Vernon Davis joined the Denver Broncos Monday and the team has fast-tracked the tight end through the playbook in advance of Sunday afternoon's tilt versus the Colts in Indianapolis.
"It's a little nerve-wracking as a coach because you don't want to put him in a situation where he's not comfortable,'' coach Gary Kubiak said after Friday's practice, via ESPN.com. "So you're trying to isolate on what he feels good about. And when you're calling a game like that it gets tough to call -- put him in, take him out, that type of thing ... (But) his eagerness to help us out is helping us. He's so eager, he's lived here this week, he hasn't been home.''
Kubiak added that the Broncos will limit Davis' snaps to only those plays he's had time to practice this week. Despite some restrictions, the coach sees the tight end playing a key role Sunday.
"He's going, he's going to play, I feel very good about the things we've asked him to do this week,'' Kubiak said. "Hopefully he'll be a big part. We're locked in what we're doing and kind of went to him and said, 'OK, tell us all the things you feel good about,' and then as coaches you say, 'OK, I want you to feel good about these things because I want you doing these things'.''
Davis caught just 18 passes for 194 yards on 29 targets this season in San Francisco.
Broncos tight ends Owen Daniels (17) and Virgil Green (6) have combined for 23 catches this season. The Devner duo has seen an uptick in targets, with six combined catches in Week 8 -- half of Green's receptions came against the Packers.
The trend indicates Davis will be in for an uptick in production. The tight end can still run and will get favorable matchups in the Peyton Manning-led offense. While he might have a limited number of plays he can run this week, expect many of those to be red zone snaps, where the Broncos have sorely missed a dynamic target from the tight end spot.
