Football: San Francisco's Crabtree set to make NFL debut

SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Michael Crabtree will make his NFL debut in his home state as planned.

The San Francisco 49ers' rookie wide receiver is set to take the field for the first time at Houston on Oct. 25 following the team's bye week.

"That's my first game home, so I'm very excited about the opportunity to play at home," Crabtree said Wednesday.

Coach Mike Singletary said when Crabtree signed last week he expected Crabtree to be ready by next weekend, and the coach is pleased with the progress he's made so far in practice.

"Oh, he will play," Singletary said. "Michael's doing fine. He's working his tail off. I think every day he gets out here and every rep that he takes, it makes him that much better. He's been studying his tail off and it shows when he's out here. He doesn't have a whole lot of questions on the field. He's running the right routes, he's doing the right things. It's just a matter of us taking every step with every second, every minute to get him up to speed and ready to go."

Offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye has said he plans to use Crabtree as a slot receiver on third downs against the Texans. Raye and Crabtree stood on the practice field talking football for several minutes Wednesday after others had gone inside to the locker room.

Crabtree is proving a quick learner as Singletary had hoped. His first game will be merely 2 1/2 weeks after the 10th overall draft pick finally agreed to a six-year contract with $17 million guaranteed. He was the last draft pick to sign, having waited to try to get money comparable to higher picks.

The 22-year-old Crabtree spent Sunday's 45-10 home loss to Atlanta on the sideline watching and trying to get a feel for the speed at this level.