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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Thursday, September 3, 2009

NFL: 49ers can’t keep QB Nate Davis under wraps for long


By Matthew Barrows
McClatchy Newspapers

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Ever since the February scouting combine, the name “Nate Davis” has been followed by the caveat, “learning disability.” It was the reason Davis, once projected as a second-round draft pick, fell all the way to the bottom of the fifth round. It was the reason the 49ers this spring felt they’d be able to stash Davis on their practice squad in 2009.

After all, what NFL team in its right mind would raid the San Francisco practice squad for a quarterback who would be unable to pick up their playbook? The answer today: most of them.
The plan to keep Davis under wraps this season started to unravel at the end of the third quarter Saturday against Dallas when Davis entered the game and promptly led the 49ers on a 10-play, 88-yard touchdown drive. The plan was gone for good by the end of the fourth quarter when Davis engineered another long touchdown drive that won the game for the 49ers.
In between were the types of throws that A.) haven’t been seen in San Francisco for a very long time and B.) make you wonder how Davis ever lasted as long as he did in the April draft.
In the third quarter, he hit receiver Micheal Spurlock on the sideline for 20 yards. Davis was on the run when he let go of the ball, but the pass was on target the football equivalent of an inside fastball right where the catcher was calling for it.
His next pass may have been more impressive. With the pocket collapsing, Davis didn’t panic or take off and run. With his eyes downfield, he calmly stepped into an opening to his left and fired a 19-yard pass to tight end J.J. Finley at the 1-yard line.
It was enough to convince the 49ers they didn’t need 12-year veteran Damon Huard, brought in this offseason as the team’s safety net. The 49ers released Huard on Tuesday.
It was also enough to convince many 49ers fans that the franchise’s long search for the quarterback of the future may finally have unearthed a gem.
In that regard, it’s important to force down a tall glass of perspective.
Davis’ success in the past two exhibition games has come against second- and third-stringers, something Mike Singletary noted immediately following the Cowboys game. It’s also a lot easier to salvage a meaningless practice game than it is to lead a team in the regular season. From Brandon Doman to Ken Dorsey to Cody Pickett, the 49ers’ third quarterback always seems to shine in the exhibition season.
Still, it’s hard to dull what Davis has done.
He has the best arm on the team and a quick release. He’s decisive. When a receiver is open, the ball is on its way. In two exhibition games, he’s shown more instinct than Alex Smith ever did as a rookie. In fact, the anti-Alex faction would argue Davis has looked better in August than Smith has in four offseasons.
Most of all, Davis has begun to silence the doubters who wondered if he was smart enough to master an NFL playbook.
Davis admits he has trouble reading. But he’s compensated by spending extra time in the film room and working closely with quarterbacks coach Mike Johnson, who has broken down the playbook in diagram form. That Davis has progressed to where he is despite receiving only a smattering of practice snaps this summer shows his dedication.
“Everybody thinks they should go higher (in the draft),” Davis told reporters Wednesday. “That’s why you keep on working hard and show the other teams that you should have picked me.”
In other words, thanks for the motivation; see you on Sunday.