Added Pressure on Boldin in San Fransisco

The 49ers suffered a huge blow this week as wide receiver Michael Crabtree suffered a complete tear in his achilles tendon (the same injury suffered by Ravens OLB Terrell Suggs prior to the 2012 season). Crabtree is expected to miss at least six months due to the injury and his absence will leave a significant void in San Fransisco's offense. San Fransisco traded for Anquan Boldin earlier this offseason in an effort to bolster their receiving corps, the injury to Crabtree will certainly put more pressure on Boldin than was initially expected.

Boldin will not only be counted on as the top target for a young quarterback in Colin Kaepernick, but he will also be tasked with leading a group of receivers who will surely see more playing time than they were prepared for. The team still has Mario Manningham, who was a proven receiver in New York before missing the majority of the 2012 season in San Fransisco due to injury, so there is no guarantee that Manningham will be able to return at 100%. The niners also have AJ Jenkins, who was a first-round pick in 2012 but was far from a significant contributor during the season. Boldin was an exceptional leader in Baltimore and was big part in the development of receivers like Torrey Smith and Jacoby Jones and now it looks like his leadership skills as well as his performance on the field will be put to the test once again in San Fransisco.