The story of one of my favorite players ever, Vernon Davis:
In the 05-06 season, Mike Nolan’s 49ers went 4-12, & the team was an absolute mess. #1 overall pick, Alex Smith, wasn’t working out, & besides Frank Gore & a decent D-line (Bryant Young = beast), the team had very few bright spots. They were rebuilding.
The Niners were 6th on the board in the 2006 NFL Draft, & with that pick, the 49ers took the new-school, hybrid tight end out of Maryland that was, Vernon Davis.
(Pic via www.purevolume.com)
He was instantly the fastest tight end in the game. At 6ft 3in, 250lbs, Davis ran an unheard of 4.38 40 yard dash. He was a combination of speed, size, & strength the NFL had not seen before. Too big for a corner to cover, too fast for a linebacker. He was supposed to be a matchup nightmare for opposing coaches.
His impact, however, didn’t come right away.
At first, it was injuries. He played hurt his entire rookie season, & even missed six games. But even the following season, 2007, where he saw the most targets on the team, he failed to have the impact the 49ers had hoped, & it showed.
Over the 2007 season, Davis found himself in multiple altercations with teammates during training camp/practices (http://youtu.be/J-8Q5xvnhOQ), arguing & fighting with teammates. Nolan & company couldn’t control him, but everything changed for Davis when the 49ers fired Nolan after a 5-11 season in 07.
In came Mike Singletary.
(Pic via nydailynews.com)
Singletary brought toughness to the team. He was committed to making the 49ers a smash-mouth, hard-nosed football team, something Davis wasn’t used to with Mike Nolan.
Singletary would not deal with Davis’s misbehavior like Nolan did, & he made that clear when he sent Davis to the locker room during a game against Seattle in October of 2008. Singletary’s exact words after the game:
“I told him that he would do a better job for us right now taking a shower and coming back and watching the game than going out on the field. Simple as that.”
(Pic via foxnews.com)
In 2009, his second year under Singletary, Davis emerged as one of the NFL’s best, catching 78 balls, 13 TDs, 965 yards, all career highs, sending him to his first career Pro Bowl. His success continued from there, ranking fourth in career touchdowns as a 49er at 55, & first among tight ends.
(Pic via endzonescore.com)
Vernon Davis was one of the most passionate players that’s ever wore red & gold, & even though he’s been traded, I will always be thankful for the great times he’s been a part of, & he will forever be one of my personal favorite players ever.
Goodbye, & good luck, Vernon Davis.