49ers TE Vernon Davis on his holdout:
"It hasn’t been difficult at all. It’s just like any athlete, we all want a new contract. But I’m not going to stress over it. It’s not the end of the world if I don’t get it. If I get it, that’s good. It’s moving slowly, but surely.
"At the end of the day, if I don’t get the deal, at least I tried and I put my foot down. If I don’t get it at the moment, I’m not going to lose any sleep."
It doesn't sound like he intends to carry his holdout into the season. Davis finished the season as the #2 TE, but his numbers took a dip after Michael Crabtree returned to the fold. Davis averaged 3.8-62-.90 on 6.1 targets without Crabtree in the lineup. After his return (and including three playoff games), those numbers fell to 2.4-35-.75 on 4.6 T/G. Those are still top 10 numbers at the position, but Davis simply isn’t a no-brainer top 5 pick with Crabtree in the lineup. Davis has a history of being underutilized in the 49ers’ run-heavy offense, and that’s a possibility again in 2014.