England opener Crawley suggested he was not familiar with comments from skipper Ben Stokes regarding the dressing room as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes made those words in several conversations following England's loss in the second Ashes versus the Australians previously.
Ahead of the third Test, where England are staring at defeat at the earliest opportunity, the captain noted he had allowed his message to "circulate freely" among the squad.
"I've done all the talking in recent days that I needed to have done," said the England leader.
However, after Crawley made a knock of 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he commented: "I missed those remarks."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. Our approach is to take everything that is said in the press with some skepticism," he added.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
Stokes issued his "fragile individuals" observation after England suffered a loss in the second Test to fall two matches behind.
The team afterwards took a holiday to a Queensland resort between the second and the upcoming matches.
Prior to this match, Stokes said his players had held "honest" conversations and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to stay alive in the series.
Yet, the Kent batsman stated the guidance from the captain and coach McCullum had remained in line with their previous tenure in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, the same as always," said the opener. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. We believed we could do an extraordinary feat entering this game."
The Hosts On the Verge of Historic Series Victory
Crawley's wicket late on Saturday was part of a crucial triple-strike by Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Brook and Ben Stokes – meant the chasing side six down for 207 chasing a daunting total of 435.
Consequently, the home team require four wickets on the last day to secure an unassailable three-nil advantage with three Tests.
Defeat would prolong the English team's drought in this country to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth straight overseas Ashes series defeat.
This series will be completed in only 11 days of play – after England fell the initial matches in two and four days respectively.
The last time 1921, when Australia completed a series win in England in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been determined so quickly. The hosts have also triumphed in 11 days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"It's disappointing," admitted Crawley. "We came here to regain the Ashes and now we are facing elimination now."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we will definitely view it like that," he continued.
"The challenge has been tough. They're a formidable team. It was always going to be hard coming here to face them. They entered as the front-runners and they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
Although Crawley's performance in Adelaide likely secures questions about his immediate place in the England team, Ollie Pope looks under threat for his position in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 in England's second innings on Saturday, adding to his poor record versus the old enemy.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has failed to score a half-century and averages just 17.62.
Only one other English batsman in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has played as many times in the top order in Ashes Tests and returned a lower average.
However, the opener said any suggestion Pope is under the microscope comes from "the media" – referring to the press – "not inside the camp."
"We all know of his considerable talent," said he. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has played several excellent innings. This is noise externally. There is no discussion of that nature on Ollie in the camp," Crawley concluded.
