Can somebody tell me what the deal is with Vernon Davis? I know he has been dealing with a back injury, but there has to be more to it than that. The reason I say that is because I see him running deep routes and looking just fine. His quarterback, Colin Kaepernick, hasn't been accurate passing downfield to Davis, but that still doesn't account for why he's become a shell of his former self (and by former I mean just last season) in terms of his production.
What happened to Vernon Davis?
The 49ers aren’t featuring Vernon Davis like they did in the past. Retired NFL defensive end Stephen White says they might want to reconsider that.
Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
In seven games, Davis has only 17 catches for a paltry 169 yards and two touchdowns. Those two touchdowns? Oh, they both came in the first game of the season. You want to know how many starting tight ends have better stats than that?
ALLUVEM*
So what the frick gives?!
Here's what I know: Davis is too talented not to find a way to get him the ball. The more you feed him, the more it opens things up everywhere else on the field. Yeah, its cool to take a shot now and then just to keep the defense honest, but Davis should be, and has been prior to this season, a helluva lot more than that in this offense. Davis had only two targets last Sunday against the Saints. He had only four targets the week before that against the Rams. That just isn't enough.
Hell, why not line him up wide and let him catch some wide receiver screens? Or maybe just some simple quick slants so he can perhaps catch the ball in stride and run away from the defense like he has in the past? There is no reason for his production to be this low, especially when the offense has sputtered for most of the season. If he is healthy enough to run go routes, he should be healthy enough to catch five or six balls in space where he can try to make something happen with his running ability.
If and/or when the 49ers get around to integrating Davis back into the offense, I am willing to bet that you'll see their productivity on that side of the ball skyrocket immediately. That's especially true if they continue to be committed to running the football. Until then, Davis might as well be on the sideline.
52 catches, 850 yards, 16.3 yards per catch and 13 touchdowns.
Just a reminder of what Vernon Davis’ state line for the season looked like last year: 52 catches, 850 yards, 16.3 average yards per catch and a whopping 13 touchdowns.
Maybe he can’t get back to that level, but surely the Niners can find a way to get him more than two or three catches a game, especially when they are trying to make a playoff push the second half of the season.
Or nah?
*Not meant to be taken literally
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