ESPN NFL

Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando

John Crumpacker of the San Francisco Chronicle says 49ers players welcomed Michael Crabtree into the locker room warmly. Vernon Davis: "It would have been nice to have him here at the beginning so he can learn. The good thing is he's here now. I'm just happy to have him here, excited for him to get in."

Also from Crumpacker: Isaac Bruce says Crabtree shouldn't need too long to pick up the offense.

Gwen Knapp of the San Francisco Chronicle says the 49ers won their contract dispute with Crabtree. Knapp: "At some point in this drama, Crabtree might have been a smug, self-centered anarchist, holding the 49ers' season captive while trying to deface the NFL draft's unwritten salary code. But on Wednesday, he looked like a teenager beaten in a video game and eager to start a new one."

Also from Knapp: The 49ers are doing a good job adhering to Mike Singletary's top edict mandating ball security.

Sportsradiointerviews.com offers a partial transcript with audio link to 49ers general manager Scot McCloughan's interview with KNBR radio.

The 49ers' Web site provides a transcript of Mike Singletary's news conference Wednesday. On Crabtree: "I think he’s going to do what he needs to do and that is work his tail off, stay with the coaches, be a shadow to [receivers coach] Jerry Sullivan, make sure that he works his tail off and obviously he’s going to have to earn their trust."

Taylor Price of 49ers.com says the team is excited to welcome Crabtree. Center Eric Heitmann: "I think it’s great that he’s here with us. Michael Crabtree will be an excellent weapon for us on offense. As we go forward, he has a lot to learn but I think he’ll learn quickly. I don’t know a whole lot about what the wide receivers are doing, but offensively, we’ll do what we can to make him feel comfortable and get him to where he needs to be."

Matt Maiocco of the Santa Rosa Press-Democrat provides a 49ers injury update. Jeff Ulbrich will not play Sunday after suffering a concussion.

Also from Maiocco: He suggests Crabtree lost money by refusing to sign until now.

More from Maiocco: a recap of a busy day on the Crabtree front. Maiocco: "League sources said one of Crabtree's concerns was his ability to achieve big numbers in Jimmy Raye's offense. The 49ers are a power-running team that likes to throw the ball to the tight end. Crabtree denied he is fixated on personal accomplishments." Additional details here.

Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee says the 49ers struck an upbeat tone regarding Crabtree. Bitterness gains them nothing.

Also from Barrows: an overview of the Crabtree signing.

Daniel Brown of the San Jose Mercury News says Crabtree's decision to restart negotiations came out of nowhere.

Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News says the 49ers stayed consistent during the Crabtree dispute. Kawakami: "That's a team with momentum. That's a team with a plan, and with their owner, Jed York, on quite a roll. Hire Singletary, entrust McCloughan, watch the team start 3-1, hold your ground on Crabtree's large demands. ... Yeah, not a terrible last year or so for Jed."

Mark Purdy of the San Jose Mercury News says Crabtree must remain humble. Very humble.

Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic counts the similarities between Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald and Texans receiver Andre Johnson. Texans coach Gary Kubiak: "Great players usually feed off of each other and challenge each other. They are paying attention to each other, week-in and week-out. They really should give credit to each other because I think the pressure and the push they put on each other to succeed is what really makes their careers in the long haul."

Bob McManaman of the Arizona Republic says the Cardinals are unusually healthy heading into Week 5. The Seahawks must be happy for them. Kurt Warner: "Sometimes when you have a bye week it feels like eight weeks since you've been on the field, so it was nice to be back out here. I feel good, recovered a little bit. My body's feeling better, so I'll be good to go on Sunday."

Darren Urban of azcardinals.com looked at Fitzgerald's commercial appeal, which is substantial.

Greg Johns of seattlepi.com says Matt Hasselbeck threw the ball well and reported feeling "OK" during his first practice back from a rib injury. Hasselbeck: "It's one of those things where I want to be fair to the team, I want to give everybody everything I've got and hopefully be out there. But at the same time, I want to be fair to Seneca [Wallace]. If for some reason I'm not able to go, he needs to prepare to play. Today was a good start. We'll see how tomorrow goes."

Also from Johns: The Seahawks are holding a roster spot open for Walter Jones partly out of respect for his achievements.

Danny O'Neil of the Seattle Times quotes Hasselbeck as saying he's throwing out the ribcage protection he wore when a shot from Patrick Willis left him with a broken rib.

Percy Allen of the Seattle Times says Seahawks tackle Brandon Frye sometimes reflects on the shootings at Virginia Tech, where he was a finance major. Frye: "College is supposed to be a place where you feel safe, but nobody felt safe that day."

Bill Coats of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch says Kyle Boller remains the Rams' starting quarterback while Marc Bulger recovers from injury. Bulger: "From last week to this week, I’ve gotten a lot of range of motion back. I’ve been in [the trainers’ room] twice a day pretty much, working on that and the strength, massaging it, getting the inflammation out."

Also from Coats: 2008 first-round draft choice Chris Long is finding his way. Long is playing pretty well from what I have seen. His status as the No. 2 overall choice frames the way we view him. The Rams would have to be extremely happy with Long, I'm convinced, if he had been, say, a third-round choice.

Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch says injuries are dragging down the Rams. Cornerback Ron Bartell (thigh) and safety Craig Dahl (concussion) are expected to return against the Vikings in Week 5. Bartell: "It feels 10 times better -- the week off really helped. I feel like with the next four or five days, I'll make enough progress to play. I have every intention of playing and starting Sunday, and helping us win. So barring no setbacks, I'll be playing."