"Michael Crabtree has a history of entering seasons fashionably late, and this time, he'll be wearing a "pretty sweet" custom cleat on a twice-broken left foot.

"I've been here before," Crabtree said Thursday. "It's nothing new to me. I've got to take on that challenge and be my best."

A contract stalemate delayed Crabtree's rookie debut until the 49ers' sixth game of 2009, which he started at Houston coming out of the bye week.

Will he start, or even play, in Sunday's season opener against Seattle? Crabtree said he is "ready to go," but offensive coordinator Greg Roman would only say he "hopes" Crabtree plays alongside potential starters Braylon Edwards, Ted Ginn and Joshua Morgan.

Roman saw Crabtree in a full-pad practice for the first time Wednesday and plans further evaluation before determining any game-day rotation.

"He's a very gifted individual, so we hope we can have him out there," Roman said.

Crabtree discovered he had a "serious problem" with his left foot after injuring it June 6. That was the first day of player-organized workouts at San Jose State, "when I was in camp, the little Alex Smith camp," Crabtree said with a smile. "I don't think that's the best turf to run routes on.""