San Francisco Strikes Gold: 49ers Size Up Michael Crabtree

The San Francisco 49ers franchise is one of only four organizations with five or more Super Bowl championships. The legend of 49er greats span from the likes of Fred Dean, Ronnie Lott, Joe Montana, Steve Young, and, most importantly for this piece, Jerry Rice. Let me make it clear, this is not about Michael Crabtree being the next Jerry Rice. No. However, he could be. Let's compare collegiate stats between Rice and Crabtree. As a freshman at Texas Tech, Crabtree posted 134 receptions for 1,963 yards and 22 touchdowns. Rice's best collegiate statistical year came his senior year as he put up 112 receptions for 1,845 yards and 27 touchdowns. If you look at the numbers, Crabtree out performed Rice in two out of three categories, as a freshman. Furthermore, if you compare both receivers' freshman year stats, the argument gets even stronger for Crabtree. Rice as a freshman posted 66 receptions for 1,133 yards and seven touchdowns, his lowest output ... (link)