Michael Crabtree Doesn’t Blame Refs, But Throws Colin Kaepernick Under the Bus
By Josh Sanchez
The San Francisco 49ers final offensive play of Super Bowl XLVII was controversial. Many believed that the Baltimore Ravens could have been called for defensive holding on the fourth and goal play, but 49ers wide receiver Michael Crabtree saw the play differently.
Crabtree lunged for the ball after initial contact during his route, but the ball sailed past his finger tips and fell incomplete.
Following the game, Crabtree had the chance to call out the refs for the perceived missed call on the play, but he seemed like he was prepared to take the high road.
“It is what it is, man,” Crabtree said, via CSNBayArea.com. “It was the last play, and I’m not going to blame the refs. It is what it is. It came down to the last play and it didn’t happen. (If) somebody grabs me, you always expect the call, but you can’t whine to the referee.”
Crabtree appeared to have a mature response, but he didn’t stop there. Crabtree decided to say what he believed would have helped get the call — a better throw from his quarterback.
“I don’t even want to say this, but if the ball had been a little lower, giving me a chance to make a play, I’m sure they would’ve called it,” Crabtree said, per Gregg Rosenthal of NFL.com.
It would be easy to attack Crabtree for throwing his quarterback under the bus, but in this case he was just being honest. A lower throw would have taken away any judgement call on whether the ball was catchable and the ball would have gotten to him sooner.
Crabtree will catch some slack for his comments, but you can bet Kaepernick will not take these comments personally.
This team is very young and still growing. They will be a force to be reckoned with for years to come. Times like these are just part of the growing process.