After leading the 49ers to the NFC Championship game last season, Vernon Davis carried on his historic performance into this year, hauling in 20 catches for 303 yards and four touchdowns through five games! However, since week 6 this season, Davis has been on the down low and defenses have gone to extremes to try and slow him down. He is constantly being double teamed and defensive ends have made sure to slow down his running routes at the line of scrimmage. Davis doesn’t let any of this phase him and he tells reporters, “I know the ability that I have and the things I can do in this game, but I don’t talk about it. The coaches know. I just let them call the shots and I just sit back and play my role and try to be a team guy.”
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While getting the football has been an issue for Davis recently, he doesn’t have to catch a pass to contribute to the offense. His blocking and double coverage actually give the entire team more offensive possibilities, especially for weapons such as Michael Crabtree and Randy Moss. Davis expressed excitement seeing Crabtree doing big things, while also watching Moss do his “two-step shuffle” before taking off down the field. Offensive coordinator Greg Roman mentioned that seeing Vernon Davis get some extra defensive attention reminds him of defenses changing their entire game plans toward Randy Moss earlier in his career.
The 49ers headed into their bye week looking healthy and ready to get back to work. While some players are healing up from half a season’s worth of bumps and bruises, Vernon Davis isn’t a big fan of the extra time off. He has said he likes to be in the zone and keep his momentum going. It looks like Davis will make his mark soon and have another explosive game before we know it, but before then, he still has a lot of responsibilities elsewhere on the field. The 49ers face the St. Louis Rams this Sunday at the Stick for another exciting NFC West division game.
