Vernon Davis
by Drew Kerr on Oct 14, 2010 3:02 AM PDT
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Although Vernon Davis has been relatively quite, it seems as though he is on pace for another possible ProBowl season. Outside of the first week when Davis had 8 receptions, he has seen about the same amount of targets each game with only a few. Last year, one of the most effective routes he ran was that seam route up the middle. We have only seen that route on a few occasions this season. Vernon Davis has been considered to be one of the most dangerous tight ends on the league. Now the question I am going to present is, do you think Davis is not being used enough?
I have had my fair share of opinions on how badly the offensive play-calling has been in these last two years. Between Jimmy Raye and current Offensive Coordinator Mike Johnson, I feel there has not been enough creativity in the playcalls. Last week, the proof was in the pudding. It seemed on several occasions after re-watching the game a few times that the Eagles knew what the 49ers were going to run before they even did. I honesly think that the weapons that are on this team are not being used exactly how they should be. All the players on the team have unique elements that they bring to the game. For example, we all know that Frank Gore and Brian Westbrook are quite conceivably two of the best receiving running backs in history, and that Crabtree and Josh Morgan have the potential to be two of the best possession receivers in the NFL. Give Crabtree some space and he can make people look silly too. Both Delanie Walker and of course Vernon Davis can stretch the field better than a majority of the tight ends in the NFL.
Vernon presents mismatches versus any linebacker (by speed) and, or cornerbacks (by size) in the NFL. So back to the main question; why exactly is the coaching staff not getting the ball to Davis a little more often? It's not like Alex Smith has not been getting the time to do so. As much Alex bashing that has been going on around these parts as of late, he still has the capability to get the ball downfield on that seam route.
Bottom line is that the coaching staff is playing scared and has been taking zero chances until they are down and don't have much to lose. This happened often last year as well. I am actually looking in to coaching high school football here soon and have been doing my research on how to get there as of late. The one thing I won't do if I land a job for the high school football season next year is play scared. I understand that high school football and the NFL are miles apart but the one trend of winning teams that I've seen is that they play with no fear and never veer from their game; whatever that may be. Back in the 80's Bill Walsh and the rest of the staff NEVER showed mercy for the opponent. There would be games that they were up by multiple scores and would continue to pass and NOT run out the clock with the ground game with 15 minutes left in the 4th Quarter to let teams back in to the game. Balance breeds success... as well as an unpredictable game plan.
So the two things I believe the coaching staff should incorporate is PLAY WITH ZERO FEAR and SHOW NO MERCY. Use Vernon Davis more.
Davis' stats after 5 games:
24 receptions, 313 yards, 62.6 yards average per game, 13.0 per catch, 5.3 YAC, 2 TD's.
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.
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This posting to the NN Twitter threw me off.
I thought it was front page, I was like “Woah, Drew K, back off my 3 a.m., son!”
And then God created Saturn... and he liked it, so he put a ring on it.
Twitter me and what not.
In other news ...
… I really wish Davis ran more intricate routes. He is a mismatch for everyone.
And then God created Saturn... and he liked it, so he put a ring on it.
Twitter me and what not.
Yeah... he could blow away, smash, demolish some records if he was used more frequently
"I'm blessed..... Thanks, God bless" ...hey, it worked for Tim Tebow.
And most importantly… help the Niners to some W’s
"I'm blessed..... Thanks, God bless" ...hey, it worked for Tim Tebow.
not just that
he is the best TE in the league..i believe at least. he doesnt get anywhere near as much recognition that he deserves! you can put 2 or 3 people on him and he would still be able to make a play. He is the biggest matchup nightmare in the league. Not to mention that he is a great blocking TE. He is our most versitile and best player on offense, alongside with Gore.
A man's life is described either by his actions, words, or even the people who he loves and loves him.
Agreed
Some guys like Dallas Clark and Antonio Gates and even some others get so much recognition because they have the likes of guys like Peyton Manning and Phillip Rivers throwing to them…which is instant inflation. Could you imagine Vernons stats if he played for the Colts?? It would be record breaking. Alex can get the job done if they would just allow him more opportunities though, but Vernon is without a doubt in my mind, the best Tight End in the league.
The seam route is total money...
but VD has had some big plays that haven’t been down the seam (sorry, couldn’t resist).
On the 41-yard catch against the Saints ( http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-game-highlights/09000d5d81ab4fac/Davis-41-yard-catch ) Davis started on the right side of the O-Line and came across the field, and another long play last year against the Rams ( http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-game-highlights/09000d5d81573655/Davis-73-yard-TD-reception ) was actually on a wheel route. And the TD vs the Falcons was on a screen (that one’s fresh in everyone’s memory, so I won’t post a link) so that’s another way the Niners can take advantage of his unique physical abilities.
VD is never going to run Tony Gonzales routes as a TE, and FWIW, Collinsworth’s comment Sunday about how the throw before the half should’ve been a vertical one showed CC’s lack of knowledge about the kinds of catches VD tends to make: he’s not a throw it up, I’ll catch the high ball kind of guy. But he can catch the ball over his shoulder and we saw last year how often he can come down with the ball and take a hit. The exciting thing to me is that even after a pretty quiet 1st half of the season, VD is on pace for 1000+ yards and 75+ catches, and it seems to me that his TDs are going to pick up as the season goes along.
If Mike Johnson is really a guy that likes to work on getting match-ups for his players, it seems like Davis is exactly the kind of player that should showcase that mentality, and I agree, Drew, that Davis should be getting more attention in the passing game.
The only caveat I’d have for that is that attention to Davis isn’t a matter of not showing mercy—it’s a matter of using Davis in a way that sets up other things in the offense. If you’re always working Davis in the short middle part of the field, that only encourages the defense to pack more guys into the box, which hurts the running game—or rather, it fails to open the box up. The instances I highlighted above are the kinds of things that can ‘unlock the box’ which is what we know needs to happen if Frank Gore is to get back to the kind of yards-per-carry numbers he’s had in previous years.
Start the young ones early, I always say.
twitter me @grantmp1
now I see where the idea came from in the other thread!
This team needs some real leadership from it's players.
Nitwitter
honestly I think he should be used like Moss is.
That seam route is heavily guarded, until you face a blitzing defense like the Eagles. However, using Davis on that seam route should open deep routes underneath. I’m not sure about morgan being better for the lineup than Ziggy at this point either. I personally think we should be in a 3 wide formation majority of the game, unless we start Ginn. i think Crab’s abilities are better served in a slot position, and with guys like Davis and Ginn stretching the field and Crabs and Ziggy/Morgan taking underneath routes i think we should be more explosive. SO if a team doesn’t reespect Davis and cover him with a linebacker, yes, I think he should be used more. But, teams fear what he can do ont he seam vs a LB and tend to have a safety playing over the top.
Damn you Montana and Young, your success has spoiled a great percentage of our fan base into speculative rants and raves and pure denial of reality.
rlott#42
VD can beat those safeties too
As long as Alex throws the ball on time, VD will just catch it and slam into the safety.
But that’s not the point.
You’re right that Crabtree and Morgan should be used more on shorter routes while having Ginn and Davis stretch the field.
Both these guys can take a LB and a S out of the box.
What we've got here is a failure to communicate.
"I'm just like you, but 10 times better"
by SportsChicken on Oct 14, 2010 8:25 AM PDT up reply actions
with the way so many teams are faking blitzes into the A-gap...
a player like VD is particularly dangerous. Because if the opposition is shading either of the safeties over to help out the corners at all, VD can burn a fake-blitzing LB down the middle every time (as was displayed in the Eagles game). When the LBs are lined up in the A-Gaps, Davis just has to read which safety is giving the LB coverage help when he comes off the line at the snap, and look over the opposite shoulder for the ball.
Despite the fact that it’s a pretty tough pass, Alex seems pretty confident threading that one in there most of the time.
Start the young ones early, I always say.
twitter me @grantmp1
I love the way Ziggy gains separation despite not being the speediest wideout
and I love his hands. But Morgan is a far superior blocker, so I understand why he starts. The combo of Ginn/Ziggy at 3rd WR makes perfect sense to me.
Start the young ones early, I always say.
twitter me @grantmp1
I agree, however with Zig Crabs and Ginn you have a height mismatch with Zig, Crabs can get open in the slot.
Ginn opens up more when he and Davis are on the field together. Effecient passing will be best for our running game. With these players on the field blocking fromt he WR’s is not as critical, besides it was Morgan’s whiff on a block that had Gore plastered into a fumble.
Damn you Montana and Young, your success has spoiled a great percentage of our fan base into speculative rants and raves and pure denial of reality.
rlott#42
hmmm...I didn't realize that Morgan was the culprit there
I agree that efficient passing helps the run game—especially outside the numbers. If Mike Johnson is all about stretching the field horizontally as well as vertically, he needs to be able to get the ball to the outside receivers…on the outside, both short and long. At this point, it seems like the Niners have some decent longer stuff with Davis down the middle of the field, but that shot to Ginn (intercepted) was just about the only longer sideline pass I can recall this season.
Start the young ones early, I always say.
twitter me @grantmp1
Smith made a solid throw to Davis midfield on one play, had he pump fakes the pass he could have hit Ginn for six, EASILY.
Damn you Montana and Young, your success has spoiled a great percentage of our fan base into speculative rants and raves and pure denial of reality.
rlott#42
pump fake?
Look off a defender?
You’re thinking of the wrong quarterback.
Start the young ones early, I always say.
twitter me @grantmp1
Other WR's
I am fine with Davis getting as many receptions as he does right now, but only if the other WR’s, that should be getting more open because Davis is facing double coverage, will compensate for it by getting more receptions.
Agreed VD should be used a lot more
Mostly because he is on my fantasy team and he needs to get me more points.
Oh Fantasy Ontology...
The most entertaining kind of reductionism that there is!
Start the young ones early, I always say.
twitter me @grantmp1
Nice to see you post, Drew, where have you been hiding?
I agree with everything you said, with one significant modification … I think that ALL weapons other than Gore should be used much more. Frank isn’t that God awful productive this year yet we continue to feed him the ball at the expense of winning games. Under Raye I was convinced that game plans for all games were simple and identical — “give the ball to Frank and forget everyone else; that’s the way Sing wants it.”
I wish that Sing would give MJ the directive — “do whatever you want, but I don’t want to see Gore handle the ball more than 12 times in any one game.” Although I believe that such a directive would substantially increase our possibility of winning (because it would require that everybody else get involved in the offense), unfortunately it will never happen.
High school football coach, huh? I like it!
by 49erFanSince1950 on Oct 14, 2010 1:52 PM PDT reply actions
Haven't really been hiding...
I’ve been posting every week with college football material and occasionally commenting here and there.
"I'm blessed..... Thanks, God bless" ...hey, it worked for Tim Tebow.
isn't gore one of the most productive backs in 49ers history? i think he is, and at 12 attempts, Westbrook is done in 3 weeks.
Damn you Montana and Young, your success has spoiled a great percentage of our fan base into speculative rants and raves and pure denial of reality.
rlott#42
4 seasons in a row of 1000 yards rushing
no Niner back has ever done that.
Problem is those 4 seasons may have started catching up to him this season. He just doesn’t look like he has the legs right now.
We definitely need to get him rested, which doesn’t simply mean throwing to him instead of running him up the gut.
I think the players are playing too anxious, i think they need to settle down and let the game come to them.
Also, the OL is not playing much better than last year.
Damn you Montana and Young, your success has spoiled a great percentage of our fan base into speculative rants and raves and pure denial of reality.
rlott#42
It's not that
It’s the fact that he plays almost as much as the offensive linemen.
Let him rest on 2nd and short and 3rd and long.
What we've got here is a failure to communicate.
"I'm just like you, but 10 times better"
by SportsChicken on Oct 14, 2010 10:09 PM PDT up reply actions
I felt you were saying that he sucks this year because he carried the load for 4 years
That’s not really true.
He’s just struggling this year because they don’t take him off the field (this year).
He was great vs. NO. early in the season.
What we've got here is a failure to communicate.
"I'm just like you, but 10 times better"
by SportsChicken on Oct 15, 2010 12:47 PM PDT up reply actions
I think part of it is all the carries starting to add up
but the bigger part of it is him being on the field practically every offensive down
I don't think the carries will really "add up"
until he’s 30.
He was not used much in college (he was always injured) and he hasn’t gotten THAT many carries in the NFL.
But the fact that he’s playing every damn snap this year is pissing me off.
What we've got here is a failure to communicate.
"I'm just like you, but 10 times better"
by SportsChicken on Oct 15, 2010 5:33 PM PDT up reply actions
You know what's amazing
more than him being on the field every play is that he’s already had 91 attempts.
Last year he had 229 in the whole year.
Year before it was 240.
In 206 when he ran for 1600 yards it was 329.
At this rate he’ll end up with 291 carries on the year (assuming he’s healthy the entire time). 300 carries is far too many, especially when that back is also in on virtually every passing down too.
Especially given that Gore's on reconstructed knees...
If they want to feed him the ball 300 times, they’ve got to understand that it’s not entirely impossible that he could even be used up after next year.
You're right about good teams not playing scared
In our worst loss, (against one of the 3 stud teams at the time Sac – this one being Jesuit), they scored and surprise onside kicked against us. They proceeded to quickly score again. As they lined up to kick off I was standing next to the coach and said “I think they’re gonna do it again…” Our fearless leader informed me they would never do something that risky right after we saw it just moments ago. 10 seconds later they were laying on top of another recovered surprise onside kick.
Gimme 1 round!
I noticed Smith is 2nd in the league in redzone passer rating, but it isn't putting up W's...
Damn you Montana and Young, your success has spoiled a great percentage of our fan base into speculative rants and raves and pure denial of reality.
rlott#42
agreed
I’m waiting for a long play—any long play to lift the lid of the defense. A 50-yard run can be more demoralizing for a defense than a 8-minute 13-play drive, because it puts that bit of anxiety onto the table. That’s why teams press so often trying to bottle up Chris Johnson, only to have him squirt out of the hole and break a long one: you sell out because you think ‘this is the only chance I have to get him’ and forget your technique.
Start the young ones early, I always say.
twitter me @grantmp1
I usually squirt in the hole
but you’re right, first it has to squirt out.
by mr. instigator on Oct 15, 2010 11:37 AM PDT up reply actions
It must be Thursday
because I’m absolutely sold that Vernon Davis is going to start lighting things up on a regular basis. I hope its in time for a 5-game win streak. Man, you know you’re at a low point when you’re hoping for a 5-game win streak just to see the 49ers get back to .500.
by Andrew Davidson on Oct 14, 2010 6:00 PM PDT reply actions
He's already on pace for a 1,000 yard season...
How much more can he realistically light it up? He’s scored TDs in two games in a row, just went over 100 yards.
Trust me, learning english isn’t a waste of time. It is actually sort of useful.
-randolphforpresident
by Dubs fan in Boston on Oct 14, 2010 6:05 PM PDT up reply actions
how about a monster
performance like Week 7 last season? I’m thinking 7 catches, 90 yards, 3 TDs this weekend. :P
by Andrew Davidson on Oct 14, 2010 6:07 PM PDT up reply actions
49ers will be losing 51-21?
What we've got here is a failure to communicate.
"I'm just like you, but 10 times better"
by SportsChicken on Oct 14, 2010 10:10 PM PDT up reply actions
How much more?
How about Antonio Gates’ projected numbers
93 recs 1530 yds 16.5 avg. 22 tds
Start the young ones early, I always say.
twitter me @grantmp1
I'm amazed
that VD has 313 yards on the season. That’ll put him on pace for over 1000 on the season. He’s way off on the TDs this year but 3 of his TDs did come in that Houston game last year, so there’s no reason for him not to get another 3TD game and be back in the chase for sole ownership of the TE touchdown record.
And yeah, the playcalling is far too conservative, even from Mike Johnson. Perfect example is the very first play from scrimmage last week. Ginn returns the opening kick 50 yards and gets the house totally rocking and what does Mike Johnson call? Run up the gut. At that point why not throw it deep. The defense is already reeling from the big run and are back on their heels. Go for the jugular right away.
I honestly think that if they had gone deep, either to Ginn down the sideline or VD on the seam route the first opening play would’ve been a TD and the place would’ve erupted.
Go for the jugular right away.
To me, this is the problem with our offense. We never “go for the jugular” and thus our opponents don’t have to worry about us doing something crazy. Then again, Ted Ginn is our deep threat, and our OL sucks.
Trust me, learning english isn’t a waste of time. It is actually sort of useful.
-randolphforpresident
by Dubs fan in Boston on Oct 14, 2010 6:07 PM PDT up reply actions
VD is also a deep threat in the seam. I think he leads the team in 20+ yard receptions, and even 40+ too. The Offense needs to go into attack mode every series, not just in desperate times (much like last season’s “spread” offense).
by Andrew Davidson on Oct 14, 2010 6:09 PM PDT up reply actions
I'm not a fan of the "spread"...
but I am also inclined to believe that the Niners would be well served by ‘establishing the pass’, since that does so much to actually help the run game. It’s not an accident that Arian Foster is (or was) the league’s leading rusher.
Start the young ones early, I always say.
twitter me @grantmp1
by grantmp on Oct 14, 2010 7:07 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions
All I’m saying is, the team needs to take shots at times when its not desperate.
by Andrew Davidson on Oct 14, 2010 8:26 PM PDT up reply actions
When you're 0-5
It never really isn’t desperate
'Careful Grasshopper ~ that's a god you're mauling.'
What's wrong with Ginn?
He’s definitely played better than I expected him too.
Well worth the 5th round pick.
What we've got here is a failure to communicate.
"I'm just like you, but 10 times better"
by SportsChicken on Oct 14, 2010 10:11 PM PDT up reply actions
I think Dubs is acknowledging that while Ginn is a burner, he's not a ...
‘throw it up, and I’ll catch it’ kind of guy, which you need if you’re going to get a deep ball on anything other than a 7-step drop.
Start the young ones early, I always say.
twitter me @grantmp1
I like Ginn for the price, though, too.
Start the young ones early, I always say.
twitter me @grantmp1
We don't need him to be that guy
He can burn DBs badly enough so that he doesn’t have to contend with them for the ball.
Alex just has to be able to get it to him.
What we've got here is a failure to communicate.
"I'm just like you, but 10 times better"
by SportsChicken on Oct 15, 2010 12:49 PM PDT up reply actions
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