So Michael Crabtree is perfectly healthy and working out in the San Francisco Bay Area, playing catch in an undisclosed location with Trent Dilfer. Hmm, is that in itself cause for alarm?

More importantly: Could the 49ers’ reticent No. 1 draft pick be on the verge of caving in and accepting the team’s offer? Playing catch in Dilfer’s Santa Cruz backyard — when you live in Texas — are not exactly the actions of a man preparing for a six-month holdout. Meanwhile, the nearby Oakland Raiders are asking the musical question, where the %$&! is Richard Seymour?!?!

Ah, leadup to the first week of the NFL regular season, your mysteries are absorbing and plentiful. Matt Barrows of the SACRAMENTO BEE checks in on Crabtree:

The only NFL-caliber quarterback to throw a pass to Michael Crabtree in the last two months? That would be Trent Dilfer, who worked out with Crabtree recently in the Bay Area. Dilfer told me a few moments ago that Crabtree had gotten sick of working with a JUGS machine, and was looking for a live arm. The one rumor that Dilfer said he could put to rest was that Crabtree didn’t want to sign a contract because he was hiding a lingering foot injury. “That’s garbage,” Dilfer said. “He’s perfectly healthy. … He looked good. He looked very fit.”

My guess is that the workouts are taking place at Aptos High in Santa Cruz — Dilfer’s alma mater. Not only did he pay for the school’s new turf football field, but it’s named after his son, Trevin, who died at the age of 5 from a heart ailment.

There may be some urgency in Crabtree’s demeanor due to the fact that Saturday is the day that he starts losing game paychecks. The former Texas Tech receiver isn’t broke - he’s signed several endorsement deals since the draft — but losing actual money tends to get your attention. Plus, the 49ers might be inclined to lower their initial offer when Crabtree starts missing games.

Meanwhile, despite my vigil at the Oakland airport, no sign of the Patriots’ Richard Seymour. PRO FOOTBALL TALK has its theory as to why he hasn’t reported, but more interesting is this note by one of the commenters:

my source tells me: Seymour is not reporting to the Raiders because he wants his 6 million from PATS. He figures he can get it if he doesnt report to Raiders and the PATS are forced to send the 5 day letter….PATS should pay him the money so he leaves or they will have major egg on thier faces..

The total value for four years is $30.026 million. Seymour received a $5.34 million signing bonus. The first option bonus is for $6.66 million and is payable between Aug. 4 of this year and next March. The second of the option bonuses, for $12 million, is due the first week of next March. Failure to exercise the options means that Seymour’s base salary for 2007 goes from $600,000 to $19.26 million, all of it guaranteed, and that he becomes an unrestricted free agent after the ‘07 season. — encinitaraider

Of course, he could simply be reluctant to enter that zoo. Randy Moss was his teammate, after all.