... to make a first impression. Someone might want to tell that to Michael Crabtree, the number ten pick in the most recent NFL Draft. The wide receiver out of Mike Leach’s Texas Tech program is the only first-round selection at his position that remains to be signed by his team.

There are those who subscribe to the notion that the “modern athlete” is different than those of twenty years ago: less gritty, less tough-minded, and ultimately more driven by the allure of celebrity than by winning Super Bowl rings.

To be clear, that is not how I characterize Crabtree, but the longer he waits to sign with the 49ers, the more problems it could present down the road, for both his playing time and his public image.

The...

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