Vernon Davis Comments on Difference Between Broncos' and 49ers' Energy

The San Francisco 49ers shipped Vernon Davis to the Denver Broncos on Monday, and it hasn't taken the tight end long to notice differences in how the two franchises operate.

After moving from the NFC West cellar-dwelling 49ers to the undefeated and Super Bowl-contending Broncos, Davis told reporters Wednesday he's pleased to be back in a locker room filled with energy and positivity.

"Last time I felt that energy was when we were winning those games," Davis said, according to ESPN.com's Jeff Legwold. "... We had that winning attitude to just go out and win games."

Davis also addressed his production, which hasn't been the same since he exploded for 13 receiving touchdowns during a 2013 Pro Bowl campaign that saw San Francisco fall to the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Championship Game.

According to Legwold, Davis pointed to organizational instability as one of the reasons for his statistical slide:

"

Everyone's asking that question, where did I go? Where did I go? Where did I go? San Francisco, look at the year when I started to drop off, what happened to the team? What happened to the team? They started to fall, there were so many things going on, so much turmoil. No one really excelled, no one really had success because the team, we didn't have success. If the team's not having success, chances are I'm not going to have success.

"

One season removed from tallying a career-low 245 receiving yards and two touchdowns in 14 games, Davis has mustered 194 yards while failing to find the end zone in six appearances this season.

As the following table indicates, those figures represent a sharp deviation from previous trends:

Season	Games Played	Targets	Receptions	Rec. Yards	TD
2006	10	42	20	265	3
2007	14	85	52	509	4
2008	16	49	31	358	2
2009	16	128	78	965	13
2010	16	93	56	914	7
2011	16	95	67	792	6
2012	16	61	41	548	5
2013	15	84	52	850	13
2014	14	50	26	245	2
2015	6	30	18	194	0

Although Davis hasn't resembled a game-changer in a couple of seasons, it's scary to consider the extra dimension he could bring to the Broncos offense. With weapons like Demaryius Thomas, Emmanuel Sanders, Ronnie Hillman and C.J. Anderson already at quarterback Peyton Manning's disposal, Denver could be primed for a leap in productivity.

According to TeamRankings.com, the Broncos rank 29th in red-zone scoring efficiency (touchdowns only). At present, the AFC West leaders are crossing the goal line on a meager 42.1 percent of their possessions inside the opponent's 20-yard line, which is better than only the Minnesota Vikings, 49ers and Seattle Seahawks.

"He's still a good football player, and he's got the experience and can really stretch the field and he can still really run and he really creates matchup problems for the defense," Broncos general manager John Elway said, according to DenverBroncos.com's Andrew Mason. "So we think he's a great addition."

The Broncos have needed a big body to fill the void left by Julius Thomas' departure to the Jacksonville Jaguars, and they may finally have uncovered the necessary solution by dealing for Davis (6'3", 250 lbs).

"Is Davis going to be the starting tight end and the top target at the position? He certainly has the talent to do so," Bleacher Report's Cecil Lammey wrote. "We should see the Broncos ease Davis into the lineup with the hope that he could take over at the position."

Denver will see if its newest weapon can pay dividends Sunday, when the Broncos are slated to square off against the Indianapolis Colts as they seek to start 8-0.