FanPost

Vernon Davis: The good, the bad and the ugly

The sports writing consensus seems to be that Vernon Davis has been at best a disappointment and at worst an outright bust and their theory is supported by his statistics. Unfortunately for Vernon there is no statistic for putting a defensive end on his ass.

The Good: As bad as V.D.s route running has been, his blocking has been at least that good. I would in fact defy anyone to find a better blocking (both running and passing) TE in the NFL. V.D. has been a dominating blocker which is arguably more important in the 49ers offense than his production as a receiver. He makes blocks that you don't expect TEs to make. He wins one on one in the passing game against good pass rushers and makes seal blocks on DEs where he has to get outside of a guy that is lined up on his outside shoulder. I've seen him push embarrass linebackers pushing them five yards past the point of contact on running plays.

The Bad: Vernon Davis' route running and awareness. Too often he runs towards coverage and although he has speed he lacks the subtlety to "shake" man coverage. There have, however, been other mitigating factors in his lack of production. Despite his flaws V.D. has been the most dangerous receiver in the 49ers passing game i.e.: the biggest threat to posterize a defense. When he has gotten the ball in the open field he's made guys look bad by either outrunning them or running them over. Defenses; despite his lack of production, are game planning V.D. because nobody else in the 49ers passing game has been that "scary". At the end of the day he still looks raw as a receiver and needs to get coached up.

The Ugly: He reminds me way too much of T.O... Maybe T.O. wouldn't have been so bad under a coach like Singletary, but VD is emotionally immature. The fights in practice, the stupid personal fouls the crying when drafted... Like T.O. it doesn't make him a bad guy, but it can make him a distracting team-mate and a liability on the field when he costs his team 15 yards. Also like T.O. we're not talking about a guy who is lazy or takes plays off, we're talking about a guy that cares so much, but is childish about its manifestation.

My hope is that with the mentorship of a strong leader that he respects (Coach SIng), V.D. will grow up on and off the field, but only time will tell. If V.D. ever reaches his full potential he has the tools to be one of the best players ever at his position.

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of Niners Nation's writers or editors. It does reflect the views of this particular fan though, which is as important as the views of Niners Nation's writers or editors.