Michael Crabtree always had the potential to be a No. 1 receiver, but he didn't have the production until Colin Kaepernick took over at quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers. For Crabtree, it was a matter of trust from Kaepernick.
"I think he trusted me more. Playing wide receiver, you need a quarterback who trusts you. I feel like he trusted me," Kaepernick told NFL Network's Andrew Siciliano while appearing on "NFL Total Access" on Tuesday.
It's not hard to read between the lines here. It might not even be reading between the lines. Crabtree made it clear Kaepernick trusted him more than ex-starting quarterback Alex Smith did. Siciliano asked if there was a lack of trust with Smith.
"I wouldn't say that," Crabtree said. "I don't want a controversy."
Crabtree and Smith might not have seen eye-to-eye on everything, but that's hardly rare between a wide receiver and a quarterback. We think this is more about Kaepernick's skill set. One of Smith's greatest strengths is that he avoided making mistakes. He couldn't make every throw, and he often avoided throwing passes into tight windows. That worked for him.
One of Kaepernick's greatest strengths is that he can make every throw. And he's not afraid to throw it to Crabtree in any situation. That should benefit Crabtree and his new teammateAnquan Boldin; both men aren't known for creating huge separation from defenders.
Follow Gregg Rosenthal on Twitter @greggrosenthal.