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Big news broke after the San Francisco 49ers first-day of organized team activities, but it’s not the type of news Niner fans were expecting: Wide receiver Michael Crabtree tore his Achilles and has undergone surgery.

Crabtree had the surgery on Tuesday night and he is expected to miss at least six months. That puts him on track to be back with the team by November, if the recovery goes as planned. However, it is likely he will miss the whole season because torn Achilles injuries usually take a year to fully recover from.  The receiver is coming off his best NFL season after recording 85 receptions for 1,105 yards and nine touchdowns. He continued his great performance into the playoffs with 28 receptions for 285 yards and three touchdowns.

This is a huge loss for the 49ers and the offense with Crabtree out for most of the regular season. After taking over as the starting quarterback last season, Colin Kaepernick consistently looked to Crabtree and he became his favorite receiving target. The Kaepernick-to-Crabtree connection was so important to the 49ers offense that the team called on them for their final three offensive plays at the goal line to go ahead in the Super Bowl.

The addition of Anquan Boldin in a trade this past offseason helps ease the impact of losing Crabtree. The 49ers did not anticipate using Boldin as a No.1 receiver this season, but he is cable of handling that role. However, the stunning news of Crabtree’s injury means other receivers will have to step up.

Two of the receivers, Mario Manningham and Kyle Williams, suffered serious injuries of their own last season. So we don’t know what type of receivers the offense will be getting in 2013 with them because they are still recovering. In fact, both might not be ready by the time training camp starts in late July.

Then there’s this guy:

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No one, not even A.J. Jenkins, knows type of receiver he is, despite him being a first-round selection in last season’s draft. Jim Harbaugh and Greg Roman will now have to rely on Jenkins becoming at least a reliable target for Kaepernick. With zero starts and receptions last season, I don’t have a lot of confidence in Jenkins being the receiver that will step up and become dependable. However, I hope to be proven wrong.

Fourth-round draft pick Quinton Patton has received praise from Harbaugh for his passion and dedication. But receivers drafted in the fourth-round usually don’t put up the type of numbers the Niners are looking to replace in their rookie season.

There is also Vernon Davis who can be used like a wide receiver and commands the attention of defenses. But Davis made a name for himself as a receiver while Alex Smith was under center for the 49ers. Last season it was clear, unlike Smith, that Davis was not Kaepernick’s favorite target. Sure, passes went his way but they were not as consistent with Kaepernick at quarterback. Davis now has an opportunity to form a connection with Kap like Crabtree established last season.

The rest of the receivers on the 49ers current roster are Chad Hill, Joe Hastings, Chuck Jacobs, Ricardo Lockette and Marlon Moore.

The 49ers have stayed relatively healthy during the Harbaugh era with only a few major injuries. But all it takes is one major injury to disrupt a Super Bowl contender. But Harbaugh and his coaches will figure this out and find a replacement that will keep the offense on its tracks.

The most frustrating part of Crabtree’s injury is it occurred at OTAs, which are all non-contact drills.

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This is a busy week for San Francisco 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh. Not only is he currently at team headquarters in Santa Clara, CA, conducting organized team activities this week, but he will also be in Indianapolis on Sunday for the Indy 500.

Harbaugh has been selected to drive the ceremonial pace car at the Indianapolis 500. The Niners head coach has been a co-owner of Panther Racing for the past 15 years, which is based in Indianapolis. He became involved with racing team while playing for the Indianapolis Colts. While on the track he will be driving a 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray.

The Panther Racing team visited the Niners team facility last August and had their Indy car painted in a 49ers logo with the No. 4, Harbaugh’s old jersey number. One of the teams racing cars is officially No. 4

Here was Harbaugh’s reaction:

I’ve already had a dream about it. I kept the car out on the track and won the Indy 500. I know my heart is going to be beating out of my chest.

Harbaugh’s racing team won the Indy 500 in 2001 and 2002. The team’s drivers for the race will be JR Hildebrand, Townsend Bell and Oriol Servia.

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The next step in the San Francisco 49ers preparation for the upcoming 2013 regular season will be the first of three organized team activities starting on Tuesday. The OTAs will feature everyone on the roster, minus players with injuries, and will run from May 21-23. The next two OTAs will take place May 28-30 and June 3-6.

[Photo gallery of 49ers Week 2 of Football School]

The only big news likely to come out of the OTAs will be from players who are in position battles and outperform their competition. Hopefully there will be no news of major injuries to any players. The Niners are one of the 29 teams to start their OTAs this week.

For those unfamiliar with OTAs, here are the rules per the NFL’s Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA):

• OTAs are voluntary workouts and no player is required to attend. But you better have a really good excuse for not attending. Most players have incentives in their contracts to attend OTAs.
• Players are limited to two hours of on-field practice and cannot be on the field for more than six hours total each day.
• Jim Harbaugh and his coaches can be on the field directing players through drills, but there is no live contact.
• According to the CBA, some of the contact that is prohibited includes blocking, tackling and pass rushing.
• Players can wear helmets and pads, but the practices are not to be fully padded.
• Team drills allowed include 11-on-11 drills, but no one-on-one drills. Some special team’s situations are allowed.
• The 49ers are required to record the OTAs and keep them on file until 30 days after the start of the regular season. The NFLPA can attend a limited number of offseason workouts and can request to view video from the OTAs if another team files a complaint.
• The 49ers and Jim Harbaugh are responsible for making sure they are following OTAs rules. Both can be fined by Commissioner Roger Goodell for violating any offseason workout rules. If it is determined rules were broken, the 49ers would lose its next scheduled week of OTAs. If a second violation occurs in the same league year the 49ers would lose a fourth-round pick in the next draft and a second week of OTAs.