2012-GameRelease-Divisional

Player Feature Story
49ers' Davis grows up from problem child to 'big-time player'
By Ann Killion, SportsIllustrated.com
Saturday's game-winning catch wasn't the first significant moment Vernon Davis had in the south end
zone of Candlestick Park.
Four seasons earlier, he trudged off the field at that same end of the stadium, in one of the most
humiliating moments an athlete has endured. In front of 60,000 fans, in the middle of the game, he was
sent into the locker room by then-coach Mike Singletary -- who beckoned him back to demand that he
take his helmet with him -- like a naughty child.
The moment produced Singletary's infamous "I want winners" rant and could have produced a bitter and
tuned-out tight end.
But Davis -- a first-round draft pick then in his third season -- used the moment to his advantage. He
never showed any anger or defensiveness about it.
Instead he became one of the best tight ends in the league, a Pro Bowl player the next season and a
player that his team would turn toward to win the game.
"Let's go to Vernon here," Jim Harbaugh told Alex Smith with 14 seconds on the clock Saturday. "It's
either Vernon or nobody."
It was Vernon and he made the catch, with Roman Harper on him, which put the 49ers in the NFC
Championship game. The 49ers will host the Giants on Sunday afternoon.
The moment seemed almost too big for Davis, who burst into tears as he ran off the field, in a scene
almost identical to one that preceded it by 13 years. Terrell Owens caught a ball from Steve Young to
eliminate Green Bay from the playoffs and collapsed, weeping, in Steve Mariucci's arms.
BANKS: 49ERS' SMITH FINALLY GETS HIS DAY IN THE SUN
The difference was that Owens was at the beginning of his career back then. Davis is a six-year veteran
who spent his career in a frustrating NFL outpost until this season.
"History was going through my mind," Davis said after the game. "It was us against history. Us against no.
Us against can't. It was a very emotional game, like a roller coaster, very stressful for me."
Davis came into this season as the top receiver on his team, but his numbers were down in Harbaugh's
run-centered offense. Reporters kept waiting for Davis to complain, but he didn't bite.
"It's not about me," he said after Saturday's game. "It's about the team, the team, the team. I just wait for
my opportunities. I'm not worried about the Pro Bowl or the individual accolades. I'm here to help this
team win...Everyone is waiting for me to complain this year about the opportunities, but I started telling
myself that this game is bigger than you. This here is what matters most."
That's Singletary's most significant legacy with this team. Though he had virtually the same team that
Harbaugh has and produced only a 6-10 record, he did help produce a mature young man in Davis. Davis
has often credited Singletary's tough love with helping him emerge as a team leader.
And a player who would be ready in the big moment.
BYRNE: DAVIS, SMITH SHINE FOR 49ERS AGAINST SAINTS