San Francisco 49ers tight end Vernon Davis had a terrible 2014 season that saw him produce the worst statistics of his NFL career. Davis finished the year with just 245 receiving yards and two touchdowns—both of which came during the season-opener.
Davis now blames his lousy season on former offensive coordinator Greg Roman’s offensive schemes, according to Matt Barrows of The Sacramento Bee:
“Whenever I’d run, like, my deep over routes there was a safety sitting over there already. It was just game planning. And nothing really ever opened up. But I wasn’t really ever a factor in the offense last year. … The first game, yeah. But the second game, the tight ends (weren’t) really involved as a whole.”
Davis’ production declined immensely from his excellent 2013 season where he racked up 850 yards and 13 touchdowns. He also had 52 receptions and averaged 16.3 yards per catch in 2013.
Compare that with 2014, where his yards per catch dropped to 9.4. Quarterback Colin Kaepernick targeted Davis only 50 times versus the 84 targets the tight end received the prior year.
Davis is entering the 2015 season at age-31, which is on the older end of the spectrum for his position. Nevertheless, that Davis reported for the team’s voluntary practices—unlike last year—shows some extra commitment during the final year of his contract.
New head coach Jim Tomsula commented on how Davis looked in practice, per Niners Nation:
“Vernon is stretching the field. Vernon looks extremely fast. Catching the ball really well.”
Offensive coordinator Geep Chryst reportedly wants to use less multiple wide receiver sets this season. This indicates that Davis will be featured more down the field. Presuming Davis remains in good health, we should see his production increase.
And hopefully, he’ll be responsible for a lot more than the two scores he contributed last season.
Photo: USA Today Sports