49ers TE Vernon Davis is Unhappy with Colin Kaepernick’s Chemistry
By Josh Hill
Colin Kaepernick is one of the hottest stories in the NFL and both sexes love the kid. Guys are enamored with his rebel appeal and his gunslinging ability and the ladies are melting over his looks and swagger. But one person isn’t too happy with Kaepernick at the moment and the person happens to play on the same team as the young stud.
Vernon Davis is no stranger speaking his mind, from calling out coaches to storming off the field during games. But he’s got a new crusade that harkens back to Keyshawn Johnson’s Just Give Me the Damn Ball days, and he’s not happy about Colin Kaepernick’s decisions under center — more specifically the chemistry that he has with the new starter.
Just to quickly read between the lines, since Keapernick has taken over as the starter, Davis has seen his production take a nose dive. In the first four weeks of the season, Alex Smith hooked up with Davis 15 times for 197 yards and 3 TDs. In the last four weeks, Kaepernick has gotten the ball to Davis four times for a grand total of 29 yards and zero touchdowns.
So you begin to understand why Davis preferred Alex Smith over the new guy in town.
“That’s something me and Kap don’t have right now,” Davis said, via Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee. “We don’t have it. You have to expect [that because] he just stepped in. Me and Alex — we’ve been here. It takes time. It took time for me and Alex to get like that.”
While guys like Michael Crabtree and Randy Moss saw little production in the early weeks of the season with Smith under center, both have seen their value skyrocket with the deep throwing Kaepernick. With Crabtree and Moss becoming new favorite targets for Kaepernick, Davis has seen his targets drop.
There’s also the matter of Delanie Walker. Under Smith, Walker was a glorified blocker; catching just four passes for under 40 yards in the first four weeks. But while he hasn’t exploded as a target for Kapernick, over the last four weeks Walker has out produced Davis but 137 yards and a touchdown on 7 catches.
But Davis is realizing that no matter how much he whines, Kapernick is looking like the man of the future for the Niners, and he’d better get on board or get out of the winning mood.
Davis is choosing the previous.
“In the beginning, he’d underthrow me, he’d overthrow me because we had to build that chemistry that I would be in that spot right when I need to be. And that’s something that me and Kap don’t have right now. But we’re working on it. We started working on it the moment he walked in.”
The tight end may have cooled off when he looked at the stat sheet and realized he’s quickly becoming expendable in San Francisco. And just ask Brandon Jacobs how the franchise treats deserters.