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49ers' Vernon Davis not getting targets

Vernon Davis has only three catches on five targets in the last three games, but explanations for the drop in production aren't readily available.

Ezra Shaw

Vernon Davis might not be so thrilled with the San Francisco 49ers' transition from Alex Smith to Colin Kaepernick. Davis has only five targets over the last three games, reports the Mercury News. He had zero targets against the New Orleans Saints, caught two of the three balls thrown his way against the St. Louis Rams and caught one of two against the Miami Dolphins.

That's a steep decline from the six catches for 83 yards he made in Kaepernick's first start. Davis averaged 3.2 receptions and 4.5 targets per game when Alex Smith was under center. The coaches downplay the change. Head coach Jim Harbaugh simply said that "whoever is open, that's who the quarterback is instructed to get the ball to. And that varies from week to week." Offensive coordinator Greg Roman said that Davis still commands respect from defenses, also implying it was a question of Davis not being open.

Davis is on pace for 68 targets and 47 receptions this season. That would be his lowest number of targets since 2008 and his lowest number of receptions since his rookie year. It is worth noting that Davis has not said anything about this, and is not publicly complaining.

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