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I just finished my #Channel49 Mailbag post, did This Week in Niners Nation earlier in the weekend and now these Nuggets and all I'm talking about is Michael Crabtree's injury, the fallout and who's going to replace him. There were questions about our wide receivers before the injury, but now the questions have ballooned to near infinite proportions.
I think we may not know too much about it until late in the preseason when one of the three young ones is named the starter. That's A.J. Jenkins, Quinton Patton and Ricardo Lockette for anyone keeping score. With Mario Manningham's return date still uncertain, Kyle Williams has the inside track to take most of the reps as the slot receiver to begin the season. Then one of those untested three gets the nod to replace Crabs. They have 2 career catches between the three of them (both by Lockette). Whomever stands out will see a lot of balls thrown their way this year. Good luck!
Ricardo Lockette's name is getting mentioned more and more. Coach Harbaugh singled him out as a guy they were expecting big things from. Then Patton was drafted, putting his roster spot in doubt. Then all this happens. He ran a 4.34 40-yard dash at the combine. He's listed at 6'2", 211 lbs so he's not one of these slight receivers. My one concern is that he couldn't break into the Seahawks rotation when he was with them and failed to do so with the 49ers last year. Both teams could have used the help at the time. | Ricardo Lockette: A 49ers receiver to watch closely
Here's another piece from the good folks at BASG, this one from East Bay Sports Guy. It discusses Michael Crabtree, his recovery and what we can expect from him. Pseudo-science shows that wide receivers are 77% as effective post-achilles injury as they were before. | How effective will Crabtree be once he returns? (BASG)
Lockette getting crash-course as Crabtree's fill-in (Press Democrat)
Jenkins bulks up, continues to learn from teammates (Gin)
Michael Crabtree fallout: Target rates telling (Sando)
Being a Sheep
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