"The 49ers' diva made a brief appearance in their regular-season finale Sunday. Eight yards from the end zone and apparently in the clear, Michael Crabtree started high-stepping, in perfect mimicry of the Hall of Fame cornerback who served as his mentor. But two paces into the impersonation, Crabtree reverted to a normal stride and calmly scored his 28-yard touchdown.

"A little bit of Deion in me," he said. "I had to slow it down."

Crabtree wouldn't go deeper into his explanation, but it's safe to assume that seeing an approaching Ram deterred him. It's also safe to assume that a Prime Time act would not have played well with a head coach who handed out blue-collar work shirts at the beginning of the season.

Besides, Crabtree had a larger statement to make. The 49ers took just three wide receivers into the Rams game, and only one who had caught more than 10 passes in his NFL career. Of the team's five original wideouts, Crabtree was the last one standing.

"He had a lot on his shoulders today," Jim Harbaugh said after the 34-27 win, praising Crabtree before he mentioned any other player."