NEW ORLEANS -- San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Michael Crabtree has played like a No. 1 receiver ever since Colin Kaepernick took over at quarterback. Crabtree has always had great hands, but now he's getting open more and making plays after the catch.
More importantly, he's got a quarterback that is willing to make tough throws into small windows.
"You can be the best receiver in the world. If you don't have a quarterback ... those talents won't be seen," Crabtree said Tuesday at Super Bowl XLVII Media Day at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.
Crabtree was careful not to say anything negative about former starting quarterback Alex Smith, but it's not hard to read between the lines here. Kaepernick's presence has been extremely helpful to Crabtree's career. He's finally living up to all his college hype. Crabtree knows his reputation always hasn't been a positive one.
"I can't say I'm like a diva," Crabtree said. "I've seen commercials where a guy ... doesn't eat a Snickers and turns into a diva because he's hungry or something. I don't know what a diva is. ...
"I'm the same person since I came into the league."
Translation: It's Crabtree's quarterback that changed.
Follow Gregg Rosenthal on Twitter @greggrosenthal.
