Michael Crabtree has garnered his share of criticism over the course of two seasons with the San Francisco 49ers, but teammate Joe Staley believes the wide receiver is "a great teammate."
*The Sacramento Bee* reported that Staley, the team's left tackle, told SiriusXM NFL Radio on Wednesday that Crabtree's perceived selfish attitude isn't in line with the player he knows.
"I have nothing negative to say about Michael Crabtree," Staley said. "He does show up. He shows up to everything ... when we're together, he shows up. He has his own workout routine that he likes to do, that he feels comfortable with. We have 20 guys that are usually here (at San Jose State). Michael Crabtree is not the only one who's not here every day."
Staley, a four-year veteran, sees good things ahead for the 49ers. He labeled the arrival of coach Jim Harbaugh as a "new era" for a franchise that has struggled in recent seasons.
"The truth of the matter is that we haven't won a lot of games here," Staley said. "The fans are angry about that. The players are angry about that. And rightfully so. So it's not going to be something that happens overnight. ... Once we start putting the product on the field and seeing the results we expect to see, they'll come around."
With the NFL lockout passing the 100-day mark, 49ers players plan to meet next week at San Jose State to review the team's new offensive playbook, Comcast SportsNet Bay Area reported Friday.
