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San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Michael Crabtree made an appearance on NFL Total Access Tuesday afternoon and had a chance to talk about his strong 2012 season, and looking ahead to 2013. You can watch the interview over at NFL.com. Here are a few of the notable quotations:
On why he clicked so well with quarterback Colin Kaepernick:
"I think he trusted me more. Playing wide receiver, you need a quarterback who trust you. I feel like he trusted me."
On if there was a lack of trust with quarterback Alex Smith:
"I wouldn't say that. I don't want a controversy."
On his first thought when he heard about wide receiver Anquan Boldin joining the 49ers:
"One legendary guy leaves, another one comes in. We need a guy who can make plays. We are short on wide receivers with Ted Ginn and Randy Moss leaving. It should be great."
On how Boldin helps him:
"I am going to learn something from him. The guy has been in the league a while."
I imagine there will be plenty of chatter on the Interwebz about his trust comment. The line can obviously be interpreted in a variety of ways. The most applicable to me is the idea that as much as it is about QB-WR trust, it is about Colin Kaepernick being more willing to try and make things happen. Although Alex Smith did take chances from time to time, he was more inclined to look for the safest option. That might be a 30-yard seam route, but it also often involved taking a sack rather than forcing a low-percentage throw.
As we head into 2013, I have a feeling we'll have some situations where we are shaking our heads wondering why Kap made a certain throw. More often than not those throws will find success, or will avoid a "bad" result simply due to Kaepernick's arm strength. It should make for some more interesting experiences on offense. A full offseason of work for the offense with Kaepernick at the helm should give an already developing offense an even bigger boost. It remains to be seen how the execution will play out, but there is plenty of reason for excitement in 2013.