why fans and strangers seem so awestruck in his presence. If anything, he seems embarrassed by the bumper stickers and website that’s part of his and Harrell’s Heisman campaign.
“I really, truly don’t care about most of that stuff,” Crabtree said. “It’s just a bunch of people’s opinions. As long as we win, that’s all that matters.”
The Red Raiders have been doing just that with Crabtree, who needed just 23 games to move into eighth place on the NCAA’s career touchdown receptions list with 40. Crabtree is only 98 receiving yards of breaking Wes Welker’s school record of 3,069.
As well as his college career has gone, Crabtree didn’t get off to the best start at Texas Tech. He missed the 2006 season when the NCAA Clearinghouse refused to certify him because of a questionable grade from his sophomore year of high school.
Crabtree was disheartened by the situation – he never attended a Red Raiders game that season – but he didn’t let it deter him.
Instead Crabtree made frequent trips back to Dallas to work out with his cousin, David Wells, a former bodyguard for Irvin and Adam “Pacman” Jones. Wells also trains professional boxers in a non-air-conditioned adjacent to his home. Crabtree became a staple there, jumping rope, punching speed bags and heavy bags and lifting weights.
Wells ordered a second set of the equipment and had it sent to Crabtree’s home in Lubbock. With each workout, Crabtree’s intensity increased. His teammates said they could see the difference his efforts were making on the field.
At times, a few of Crabtree’s teammates even became irritated with him for running through tackles too hard during what many felt was supposed to be a “light” practice.
“He’s the most fierce competitor I’ve ever been around,” defensive back Darcel McBath said. “Even when the ball isn’t coming to him, he’s blocking his tail off. He’s trying to drive people out of bounds or into the turf.
“Whether he has the ball in his hands or not, he wants every play to go 80 yards.”
“I’m around pro athletes every day and he’s been around them, too. You see how they screw up. You see the money they’ve made and lost. That’s not going to happen to Michael. He’s got his head on straight.”
– David Wells, professional trainer
Crabtree won the Biletnikoff Award after a freshman season in which he also earned first-team All-American honors. The success hardly caused him to become complacent.
Instead Crabtree spent most of this past summer in Lubbock working out with Harrell, who’s considered the current leader in this year’s Heisman race.
Crabtree said he and Harrell spent their afternoons running 10-yard routes up and down the field at Jones AT&T Stadium, stopping near the end zone for three consecutive plays from the goal line. Down and back, down and back they went – without any water.
“Doing that every day in this Texas heat?” Crabtree said. “Now that’s a workout.”
Maybe the most beneficial experience, though, came when Sanders invited Crabtree to attend his camp at SMU last summer. With NFL all-stars such as Devin Hester and T.J. Houshmandzadeh looking on, Crabtree went one-on-one with Pacman. More times than not, the college kid beat the pro.
“It was remarkable,” Wells said. “He looked like he’d already been playing in the NFL for years. Pacman, naturally, was all mad and pissed off about it. But in the end he couldn’t help but compliment Michael and show his respect.”
Crabtree’s maturation off the field has been striking, too. Last spring he returned to Dallas and went to a party with some of his friends from high school. The next day Wells learned that Crabtree had returned home before midnight.
“He said there was some stuff going on that he didn’t want to be around,” said Wells, who declined to provide specifics. “You’re not going to catch him smoking. You’re not going to catch him drinking. You’re not going to catch him doing things he’s not supposed to do.
“I’m around pro athletes every day and he’s been around them, too. You see how they screw up. You see the money they’ve made and lost. That’s not going to happen to Michael. He’s got his head on straight.”
A few weeks ago Michael Crabtree picked up his cell phone and called Deion Sanders and asked him if he ever used to dream.
Not about money or cars or women or fame, but about making plays and scoring touchdowns.
“I’d been doing that a lot,” Crabtree said, “and I wanted to find out if it was normal. Deion said it was.”
That’s why Crabtree wasn’t surprised when he made the game-winning catch with one second remaining in Texas Tech’s 38-33 victory over Texas on Nov. 1. He said he’d visualized the play countless times in his sleep.
Some snickered at Crabtree’s comments, but Leach believed every word.
“I bet he thought it through thousands of times,” Leach said. “That’s the thing about Michael: He’s not doing this for a bunch of attention or trophies. Michael just loves football at a level that most players don’t.”
Leach said one of his favorite all-time quotes came from Crabtree after the game that night.
“Someone asked him about the next opponent and about playing in all these big games against ranked teams,” Leach said. “Michael just said, ‘I never think about any of that. All I see are balls in the air.’”
Found those articles during the season. Thought they'd be of interest.
Arch Stanton
it was the grave marked unknown right beside
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Dawgs0916;2463657 said:I think he got a good start there for me
But on a serious note I guess you didn't catch my sarcasm. I was being sarcastic because I doubt the legitimacy of your claim of seeing somehwere scouts say they prefer Bryant.
You only need another 280!
Aven8
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Dawgs0916;2463882 said:
He also has a clothing line that he has ready to go...he just needs to get past the NCAA and needs money to get it going. He's coming out...he would be dumb not to......he can always go back and get his degree. He's done everything he can do at tech (outside of NC, and Heisman). Plus does he really want a guy named Potts throwing him the ball next year when he can have Bulger, or Carson Palmer?
TwoDeep3
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The league is ever changing. What works today is schemed against and may not work tomorrow.
Defense wins championships. But not without a good offense. Cite the Ravens all you like but look back in the history of this leage to the days of leather helmets and missing teeth and you will see that championship teams had an offense that could score.
The idea that this team will not need a replacement for TO in two years doesn't understand the game. Romo will be in the window when players achieve the most. The 29-31 age group.
To think you wouldn't surround him with quality receivers is absurd.
"It costs too much," I see people scream. "We can get a guy like ________ and he won't cost so much."
Right.
We are in a window for this team. We have major pieces in place with long term contracts. Ware will be signed.
These opportunities don't come often. Or often enough.
If Jerry could draft Crabtree it will be the very same thing as with the trading for RoyUT.
People will whine now about the price.
Then he will score his first TD and you won't find a detractor within a universe of this team or player.
It's all about the ring.
Defense wins championships. But not without a good offense. Cite the Ravens all you like but look back in the history of this leage to the days of leather helmets and missing teeth and you will see that championship teams had an offense that could score.
The idea that this team will not need a replacement for TO in two years doesn't understand the game. Romo will be in the window when players achieve the most. The 29-31 age group.
To think you wouldn't surround him with quality receivers is absurd.
"It costs too much," I see people scream. "We can get a guy like ________ and he won't cost so much."
Right.
We are in a window for this team. We have major pieces in place with long term contracts. Ware will be signed.
These opportunities don't come often. Or often enough.
If Jerry could draft Crabtree it will be the very same thing as with the trading for RoyUT.
People will whine now about the price.
Then he will score his first TD and you won't find a detractor within a universe of this team or player.
It's all about the ring.
monkey
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Dawgs0916;2463399 said:
Last I checked, both were in the Big 12. Oh, also, both are on the Big 12 First team WR, both are AFCA All-Americans, and both are Biletnikoff finalists.
ThreeSportStar80;2463499 said:
Hmm...kind of like Crabtree was quiet as a mouse at OU (62 yards 0 Tds)?
Really though both are great receivers. Crabtree will be a junior first round pick in this year's draft, and Bryant will be a junior first round pick in next year's draft. Dallas would be blessed to have either one and no one knows who will be the best NFL player yet, so these comparisons are asinine in IMO.
Dawgs0916
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Aven8;2463898 said:
Potts will be a solid QB. He was a top recruit coming out of Abiline, we actually played against him. He has a cannon for an arm, a lot stronger than Harrell's.
But your right, the odds of him coming back are very slim. What would have been selfish and dumb would have been for him to actually say he was leaving. At least it shows he does care about this team this year.