Crabtree: Alex Smith didn’t trust me enough

The emergence of Colin Kaepernick last season led in turn to the emergence of Michael Crabtree.

According to an interview Crabtree gave on the NFL Network, trust had a lot to do with the success of the young quarterback and wide receiver.

And in an not-so-subtle way, Crabtree threw former 49ers quarterback Alex Smith under the bus.

Talking about why he and Kaepernick had such great success, Crabtree had this to say:

“I think he trusted me more. There was a lot of trust. Playing wide receiver you need a quarterback that trusts you. I feel he trusted me, and we out there and did it.”

Crabtree said what everyone had known since 2009: He and Smith did not have good chemistry. And now, Crabtree’s true feelings just came out. He felt Smith did not trust him enough.

Based on the follow-up question and response from Crabtree, it seems like he did not realize he had just hinted at a trust issue with Smith. When asked if there was a lack of trust with Smith, the young wide out said:

“I wouldn’t say that. I don’t want no controversy.”

Sorry, Michael, but you just brought something upon yourself without even realizing it.

The numbers are there to prove that Crabtree and Smith did not have the best on-field relationship.

During his first three seasons in the NFL, Crabtree scored just 12 touchdowns. His best season was 2011, with 72 catches for 874 receiving yards.

Crabtree caught for more than 100 yards in a game just four times with Smith as the quarterback. In two playoffs games with Smith, Crabtree caught just five passes for 28 yards and one touchdown.

In seven regular season games with Kaepernick as the quarterback, Crabtree caught 41 passes for 595 yards and five touchdowns. And in three playoff games, Crabtree caught 20 passes for 285 yards and three touchdowns.

Now that Crabtree has a quarterback that can get him the ball, Crabtree is expected to blossom into the superstar he was drafted to be.