Oakland Raiders Gamble Big, Hope For The Best With New Offensive Weapon
By Kevin Saito
That ear splitting, ground shaking, horrifying sound you may have heard on Monday night? That would be a good portion of the Oakland Raiders‘ faithful screaming in outrage, protest, and utter horror upon seeing these five simple words:
It's official.. I'm a Raider
— Michael Crabtree (@KingCrab15) April 14, 2015
That second sound you may have heard? Those very same members of the Raider faithful beating their heads against the wall.
In a move that many somewhat expected – but ardently hoped wouldn’t come to pass – the Raiders have reportedly added San Francisco 49ers castoff wide receiver Michael Crabtree to a one year deal on Monday evening.
Despite the fact that Crabtree left Oakland without a contract just a few days ago, many believed that a deal for the receiver seemed very probable. Neither the Raiders, nor Crabtree’s camp really discussed the meeting, and Crabtree took no other visits in that time.
In essence, the silence surrounding the Crabtree visit sort of tipped everybody off that the signing was likely to be revisited. Others thought it was inevitable. Or perhaps, we were just paranoid.
Either way though, the worst nightmare for some of Oakland’s faithful has come to pass, and Michael Crabtree is now a Raider. The same Michael Crabtree who very openly insulted the Raiders back when he was drafted in 2009. The same Michael Crabtree who has failed miserably to live up to his billing as the tenth overall pick in his draft class. And the same Michael Crabtree who, coming off of an Achille’s injury in 2013, seemed to lack explosiveness in 2014 in catching 68 passes for 698 yards and four touchdowns.
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Crabtree’s deal with Oakland is another one of GM Reggie McKenzie‘s now familiar “prove it deals.” The former Texas Tech standout signed a deal for $3 million dollars, with another $2 million in incentives. What isn’t known at this point, is if McKenzie included language in the contract that gives the team the right to jettison Crabtree should he start acting the fool in Oakland like he did in San Francisco.
If not, they should have. They really, really should have.
Not only has Crabtree failed to live up to expectations as a pro – notching just one 1,000 yard season in his six years in the league – but he’s been persistently dogged by rumors of diva-esque, spoiled childish behavior. His attitude was so poor, that he even famously had a “diva clause” worked into his rookie deal with San Francisco.
“Just pretty much getting him in check, keeping his head level and just getting on him about some things he did in the past.” – Vernon Davis on practice field fight with Michael Crabtree
Even worse though, Crabtree has reportedly been something of a malcontent and a locker room cancer. So terrible was his attitude that he even once got into a dust up with 49er team captain Vernon Davis.
Given Crabtree’s declining production, as well as his lack of explosiveness last season, his signing by the Raiders raises any number of questions. The single biggest question of course is – why? Yes, he’s still relatively young, at just 27 years old. But the drop off in production in 2014 – something of a feat given the fact that he wasn’t all that productive before – combined with his horrible attitude should have been more than enough reason for the Raiders to pass on him.
And many Silver and Black fans have been left wondering, why they didn’t.
Of course, that’s all looking at things from the gloom and doom angle. And now that he’s a member of the Raider Nation, we should be trying to focus on the positives, right?
McKenzie and HC Jack Del Rio are not dumb. They know exactly how they want to craft this roster, and obviously, Crabtree fills a need for them. Perhaps he’s regained some of the explosiveness he had before his Achille’s injury, and he really can contribute to this offense. Perhaps he’s learned from his past mistakes and is eager for a fresh start. And perhaps given the fact that the interest and market for him around the league has been nowhere near where he thought it would be, he’s been humbled, and will come into camp ready to work and be a productive member of the team rather than a distraction.
Perhaps. Only time will tell.
Some believe that Crabtree is a lock to be a starter once the season gets underway. They believe that even though he’s not the field stretching threat he used to be, he’ll start opposite Rod Streater on the outside. And the normally reliable and sure handed James Jones will play the slot. Which, in this scenario, leaves Andre Holmes, Brice Butler, and Kenbrell Thompkins left to fight over whatever snaps are leftover.
But it very well may not shake out like that. Knowing what type of coach Del Rio is – tough, blue collar, takes no garbage from anybody – Crabtree is going to have to earn every snap he gets. It seems very doubtful that just because he’s on the roster, that he’s been guaranteed anything in terms of playing time. He will have to fight and claw with Holmes, Butler, and Thompkins for time on the field.
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It’s a strategy that could pay big dividends, as fearing a lack of playing time – and likely, the couple of million dollars in incentives that go with it – might just inspire and motivate Crabtree to actually dig deeper than he has to this point in his career. The simple threat of not playing may be enough to get him to fall in line with the “team” way of doing things.
Of course, it could also backfire horribly. He was clearly unhappy with his role in San Francisco’s offense last season, referring to himself as a “third down receiver or a fourth option.” The 49ers had more issues on the field than just Crabtree, but his sullen, pouty demeanor certainly didn’t help matters any.
While the signing provides second year QB Derek Carr with another weapon – sort of – Crabtree alone does not solve all of Oakland’s issues at the position. What it does do though, is allow to Raiders to kick the can down the road a bit in the draft.
Because this is a draft rich in receiving talent, the Raiders will likely be able to pick up a solid receiver in the second round — or later — who can contribute right away. The signing of Crabtree quite possibly signals that Oakland is believing all of the buzz about Leonard Williams falling to number four, where they will very likely snatch him up. Or if not Williams, possibly Vic Beasley or Dante Fowler Jr.
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Signing Crabtree very likely signals that with the fourth overall pick in the draft – just a couple of short weeks from now – the Raiders may pass on elite receiving prospects like Amari Cooper and Kevin White in favor of a defensive playmaker. It’s not guaranteed of course, but given the moves Oakland has made this offseason, it seems clear that they are putting an enormous amount of effort into building up the defense. And those efforts may very well continue into the first round of the draft.
Given his history and track record, the signing of Crabtree is curious – at best. Crabtree is not a long term solution, and has the potential to be a nightmare. But the Raiders have a very strong clubhouse filled with great character guys. One would hope that with veterans like Charles Woodson and Justin Tuck roaming the room, that they – like Vernon Davis – would be able to help “put him in check” should Crabtree and his ego get out of hand.
It’s a risky signing, to be sure. There is a very high risk element to it, though in all honesty, there is also a high reward element to it as well. Crabtree will be looking to prove something. The Raiders have need of players with a chip on their shoulders. But players who can and will buy into Del Rio’s culture and put “team” first and foremost in their minds.
It’s a good thing that Oakland has such a strong locker room and some terrific veteran examples who can help Crabtree toe the line. They’re going to need it.
As far as Raider fans go – about all we can do with the Crabtree signing at this point is to hold our breath and hope for the best.