The colorful second-year player expects big things from himself and his team, and that starts with Monday night's season opener against the Arizona Cardinals.

"I want to go out there, me and my team, and just abuse these guys," Davis said Tuesday.

Davis has the physical tools to do that against practically any opponent he faces. A spirited and vocal individual, he also likes to let everybody know it with emotion and chatter on the field.

But that's all part of what makes Davis one of the NFL's rising young stars at his position. He was the star of San Francisco's offseason program, and many are predicting a breakout season for the No. 6 overall selection in the 2006 NFL draft.

With Pro Bowl running back Frank Gore in the San Francisco backfield and an upgraded receiver corps to occupy defenders, Davis doesn't see how he can be stopped when he's isolated in one-on-one coverage.

"I don't care who it is," Davis said. "I have enough confidence in myself to know that anybody who matches up against me, I'm going to win. I'm going to win, no matter what the route is, because I'm going to use my speed, and I'm going to use my size and ability."

Davis is a nightmare matchup for opposing defenses because of his tremendous speed, power to break tackles and ability to run after the catch. Despite carrying a sculpted 253 pounds on his 6-foot-3 frame, he is as fast as many NFL receivers.

Davis is itching to make big improvement from his abbreviated rookie season, when he missed six games and barely played in another after breaking his right leg last September.

But Davis returned in late November and displayed some of the skills and play-making ability that made him one of the most touted tight end prospects ever to enter the league. He finished with a 13.3 average on 20 receptions, including a 52-yard touchdown reception against Green Bay in Week 14 and a tackle-breaking 44-yard catch-and-run against Arizona in Week 16.

"Vernon has some exceptional and rare physical talents," 49ers coach Mike Nolan said. "He is very strong, very explosive, he can jump, he can catch, he can do a lot of things. But it's really about production in the game. When he gets in that category, in production, that's when you get excited about somebody. We're still working on that."

Davis had a career-high 91 yards receiving against the Cardinals in that Christmas Eve game last year. But like the rest of his teammates, he came away from that defeat with a sour taste. Not only did it eliminate the upstart 49ers from playoff contention, it also was San Francisco's fourth consecutive loss to its NFC West rival from Arizona.

That adds even more meaning to an already pivotal Monday night opener.