Coming into the 2009 season, it seemed that all the stars were aligned for Vernon Davis to have his finest year on record… and the cosmos doesn’t lie. First of all, Vernon is a rare physical specimen that even the NFL almost never sees. His combination of strength, size, and speed are unmatched across the league, which begs the question; why hasn’t this kid produced like this before? The answer lies within the 49ers organization. Granted, Davis may not be the sweetest of candies in Grandma’s old tin jar, but he’s also been stuck in systems that have never catered to his abilities before. 49ers new Offensive Coordinator Jimmy Raye II may not have had a lot of overall success during the course of his NFL career, but one thing he has been able to do is produce Top-3 tight ends in eight of his 14 years coaching, and with the year Vernon had, 2009 marked his ninth out of 15.
~ Ranked first in the league with 174.5 TE fantasy points (basic scoring system)
~ Tied for first in the league with 13 receiving touchdowns
~ Ranked fifth among tight ends in the league with 965 receiving yards (27th overall)
~ Ranked sixth among tight ends in the league with 60.3 receiving yards per game (29th overall)
~ Ranked fifth among tight ends in the league with 78 receptions (tied for 19th overall)
~ Ranked third among tight ends in the league with 129 targets (tied for 16th overall)
~ Ranked third among tight ends in the league with 13 receptions of 20+ yards (tied for 24th overall)
~ Ranked seventh among tight ends in the league with 40 catches for first downs (tied for 36th overall)
~ Tied for sixth among tight ends in the league with 265 yards after the catch (YAC) (tied for 44th overall)
~ Set career bests in receptions (78), receiving yards (965), receiving TDs (13), yards/game (60.3), and yards from scrimmage (965)
~ Made his first career Pro Bowl team
