Written by Chris O’Dell
A curse is something many sports enthusiasts claim exists in our very own American pastimes. Nearly everyone has heard of the “Madden Curse.” Or how about the “Curse of Bobby Layne”?
The former Lions quarterback led Detroit to three NFL championships in 1952, 1953 and 1957. However, despite this success, the Lions thought he was past his prime and traded Layne to the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1958. As Layne left, he reportedly “cursed” Detroit and declared the franchise would not win for the next 50 years.
Over those 50 years, the Lions have had the worst winning percentage of any team in the NFL. Then on the 50th anniversary of the trade, the “Curse of Bobby Layne” went to a whole new level when the Lions became the first NFL team to finish a season 0-16.
Like the “Curse of the Bambino” in Red Sox nation or the “Curse of the Billy Goat” in Chicago, there is now becoming a curse in San Francisco that might trump any curse before it.
That is the “Curse of Michael Crabtree.”
As reported in one of my columns earlier this semester, the former Texas Tech star receiver became one of the longest holdouts in league history this season. Crabtree was selected 10th overall in the NFL draft but said he deserved top-five money. The former Red Raider also said he was entitled to becoming the highest-paid wide receiver in the draft, despite being the second player taken at his position.
After an extremely long holdout, Crabtree and the 49’ers finally worked out a contract in early October. At the time of the contract signing, the 49’ers had played a fourth of the season without Crabtree.
In those four games San Francisco was an impressive 3-1, with its only loss coming to powerhouse Minnesota on the final snap of the game. If not for a heavenly pass by Brett Favre to end the game, the 49’ers would have been sitting pretty at 4-0 without the services of one Michael Crabtree.
Since signing Crabtree, the 49’ers have lost four consecutive games to drop to 3-5. The team even reached a season low last week by rolling over at home against the 1-6 Tennessee Titans.
49’ers head coach Mike Singletary has talked about a team-first attitude since arriving in San Francisco. The hard-nosed coach had the entire team buying into the notion that no one player is bigger than the team.
However, someone forgot to tell Michael Crabtree and the 49’ers management about Singletary’s team philosophy. The player whom some labeled as a “diva” before last year’s draft toyed with his new team and still received a $17 million guarantee as his reward.
San Francisco management’s cave-in for the me-first Crabtree might have triggered an instant losing streak as well as a “Michael Crabtree Curse” in the bay area. By giving in to the prima donna wide receiver, the franchise showed that some players can be bigger than the team. The 49’ers showed that the team-first attitude was all empty talk. The team’s management might have ultimately cost the 49’ers its season.
Yes, in the end Crabtree received the same amount of money the team offered him in April. However, by giving him the same amount of money after such a long holdout, Crabtree ultimately got the best of the 49’ers.
As soon as training camp began, San Francisco’s offer to Crabtree should have decreased. Then as soon as the regular season began, that offer should have been significantly cut.
Yet Crabtree was able to take over two months off from his job and laugh at the 49’ers — all while relaxing on his couch and watching television with the remote in hand, waiting for the millions of dollars to come his way.
The result of this dramatic development is four straight losses for a team that looked primed for a playoff run. The result of San Francisco’s cave-in for a player who has yet to show anything in the most talented football league in the world is a lost season for a tradition-rich franchise.
Although San Francisco was called home to the best receiver in football history, the town and its 49’ers franchise might now be called home for a selfish college standout and a curse he brings to the town. San Francisco is now home to the “Curse of Michael Crabtree.”
