Sports Then and Now

Gabe Wilkins had one sack in two seasons with the 49ers.

Writer’s note: This is the second installment of the San Francisco 49ers All “No” Team; the first can be viewed here: The San Francisco 49ers’ All-“No” Team, Pt. 1: The Skill Positions.

“To live in this town you must be tough, tough, tough, tough, tough!”

— The Rolling Stones, 1978

Please remember that being bad doesn’t always get you on the team, though it does help. The decision to bring you in, or even to release you, might be the deciding factor for this team.

The Defensive Line

Defensive End: Israel Ifeanyi

The 49ers draft of 1996 was one of anticipation.  Having traded their No. 1 pick the previous year for the right to draft wide receiver J.J. Stokes at the No. 10 spot (sound familiar?), the 49ers didn’t have a pick until halfway through the second round.

I remember wondering if ESPN would even get to the pick before they passed the broadcast off to their fledgling sister station—ESPN 2.

The 49ers were in desperate need of pass-rush help after trading Charles Haley to the Dallas Cowboys in 1992 and never adequately replacing him.

Who would be the next pass rush specialist in San Francisco?

The name was in: Israel Ifeanyi.

My reaction: “Who the hell is Israel Ifeanyi?”

Judging from Chris Berman’s non-verbal cues as he read the name, his reaction was about the same.

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The 49ers selected Jim Druckenmiller over Jake Plummer in the 1997 NFL Draft.

“There’ll be no parade, no TV or stage…You don’t have to be a star, baby, to be in my show.”

—Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr., 1976

Introduction

During recent months I have read some great articles recounting the San Francisco 49ers glory years. I’ve seen articles describing the author’s favorite 49er team, articles comparing Steve Young to Joe Montana, and articles re-living “The Catch” and “The Stop.” Ah…those were the days!

You won’t find that here.

I have decided to assemble a 49er team based on some of the worst decisions in the last 30 years or so of the team’s history.

So as you’re reading, please keep this in mind. Being bad doesn’t always get you on the team, though it does help. The decision to bring you in, or even to release you, might be the deciding factor for this team.

So, without further ado, and foregoing hours of intense research (I went with the more reliable “cringe factor”), I give you the San Francisco 49ers’ All-“No” Team!

Grab your Maalox and barf bags and get ready to re-live some of the most painful and mind boggling decisions in 49er history.

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Michael Crabtree's catch and touchdown at the end of the Texas Tech-Texas game was the biggest play of the 2008 College Football season.

On the same day that a one-time star NFL receiver began serving a two year sentence in the New York State Prison system as a result of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, another potential NFL star receiver is continuing the self-inflicted implosion of what just months ago seemed like a promising NFL career.

When the San Francisco 49ers selected Michael Crabtree with the 10th pick in the 2009 NFL Draft most experts hailed the pick as a coup for the 49ers.

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First round pick Michael Crabtree has reportedly threatened to sit out the entire 2009 season and re-enter the NFL Draft if he can't get a suitable contract from the 49ers.

If there were still any questions that Michael Crabtree had a “prima donna” attitude, or liked himself in a T.O. kind of way, there are no doubts now.

Late Thursday morning, ProFootballTalk.com reported that San Francisco 49ers first round pick (10th overall), wide receiver Michael Crabtree, was fully prepared to sit out the entire 2009 season if he doesn’t get the contract he’s demanding.

ESPN later reported that David Wells, Crabtree’s cousin and adviser, confirmed that the receiver is willing to hold out all year.

“We are prepared to do it,” Wells said. “Michael just wants fair-market value. They took him with the 10th pick and you have Darrius Heyward-Bey getting $38 million?  This week is crucial. Michael was one of the best players in the draft and he just wants to be paid like one of the best players. This week is very crucial.”

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