Hail! Magazine: Fred Davis talks USC scandals, Redskins failures and his relationship w/ Chris Cooley

[themurf]

Maybe it’s because he grew up in a small-town community in Toledo, Ohio, but Washington Redskins tight end Fred Davis is easily one of the most level-headed and grounded professional athletes you’ll ever find.

When times are good, he’s not going to thump his chest and tell the sea of cameras how great he is. And when times are tough, he’s not the type of player to point fingers and make excuses. That’s just not who Davis is or what he’s about.

Maybe it’s because as a kid, if he and his friends found a way to get into trouble, his parents already knew about it by the time he got home.

“Everybody knew everybody,” Davis said. “So if we got together and did stupid stuff, like toilet papering someone’s car or a prank like that, word always got back. We would do harmless stuff like that. It was cool though. We had as much fun as you could in Ohio.”

It goes without saying that when parents are able to keep such close tabs on their kids, they’re far more likely to stay out of trouble. So when Davis was looking for extracurricular activities, he turned to sports.

Davis first stepped onto a football field when he was in the sixth grade and instantly fell in love. He had already tried soccer, basketball and baseball, but as soon as he started playing football, he was hooked.

“I think it was the physical contact,” he said. “You got to hit people and not get in trouble, so I enjoyed taking my aggression out on the field. And that’s part of it, but football’s not always about being physical. A lot of the times it’s about whose got the biggest heart. Especially when you’re younger and a lot of the players are at the same skill level. The difference in those games comes down to heart. I wasn’t thinking about playing in the NFL or anything. I was just having fun.”

As fate would have it, the first youth team Davis ever played on was called the Redskins. But while it was clear from an early age that Davis was a standout with a football in his hands, he still didn’t think much about playing professionally.

“I didn’t know if I’d be in the NFL, but I knew there was a good chance I could play for any school I wanted to,” Davis said. “In high school I knew I was pretty good, but it all kind of took off from there.”

In his first high school game, Davis caught two touchdown passes and returned a punt for another score. By the time his high school career was over, he’d been recruited by every big-name program in the country.

Davis settled on USC, Ohio State, Miami, Florida and Oklahoma as his top five schools before ultimately selecting Southern Cal.

“I went with USC because it was far from home,” he said. “I didn’t want to be too close to home, they always had nice weather out there and their team was pretty competitive. Even away from football, it seemed like a fun place to be. Plus, you’re living in a big city, but you’re also still in a college atmosphere, so you kind of got used to both.

“I think it really helped me going to a big-city school because you see some guys, by the time they get to the league and get a bunch of money, they don’t know how to handle it. Going to USC, I didn’t have any money, but I learned how to deal with being away from home and living in a big city. By the time I got to the NFL and had some money, I feel like I knew how to handle myself better.”

On the field, USC was dominant. The Trojans went 46-5 during Davis’ career, but that record is marred because of the two-year bowl ban, four years of probation, loss of scholarships and forfeit of the 2004 season because of the scandal involving running back Reggie Bush.

To this day, no one knows for sure exactly what went on and who else violated NCAA rules by accepting handouts or money under the table. Like everyone else, Davis has heard the rumors.

“Nothing would surprise me,” he admitted. “UCLA is in Hollywood and USC is in the hood. And really, that kind of stuff has always been going on no matter where you’re talking about. There’s always going to be people out there trying to get you to sacrifice your college career for a few bucks.

“You’ve just got to learn how to deal with it and tell yourself you’re going to be in the league soon enough,” Davis continued. “Is it really worth it? Do you really want to owe this guy something or sell yourself short? There’s always going to be people like that – especially when you’re a top player at a big school. You’re definitely going to get that kind of attention. You’ve just got to be smart about it.”

Even though he came from a small town, Davis heard enough horror stories about athletes making poor decisions away from the game to avoid those types of situations. On the field, however, Davis continued to make a name for himself, earning the John Mackey Award as college football’s most outstanding tight end in 2007.

The following year, Davis was drafted in the second round (48th overall) by the Redskins.

“I was definitely surprised,” he said. “I didn’t know much about them, but they already had a good tight end in Chris Cooley. I knew they had a great history and that they had won multiple Super Bowls back in the day, but that’s about it. I didn’t even talk to them or work out for them.”

Typically, award-winning players end up on a team in need of an upgrade at that particular position. In Washington, Davis found himself behind a Pro Bowl tight end who also happened to be his team’s most popular player. Not exactly a dream scenario for a new guy hoping to make a strong first impression.

“I mean, it does get frustrating sometimes, but you’ve got to think about it and be thankful you’re in the league,” Davis said. “In the NFL, it’s all about opportunity. I get people asking me, ‘Why aren’t you performing better?’ But how do you expect me to show my best and show my abilities when I’m not getting an opportunity?

“He’s the guy getting paid the big money,” he continued. “He’s the guy who has made a name for himself as a Redskin. That’s just the way it goes. I’m not going to sit around and cry about it. I’ve just got to do what I can to be ready so when I get a chance, I make the most of it. I’m either going to do it here, or eventually I’ll end up on another team that needs me more. I’ve just got to continue to prove to everyone that I can do it.”

To read the rest of this feature click here and subscribe to Hail! magazine.

[ST is my boy]

They need to continue to make him a target in the redzone......put him at wide reciever for all I care.

Nice article.....always liked Freddie.

[Gibbs Hog Heaven]

That's the type of character I want on my football team.

Happy your a 'Skin FreddyD, and I agree, we need to make him a serious target down there. After being one of the few bright spots last year, I've never gotten why the new regime got away from that.

Hail.

[Blackest Eyes]

I wish Davis was on the field more. I definitely think he has the talent to be a good TE in the league.

[LetThePointsSoar]

Nice write up murf, as always. Liking the fact that Freddy seems to be getting on the field and more targets the past few weeks...hope the trend continues and increases.

[Conn]

I'm getting to the point where I'm joining this camp:

Cooley needs to have a Pro Bowl year...and then be traded for a 2nd or a 3rd. Or a player that Shanahan wants, I don't care. As long as its good value.

Davis needs to be on the field more, and it seems like our coaches don't really plan to have both TE's out running routes at the same time. Since neither of them are spectacular blockers, that's the only way its worth it to keep both. If they are both consistently getting targets and running routes. Well, by the time this OL is good enough to allow that, Cooley will be 30. Trade him now, while his value is at its highest.

Will he go on to have 5 more VERY productive years for someone else? Probably. Just make sure its in the AFC. But its getting to the point where its obvious that Davis needs more touches, and that having two very good TE's is a luxury we can't afford. Also, its getting to the point where its obvious that Cooley is much less of a "fan favorite" when he's dropping balls all over the place.

[Gibbs Hog Heaven]

Someone's just jogged my mind on something I've been thinking a lot about lately, but didn't start a thread on down to the sheer love many of us have for Cooley.

We're real blessed to have two real talented tight ends on this roster. But when one of them is one of the very few tradable assets we have, would it be so bad a thing in the bigger picture to let him go for the benefit of the team? Even more so when we have a younger, quicker, more athletic guy that potentially can be as good as, if not a better, receiving TE.

And Cooley's my current favorite 'Skin for the record. It would be a real wrench to see him leave, but all things considered, it might just well benefit us more than extending him.

Hail.

[Geoff_K]

That's the type of character I want on my football team.

Completely agree with you here.

[GaryGreenMonk]

alright.. so I think they got lucky with Davis, cause out of their 3 picks that year, I think he's the only keeper.

however.. this quote just embodies the pathetic loserness of how Snyderatto approached the draft.

Fred Davis... " I didn’t even talk to them or work out for them."

they didn't talk to him or have him for a work out... nothing.. Vinny just picked him off a board.. probably with a dart.

[Mr. Sinister]

Every time Davis gets the ball, he is productive, they have to get him involved more in the passing game. Thanks Murf

[NoCalMike]

Davis has all the potential in the world, but he is still too inconsistent to think he would be as productive and/or as reliable as Cooley. There is a reason Cooley was Campbell's fav target, and is quickly becoming McNabb's target on 3rd down or when the pocket is collapsing.

I agree, Davis is faster, probably stronger and more athletic, but Cooley has the intangibles that make him a FOOTBALL player.

Lets not forget, our O-line is so awful most of the time, it is also probably equally hurting Cooley's potential as well, let alone a 2nd Tight End.

Until Fred Davis breaks out of his "1 big catch a game...then disappearing act" type of games. I am not sure how everyone can be so comfortable trading Cooley just yet,

Davis reminds me a lot of Shockey in his first few years. He would make a huge catch for a huge gain to make a name for himself...and then the rest of the game you kind of wondered where he went.

[artmonkforHOF]

I did not like drafting Davis, but I am finding it harder and harder not to like this guy as a person and a player. I almost wish he would get traded, just so he has an opportunity to show what he can do if he was on the field more of the time. Or as some other posters have pointed out, use him as a WR, it's not like the guys who usually fill in WR spots 2 thru 4 play much better than him, so what do you have to loose? I would not put him as the #2 WR at our own 30 yard line, but in the red zone why not have him play slot?

[themurf]

Davis has all the potential in the world, but he is still too inconsistent to think he would be as productive and/or as reliable as Cooley.

Davis has been targeted 21 times this season and caught 15 passes (71 percent). That's a better completion percentage than any other player on the Redskins' offense. He's also averaging 18.2 yards per catch (second only to Armstrong). When he gets the ball, he makes plays. The only thing inconsistent is how the coaches choose to use him.

[Skins4life88]

I'm getting to the point where I'm joining this camp:

Cooley needs to have a Pro Bowl year...and then be traded for a 2nd or a 3rd. Or a player that Shanahan wants, I don't care. As long as its good value.

Davis needs to be on the field more, and it seems like our coaches don't really plan to have both TE's out running routes at the same time. Since neither of them are spectacular blockers, that's the only way its worth it to keep both. If they are both consistently getting targets and running routes. Well, by the time this OL is good enough to allow that, Cooley will be 30. Trade him now, while his value is at its highest.

Will he go on to have 5 more VERY productive years for someone else? Probably. Just make sure its in the AFC. But its getting to the point where its obvious that Davis needs more touches, and that having two very good TE's is a luxury we can't afford. Also, its getting to the point where its obvious that Cooley is much less of a "fan favorite" when he's dropping balls all over the place.

The fans are hard on Cooley when he drop balls because he has always been the go-to guy when everything else is falling apart and don't expect him to drop the ball.

[SirClintonPortis]

A good guy with a level head. There's simply no reason to not like him. And yeah, he did help the offense go last year when Cooley went down, so the ability is there.

[darrelgreenie]

Davis has all the potential in the world, but he is still too inconsistent to think he would be as productive and/or as reliable as Cooley......

I agree, Davis is faster, probably stronger and more athletic, but Cooley has the intangibles that make him a FOOTBALL player.........Until Fred Davis breaks out of his "1 big catch a game...then disappearing act" type of games. I am not sure how everyone can be so comfortable trading Cooley just yet

The bolded portions of your post might be your perception but its not accurate.

Davis has the highest catch rate on the team.

Yes, higher then Cooley and Tana.

The blame you seem to be heaping on Davis should be directed at the offensive staff for not using him more b/c whenever he's on the field he's produced.

A receiver has to be on the field then has to be targeted to be effective.

BTW-According to Football Outsiders metrics Davis is ranked as the edit: 3rd (after the Vikings game) TE in the NFL

*Side note- according to the official numbers Cooley is faster then Davis by a hair (i remember b/c i looked it up when Davis was drafted)

from another thread:

If you're implying that Davis doesn't catch the ball when its thrown to him you're wrong.

Davis has the highest catch rate on the team (he's had it all season btw).

Davis catches edit:71% of his passes. Moss 66%. Cooley 64%.

http://www.footballoutsiders.com/stats/te

According to their metric he's the 5th ranked TE in the NFL.

You say to forget last year but imo Davis proved and his stats support (at least imo) that he's an starting caliber NFL TE (bona fide if you will).

So its seem wrong headed to say we lack talent yet dismiss imo our 3rd most talented receiving option on a team starved for talent...

I'm not advocating that we trade Cooley at all.

But when Davis is the 7th targeted player on our roster, there's a problem b/c he's probably the 3rd best receiving option.

We should have a passing offense centered around Cooley and Davis.

edit: i see murf beet me to this already

[NoCalMike]

Right, but we as fans also don't know why he isn't in the game or targeted as much. Cooley is in the game and constantly running routes for a reason, beit that he runs crisp routes, has the trust of the QB, moves the chains, reliability etc etc.....

We can't be sure as to why Davis isn't in the game more, because we are not privy to gamefilm and insider information from the coaches.

If the coaches honestly felt Fred Davis was a better option out there on the field as a Tight End, I doubt they would have Cooley in the game more simply because "the fans like him"

[Conn]

The fans are hard on Cooley when he drop balls because he has always been the go-to guy when everything else is falling apart and don't expect him to drop the ball.

Yes, I realize this. My point is, that its getting to be that Davis is actually MORE consistent than Cooley. Percentage-wise, he actually is.

Would that increase or decrease if he took over Cooley's touches as well? I don't know, I think you can make an educated guess, based on last year's performance. Not to mention that Davis seemed like a more dangerous red-zone weapon last year than Cooley's ever been.

All I'm saying is, I'd be willing to find out for a 2nd or 3rd round pick this year.

[darrelgreenie]

We can't be sure as to why Davis isn't in the game more, because we are not privy to gamefilm and insider information from the coaches.

I'm not sure who you replying to b/c you didn't quote anybody.

You mention that we don't know why he isn't in the game or targeted as much.

But, lets focus on what we know.

We know that when Davis is on the field and receives targets he's productive.

He's producitve to the extent that statisitcally speaking he's one of the best, if not the best receiving options on the team.

That much we know.

We also know that last year when Cooley was hurt Davis produced like a good NFL starting TE.

We also know (because everyone single local sports outlet won't let us forget it) that this team lacks talent.

But, TE is one area where we're above avergae with 2 above average starting caliber TEs.

There are teams that use double TE passing sets as a major part of their passing offense.

Yet here we sit with Cooley and Davis and imo both players are underused.

If the coaches honestly felt Fred Davis was a better option out there on the field as a Tight End, I doubt they would have Cooley in the game more simply because "the fans like him"

Other poster may be talking about trading Cooley or whatever.

But, that's not what i'm talking about.

What i'm saying is that we have 2 good TEs and our passing game should be designed based on what i consider are one area where we have an abundance of talent.

[SkinsTribeVA]

I still just cannot comprehend why Davis hasn't gotten more looks all season. As others have said, we need to design our game plan around Cooley and Davis. Have Cooley run all the usual shorter TE routes while Davis runs up the seem and goes deep time-to-time. The man was originally a WR for goodness sake! Split him out more, create mis-matches, then when the defenses start keying on those two guys, nail Moss or Armstrong deep!

I know it's not as easy as all that, but it makes sense to me as a general game plan. And we HAVE to get the run game going again. Hopefully Torain will be back before too long.

[Dick Edds]

I still just cannot comprehend why Davis hasn't gotten more looks all season. As others have said, we need to design our game plan around Cooley and Davis. Have Cooley run all the usual shorter TE routes while Davis runs up the seem and goes deep time-to-time. The man was originally a WR for goodness sake! Split him out more, create mis-matches, then when the defenses start keying on those two guys, nail Moss or Armstrong deep!

I know it's not as easy as all that, but it makes sense to me as a general game plan. And we HAVE to get the run game going again. Hopefully Torain will be back before too long.

totally agree with this ... split him out or put him in the slot. Use him as a WR on the field. It can't be that hard to send out a TE to run the same routes a WR or RB would. Maybe its the arm chair GM in me, but these are literally 2 of our top 3 receivers ... use them both AT THE SAME TIME. Like you say, create mismatches where you can.

But I guess it all goes back to the fact that DMac can barely drip back 3 steps before the pocket collapses around him. It's also interesting to see how often old boy Favre was rolled out of the pocket last week effectively killing our pass rush. Why are we not trying to give DMac more time? Shot gun, roll-outs, whatever we can to give him another second to throw. No OLine I guess?

[ATLredskin]

He is our best runner after the catch guy. He should be lining up as a WR in the slot and then let him work his magic.

[darrelgreenie]

totally agree with this ... split him out or put him in the slot. Use him as a WR on the field. It can't be that hard to send out a TE to run the same routes a WR or RB would. Maybe its the arm chair GM in me, but these are literally 2 of our top 3 receivers ... use them both AT THE SAME TIME. Like you say, create mismatches where you can.

But I guess it all goes back to the fact that DMac can barely drip back 3 steps before the pocket collapses around him. It's also interesting to see how often old boy Favre was rolled out of the pocket last week effectively killing our pass rush. Why are we not trying to give DMac more time? Shot gun, roll-outs, whatever we can to give him another second to throw. No OLine I guess?

I agree and i've been saying it all season.

Not using Fred Davis more is imo one of the biggest mistakes the staff is making, i think he could have a huge net positive impact for the offense.

All the ways you mention could work or we could simple run more double TE sets.

They're are plenty of ways to use them together.

[IrepDC]

Davis has all the potential in the world, but he is still too inconsistent to think he would be as productive and/or as reliable as Cooley. There is a reason Cooley was Campbell's fav target, and is quickly becoming McNabb's target on 3rd down or when the pocket is collapsing.

I agree, Davis is faster, probably stronger and more athletic, but Cooley has the intangibles that make him a FOOTBALL player.

Lets not forget, our O-line is so awful most of the time, it is also probably equally hurting Cooley's potential as well, let alone a 2nd Tight End.

Until Fred Davis breaks out of his "1 big catch a game...then disappearing act" type of games. I am not sure how everyone can be so comfortable trading Cooley just yet,

Davis reminds me a lot of Shockey in his first few years. He would make a huge catch for a huge gain to make a name for himself...and then the rest of the game you kind of wondered where he went.

Are you looking at Davis this year, with limited playing time and targets, from the #2 TE spot as far as opportunities?? He seemed to be one of our most consistent offensive players when he was actually STARTING last year in Cooley's absence. Our offense didn't miss Cooley at all.

[HailGreen28]

I hate to say this, but trade Cooley to anywhere but Cleveland.

Might as well see if we could get a pick out of Moss, too.