49ers vs. Bears: Vernon Davis quote has nothing to do with Colin Kaepernick

Following the San Francisco 49ers' 32-7 victory over the Chicago Bears on Monday Night Football, everyone was talking about the play of quarterback Colin Kaepernick. Head coach Jim Harbaugh didn't particularly help things along, by neglecting to confirm that Alex Smith would return as the starter against the New Orleans Saints in 2012.

This was further elevated by a quote from tight end Vernon Davis, in which he said it felt like someone took the handcuffs off of him. Coupled with the lack of raining on Keapernick's parade, many are taking Davis' quote to mean that he's more satisfied with the young gun under center.

Of course, the reality is quite a bit different. Now, I didn't ask Davis myself, but it's pretty clear to me that Davis is, if anything, talking about the gameplan. The coaches felt they had some great matchups with Davis and they sent him out to receive, rather than kept him in to block. The change from Smith to Kaepernick didn't change the way they used Davis. No, that was just what Chicago was giving them.

Davis gave a kind of quote that we often see from players who have breakout games. "It feels like the handcuffs have been removed," is analogous to "it feels like a weight has been lifted." There's no story here, other than the fact that Davis had a big game and is stoked about it.

As for the quarterback controversy? My money is on Harbaugh playing up the controversy to keep the Saints on their toes, but who knows?