Sunday, April 30, 2006

San Francisco 49ers TE Vernon Davis Interview - From The NFL

The NFL provided this text of the interview with the San Francisco 49ers first pick in the first round (they had two), Vernon Davis. There's a video I have of this as well, which I will upload and install here later today. But here's the interview

An Interview With:
VERNON DAVIS

Q. How do you feel right now?
VERNON DAVIS: I feel great.

Q. Did you talk to any coaches yet?

VERNON DAVIS: I talked to Norv Turner,
I talked to him before. He called me up on the phone and he said, "Are you ready to get down here"? I said, "Yeah, let's go."

Q. Do you think you can have an immediate impact?
VERNON DAVIS: Oh, yeah I think I can have an immediate impact. I'm already familiar with the offense and it's a great system and a great situation for me.

Q. What's your thoughts on your rise from when the season ended to the draft and your stock just kept going up?
VERNON DAVIS: I kind of knew that my stock was going to go up, basically, because of what I did at the Combine and I just had confidence in myself. I knew what I could do.

Q. What sets you apart from other tight ends in the league?
VERNON DAVIS: Well, my speed, my ability to just make plays and I'm explosive and I can just do other things that a normal tight end can't do.

Q. When you worked out with the 49ers, what did you see from their system that you thought you would be a good fit there?
VERNON DAVIS: Just Norv Turner, he's there and he's got a great history of knowing how to deal with tight ends and put them in great situations.

Q. Did you expect to be as emotional?
VERNON DAVIS: I didn't expect to be that emotional but it hit me, this is a lifelong dream. Hearing my name called on ESPN, being the sixth pick, it feels great to be up there -- I don't think a tight end has ever been that high, along with me and Winslow. It just feels great.

Q. You mention Kellen Winslow and now you have a lot of tight ends, who played basketball who have come into the league and experienced success -- inaudible?
VERNON DAVIS: Oh, yeah, Antonio, he's a great pass-catcher, he's in a great offense, certainly as good as the one I'm headed to. I watched him a lot on film while I was in college and I seen some of the things that he can do that I can
do, also. It's going to be great just watching us, the new tight end class, new breed of tight ends.

Q. You're joining what was the worst offense in the NFL last year. Even with all your talents, can you make that much a difference in that offense?
VERNON DAVIS: Yeah, but I can't do it all by myself. Just like what I told some of the guys back at the University of Maryland, everybody expected me to be Superman because I made so many plays. I can't do it all by myself. It's going to
be the quarterback and the offensive line, we're going to have to be as one to get it done together.

Q. You thought you might be going to New York, were you surprised when they didn't pick you or did you see this coming, going to San Francisco?
VERNON DAVIS: Oh, yeah, I did think I was going to New York. But, you know, I also knew their problems, what they needed. I knew they needed an offensive lineman so I figured their first choice would be D'Brickashaw Ferguson. After that, I just started getting emotional right there because I knew that either Green Bay for San Francisco was going to take me and when my agent told me he thought Green Bay was going to take A.J. Hawk, that's when tears started to come down that I was going to go to a team that I wanted to go to.

Q. Why specifically was this the team you wanted to go to?
VERNON DAVIS: You know, like I said before, Norv Turner is there, Alex Smith is there, a guy who struggled last year who I see can be great for that team. He just needs the right weapons in there, and I think I'm a good choice for that. It's just going to be good watching us.

Q. What do you think of your family all being here, especially your grandmother, I guess she has a special nickname for you?
VERNON DAVIS: She calls me Duky, her Duky. (Laughter).

Q. Why does she call you that?
VERNON DAVIS: I don't know, she's just being a grandmother, typical grandmother who wants to make up a name for her grandchild.

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