Vernon Davis: “Last year I had a lot of people in my ear, particularly an adviser.”

SANTA CLARA – Here are selected quotes from Vernon Davis’ Friday morning press conference in the 49ers’ auditorium.

Q: For you personally, why did things last season not go the way you expected and the way everyone expected for you?

DAVIS: There were a lot of factors. If you look at the season we had last year as a team, I think overall no one really did well, from a coaching standpoint as well as players. We didn’t have the season we wanted to have. It happens sometimes. Can’t really put my finger on in detail what really went on, but it’s done. It’s over. Now we get an opportunity to move on and progress and look forward to the future.

Q: Do you need to kind of come up with some theories though so you can correct them so this year isn’t like last year?

DAVIS: You know what, I’m not worried about it. Everything happens for a reason and everything takes care of itself. I’m very optimistic as well as my teammates. There are no pessimists on this team, that’s what I like about it. I think we have a really great group of guys. The synergy is there. Everyone wants to do well, not just from a player’s standpoint, but the coaches. They’re very determined. They’re willing to give us their all and do what they can to help us win games, and that’s what it’s about. That’s the beauty of it, we’ve had some things go on this offseason where we’ve had some guys like Patrick Willis, Anthony Davis – we’ve had some guys retire. That tells me that tomorrow is not promised. You’ve got to enjoy the moment. You’ve got to enjoy it all because you don’t know when your time is up. If you look at Patrick Willis, he didn’t really get a chance to put his best foot forward because he didn’t know that he was going to retire. You just don’t know. So you’ve got to live in the moment, love each and every bit of it, give it your all every time you step on the field whether it’s practice, whether it’s game time. Give it your all. Do everything you can to get better and better each and every day, and make sure that you leave a great legacy. Every morning that I wake up and every night when I go to bed, I think about guys like Patrick Willis. It just gives me fire. It just adds a chip to me I didn’t know I had. It gives me more fuel. They say that when things like that happen and you go through adversity and you face trials and tribulations, be thankful for it because it can be something that can work in your favor. I’m very, very thankful for the past experiences I’ve had.

Q: Have you thought about how much longer you want to play?

DAVIS: I feel like a rookie. I feel like I did when I first walked in here. I feel faster. I feel explosive. I just feel great overall. I feel like a have a lot of youth. I guess that’s what it looks like when you take care of your body, eat right, and really do your research on the human body. That’s what I’ve been doing. I’ve been taking care of myself and doing as much due diligence as possible to make sure I’m at the top and at my best.

Q: Last year you didn’t take part in the offseason stuff. This year you here from Day 1 to the very end. Why did you decide you needed to be here all the time this year?

DAVIS: Last year I had a lot of people in my ear, particularly an adviser who kept telling me, “Hey, you should try to get a new contract, this and that, blah blah blah.” As my fiduciary, I feel like he was right about a lot of things. So I listened to him. I took his advice. But during the course of that season, I had a chance to really think about it and I said, “What am I doing? I don’t play this game for money. That’s not why I play. It’s to have that, to be rewarded. But what am I doing?” I had to really step back and look at some of the things I was doing and some of the people I was listening to. I don’t play this game for money. I play for the love of the game. I play for the moment, and that’s all we have. We have one day at a time. And it frustrates me at this point, because I was actually doing something just so I could get paid. But that’s not who I am. That’s not what I stand for. I don’t do anything for money. I don’t let money represent me. That’s just not me. I play for the love of the game, and that’s the beauty of this sport – it’s lots of love. You have teammates, you have coaches, you have people who want to be there for you, people who are going to ride with you through thick and thin. But the great thing about it is I get another opportunity. What you saw this offseason is me being determined to be great, me being determined to be here to help my teammates win.

Q: Is that person still an adviser for you?

DAVIS: I fired that person because he worshipped money. That’s not what I worship.

Q: Who was that?

DAVIS: I’d rather not talk about it. I’d rather keep his identity disclosed.

Q: Do you think that had an impact on not having a good season?

DAVIS: No, it’s a lot of factors. I won’t disclose his identity, but there’s a lot of factors. It’s not about one man. I can’t go out there and win this game by myself. It takes a group of guys. It takes a team. You have to depend on other guys to help you. I can’t go out here and do it myself. It had nothing to do with me. As a whole, I feel like there was a lot of things that were done incorrectly that needed to be addressed. As a product, what’s happening right now, the structure of the team, everything that has happened and went on – seems like everything’s in place now the way it’s supposed to be. When things go wrong you’re supposed to fix it. As a wonderful organization, I feel like they’ve done everything they could possibly do to correct some of the problems that we were up against last year.

Q: When did you make the realization about your adviser last season? And when did you part ways with him?

DAVIS: I realized it I guess before the season started.

Q: So you parted ways with him before the season began?

DAVIS: Absolutely.

This article has 18 Comments

  1. I would like to give Vernon the benefit of the doubt, but I cannot shake the feeling that most of what he has said this off season, including his effusive praise of Kap’s changed mechanics, are carefully calculated to rehabilitate his image. And I wonder — is he just trying to rehabilitate it with the just fans, or with his teammates as well?

    1. Good question!

      Tomsula on Kilgore:

      “We expected Daniel sometime toward middle of training camp,” Tomsula said. “That’s pushed back, but I don’t know how far back”….

    2. I agree JPN. Whenever I hear/ see him interviewed he comes across as fake to me. Every response seems measured, like he’s been well media trained. This is no different.

      In saying that I don’t really see it as an issue. I’m sure a lot players put on their media face when interviewed. I prefer Vernon’s approach to the media to Kaep’s.

      1. Talk is of course cheap. Before TC and the season we have little else to go on. It will be refreshing to move to the phase where performance is what we discuss.

  2. His mid-week change of positions last season made it obvious that he was listening to advisers. I also think that his statements at the present is also at the behest of advisers. It’s all about creating an image of a player who loves the game and isn’t playing for the money. This is so teams will trust him enough to give him a multi-year contract after this season expires. He will give his best effort this season, but it’s all about the money for his next contract. A player who really loves the game still gives his best effort irregardless to what kind of contract he is playing for. His coming in out of shape and lack of effort throughout the season last season was a totally separate issue from his attempt at forcing the team to give him a new contract while he still had two years left on a top loaded contract along with the team had no monetary wiggle room. That was a stupid move that had no chance for success.

    He is now giving it his best shot to convince any potential team that they can trust him once he gets another contract. It is evident that he just has better advisers now. That still does not account for his personal lack of effort which resulted in a personal low for him in production. The Niners should keep him for this season because he will definitely produce, but let him walk and get a third round comp. After he cons a new team into giving him a new contract his love for the game will suddenly disappear.

    1. Ha, yea if he returns to form, we’ll start calling him the prodigal son and welcome him back with open arms. Good one Brotha!

  3. Let’s wait and see if Davis cares more about the game than the money. Actions speak louder than words.

  4. I think Vernon is healthy and motivated this year. He brought a good attitude by showing up for all OTAs and he looked fast and focused.
    I predict 8 TDs and 800 yards for a nice comeback.

  5. Here’s a summation of Davis’s press conference; It’s not my fault.

    1. That financial advisor must have many talents, because it looked to me that he had Venon’s arms shortened during the 2014 season.

  6. Vernon’s entire career has been inconsistent at best. He’s hot one year and cold the next. It won’t be the least bit surprising to see Vernon go out and kill it to earn himself one more big pay day and then we’ll very likely see the “distracted” Vernon the following season.

    I still say in 2016 he’s a NYJet.

  7. C4C…..

    Although it’s all speculation on both of our parts, I’m not buying that VD is under the gun any more than anyone else…. Good effort, a couple good plays, perhaps a couple of plays that don’t require him running 60 yards only to be avoided by Kaep. I believe that ‘Jeep’ will use him in the short and intermediate game. To this point, it’s been two years since he was used there except for blocking. 15 yard stop-and-go patterns could also keep defenses from stacking the box….Vernon is STILL one hell of a weapon.

    1. Davis will probably have a much better year, but Baalke won’t meet the market price for him because it is about the money.

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