Oakland Raiders: Five Players Who Have The Most To Prove In 2015
By Kevin Saito
May 19, 2015; Alameda, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders receiver Michael Crabtree (15) at organized team activities at the Raiders practice facility. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
An Achille’s injury in 2013 cost Crabtree all but five games. Making the injury even more frustrating for Crabtree is the fact that he was coming off a 2012 season that was his most productive as a professional.
That season, Crabtree hauled in 85 passes for 1,105 yards and nine touchdowns. It was the first season since the San Francisco 49ers drafted him in the first round of the 2009 draft that he looked even remotely like the explosive receiver from Texas Tech they thought they were getting.
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Crabtree came back in 2014 and looked like a shadow of himself. He lacked the explosiveness and speed that had always been a big part of his game dating back to his college years. He wasn’t able to create separation as easily as he once could, and wasn’t able to push the action down the field like he used to.
Granted, San Francisco’s offense as a whole in 2014 was pretty atrocious. QB Colin Kaepernick took a big step backward in his development and the offense suffered as a whole. But Crabtree’s 68 receptions for 689 yards – an average of 10.3 YPC – were dangerously close to career lows for the receiver.
His performance in 2014 – and perhaps the fact that he was considered to be a diva and locker room cancer by many, along with the perception that he was a Jim Harbaugh guy – expedited his ticked out of town.
And the Raiders were more than happy to scoop him up. Not finding much of a market for him, Crabtree signed a one year deal with the Raiders that is heavy on the incentives rather than base pay.
Some thing that Crabtree is done and washed up. That he won’t have a particularly productive year in 2015, and that he won’t have a major impact on Oakland’s offense. Crabtree still thinks he’s got a lot to offer and can be productive. We’ll see. He obviously, has a lot to prove this season.
Next: Trent Richardson