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ByCamInman BayAreaNewsGroup SANTA CLARA Michael Crabtree missed his first practice of training camp Thursday, and although it's unknown whether his past Achilles or foot injuries are the reason, it doesn't sound ominous. "No, Mike's just work- ing though something. He's fine," said offensive coordinator Greg Roman, who proceeded to praise how improved Crabtree is from his injury-shortened 2013 season. Crabtree was seen Wednesday off to the side testing out his lower right leg while practice finished up without him. "He's working with our training staff and taking part in all the meetings and everything else," Ro- man added. Crabtree has impressed through the first week of camp. Colin Kaepernick said Tuesday that Crab- tree looked "a step or two quicker" and 100-percent recovered from last year's right Achilles tear that side- lined him the first 11 games. Most of Thursday's ses- sion focused on special teams but there were also two-minute drills and red-zone work, so Crab- tree didn't miss too much, nor did fellow wideout Brandon Lloyd, who also left practice Wednesday with an undisclosed leg injury. Roman didn't sound overly concerned and in- stead hyped up how well Crabtree has looked, that his conditioning and un- derstanding of the game make him "better than the old Michael Crabtree." "He's in great shape rel- ative to what he did last year," Roman said. "He came off the Achilles injury and just really gutted it out at the end of the year." Crabtree has declined interview requests since training camp began and has not spoken to 49ers reporters since the NFC Championship loss at Se- attle. Notes • Offensive tackle Jona- than Martin believes he's found a "silver lining" with the 49ers, and he's been getting first-team reps in place of Anthony Davis (shoulder) to showcase his talents that shined bright at Stanford. No longer is Martin trapped in the Miami Dol- phins' notorious bullying scandal from last season. Now he's like any other lineman battling in the summer heat, though any after-the-whistle feistiness is still sure to raise eye- brows, such as Wednes- day's with defensive tackle Quinton Dial. "Dial is definitely a good, young player and part of his game is being nasty," Martin said. "So you've got to match his physicality and nastiness." Camp practices offer Martin's first live contact since Oct. 27, before his Dolphins exodus began. He got off to a tough start Sat- urday, getting bull rushed by British behemoth Law- rence Okoye. But Martin has steadied himself since then. Next Thursday, Mar- tin brings the Aug. 7 exhi- bition opener against the host Baltimore Ravens. "Everyone is excited to play against someone else," Mar- tin said. But is he curious to see how outsiders might react to him? "I'm not wor- ried about that," Martin re- plied. "I'm just focusing on making this team." • Aldon Smith, Chris Culliver and Jon Baldwin returned to practice, but several players did not, in- cluding fellow cornerback Tramaine Brock and defen- sive linemen Justin Smith, Ray McDonald and Demar- cus Dobbs. • Running back LaMi- chael James got fitted for a brace on his dislocated right elbow while he sat out practice. 49ERS TRAINING CAMP Crabtree seems to be testing out a few things OffensivecoordinatorRomanpraiseswidereceiver'simprovementfrom2013 ASSOCIATEDPRESSPHOTO San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Michael Crabtree (15) talks with teammates Frank Gore (le ) and Vernon Davis during training camp last Friday. By Steve Corkran scorkran@bayareanewsgroup. com NAPA Running back Mau- rice Jones-Drew never had to search for motivation. It came in daily doses from people questioning him be- cause of his stature. Time and again, the 5-foot-7 Jones-Drew si- lenced doubters with his play, be it at De La Salle High School, UCLA or the Jacksonville Jaguars. Now that he's with the Oakland Raiders, he has found a new source of motivation from those who wonder if he has anything left. "There's nothing you can do to please everyone," Jones-Drew said Thurs- day after another prac- tice in which he earned praise from teammates and coaches. "People will be humbled sooner or later. If it's not by me, it will be by somebody else." Jones-Drew, 29, led the league in rushing in 2011, and he was atop the chart again in 2012 when he suf- fered a broken left foot. The injury limited him to six games and required surgery. Jones-Drew had two screws inserted into his foot, which forced him to relearn how to walk, let alone run. So, perhaps it's no sur- prise that Jones-Drew rushed for only 803 yards and 3.4 yards per carry, or almost 1 yard less than his previous career-low. With that came doubts about whether Jones-Drew still has what it takes to be an every-down back. He calls such talk "hilarious." "I know what I have left," Jones-Drew said. "I know the work I put in this offsea- son to get to where I need to get to be able to play at a high level. I stopped worry- ing about what people were saying." There are few things Jones-Drew loves more than a challenge. Tell him he can't do something, he'll find a way. He had plenty of peo- ple telling him last season that his best days were be- hind him. As a result, Jones- Drew embarked upon a workout routine this offsea- son that confirmed he still has the desire to be the best back. Jones-Drew vomited af- ter his first few early-spring workouts, he said, which consisted of sprints up a steep hill in Danville. In the end, he said, the rigorous training helped him heal from numerous injuries he played through last season. Jones-Drew also faces an- other challenge. He spent the past five seasons as the unquestioned starter for the Jaguars. In Oakland, he is competing against incum- bent starter Darren Mc- Fadden for playing time and carries. "They understand that both of them are going to get an opportunity to play, both of them are going to get touches and they're competing really hard," coach Dennis Allen said. "It's important for both of them. Both of them want to be the starter. They wouldn't be good football players if they didn't want that." Notes • Rookie linebacker Khalil Mack flattened tight end Mychal Rivera on a running play Thursday, with Rivera knocked on his backside. • Safety Charles Wood- son intercepted quarter- back Matt Schaub on back- to-back plays. He returned one for a touchdown. 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