The San Francisco 49ers are hoping to have wide receiver Michael Crabtree on the field when they open their season Sunday afternoon against the Cowboys, but they won’t know if they do until just before kickoff.
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According to a report by Fox insider Jay Glazer, Crabtree will be a “true game-time decision” for San Francisco. The receiver has been dealing with a calf injury and missed practice time during the week.
Crabtree also missed a big chunk of training camp with a hamstring. So there’s that too.
If Crabtree can’t go, the 49ers and Colin Kaepernick will have to lean more heavily on offseason acquisitions Brandon Lloyd and Stevie Johnson. They still have Anquan Boldin and Vernon Davis as well. But not Jerry Rice or John Taylor.
Or they could just keep handing the ball off to Frank Gore, who is capable of gashing the hell out of the Cowboys defense.
I don’t need to remind you that the Cowboys defense is a total trainwreck that can be eaten alive by either the pass or the run.
Kaepernick running the ball himself is also an option.
Point being, if you’re going to be without your top receiver for a week, the Cowboys game is probably not a bad time to deal with that sort of issue.
The Crabtree situation is bound to be an ongoing drama for the 49ers as they try to get back to the Super Bowl. He seems to always be hurt somewhere on his body.