England opener Crawley suggested he was not familiar with comments made by skipper Stokes regarding the team environment not being "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes made this message in several interviews following England's defeat in the second match of the Ashes against the Australians earlier this month.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where England now face a series loss at the earliest opportunity, the captain stated he had allowed his sentiment to "drift around" within the squad.
"I've done all the talking in recent days that I required," remarked the England leader.
But, after the opener made 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take anything stated in the media with a pinch of salt," he added.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
The captain issued his "fragile individuals" observation after his side suffered a loss in Brisbane to go two matches behind.
The team subsequently took a holiday to a Queensland resort between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Before this match, Stokes revealed his team had held "raw" talks and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their effort to remain alive in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, Crawley asserted the guidance from the captain and coach Brendon McCullum had remained consistent with their previous three years in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, unchanged," said Crawley. "It's just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with lots of freedom. It felt like we could do an extraordinary feat going into this Test."
The Hosts On the Verge of Historic Ashes Triumph
The opener's dismissal on day four came during a decisive three-wicket burst by Australia off-spinner Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in a short spell – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Stokes himself – left England six down for 207 chasing a daunting target of 435.
This means, the home team need four wickets on Sunday's last day to secure an unassailable 3-0 lead with three matches played.
A loss would prolong the English team's winless run in this country to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth successive away Ashes defeat.
This series is set to be decided in only 11 days of cricket – after England losing the first two Tests in rapid time each.
The last time 1921, when Australia completed a series win in England in eight days, has the destination of the urn been determined more swiftly. Australia have also triumphed in eleven days on two other instances in the modern era.
"This is disappointing," said the batsman. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and now we are facing elimination at this point."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we will definitely view it like that," Crawley added.
"It's been tough. Australia is a very, very good team. It was always going to be tough coming here to face them. They entered as the front-runners coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
While the opener's innings in the third Test probably answers doubts about his immediate place in the side, Pope looks under threat for his position in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
Pope was out for 17 runs in the team's second knock on day four, adding to his poor record versus the old enemy.
In 16 Ashes innings, Pope has never made a fifty and averages just 17.62.
A solitary other England player in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top order in Ashes Tests and returned a lower average.
However, the opener said any suggestion his teammate is being scrutinised comes from "you guys" – meaning the press – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," added Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has played some really good knocks. It is noise from the outside. There is no discussion like that regarding Pope amongst the players," he concluded.
