After completing three consistent years in the NFL, wide receiver Jamison Crowder knows he still has more potential. While his numbers from a receptions and yardage standpoint have remained relatively the same, he only caught three touchdowns last season and had a few games where holding onto the football – both as a receiver and punt returner – was an issue.
So, while he prepares to return to the Inova Sports Performance Center at Redskins Park in a couple of weeks, he's gone back to his foundation. In other words, for the last couple of months, he's been training at Duke, working with the team's strength and conditioning coach Noel Durfey and his staff to increase his explosiveness as he enters the final year of his contract.
"Personally, I still think there's a lot that I can accomplish here," Crowder told the News and Observer. "That's why I've been here working, grinding with coach Durfey and the sprint staff. I've been working running routes, getting back into the groove of things before we start OTAs."
Crowder, who has continued to give back to the football program by speaking with Blue Devil players, spoke with reporters after a recent workout. There, he answered questions about the team's shakeup at quarterback and expressed his excitement to work with Alex Smith.
After three seasons catching 192 passes from Kirk Cousins, Crowder knows he'll have to gain a rapport with Smith quickly.
"It's a business," Crowder said. "Me and Kirk Cousins had a really good connection. But at the same time, like I said, guys are going to come and go. So I'm really excited to play alongside Alex Smith."
Crowder also admitted he watched the 49ers a lot as a kid, remembering Alex Smith being drafted when he was just 12 years old.
"I've seen him ever since I was a younger child, growing up a 49ers fan when he was in San Francisco," Crowder said. "He's a veteran. It's always good to be with a guy that has put up numbers in the league. He's been around the league for a while and has that knowledge of the game. I'm excited to play alongside him."
