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Fred Davis (tight end)
Encyclopedia
Fred Davis is an American football
tight end
currently playing for the Washington Redskins
of the National Football League
. He was drafted
by the Redskins in the second round of the 2008 NFL Draft
. He played college football
at Southern California.
in Toledo. He was on the USA Today
All-USA second team. According to Scout.com, Davis was rated the second best wide receiver in his recruiting class coming out of high school. Davis played in the 2004 U.S. Army All-American Bowl
.
As a high school junior, Davis considered attending Ohio State University
because it was the first program to offer him an athletic scholarship
. His senior season resulted in many other offers, with USC winning out with a combination of weather, location, coaches, quality players and a style of offense that suited Davis; he conversed the matter over with fellow recruit Dwayne Jarrett
before they both decided to join the Trojans.
, OH
, a semester early to start spring training with the Trojans. Tired of the recruiting process that accompanies top prospects, Davis secretly left Ohio to enroll at USC. Recruited as a wide receiver
, he showed solid speed and raw athletic ability but lacked the route-running skills and ball-catching ability of other receivers. After consulting with then-offensive coordinator
Norm Chow
, Davis decided to try converting to tight end.
His freshman year, Davis contributed as a reserve to the eventual-national champion 2004 USC Trojans football team
, playing in nine games and catching four passes behind fellow tight ends Dominique Byrd
and Alex Holmes
. However, because of repeated incidences of tardiness, reporting late after trips back to Ohio, Davis was not allowed to travel with the Trojans to the BCS National Championship Game
in 2005 Orange Bowl. Davis reapplied himself the next season, catching 13 passes in 13 games during the 2005 season
, including two in the 2006 Rose Bowl
. During the 2006 season
, Davis started ten games and caught 38 passes for 352 yards and three touchdowns.
Davis was a preseason team All-Pacific-10 Conference player prior to 2007 and was considered a likely high draft choice for the 2008 NFL Draft
. He was on the 2007 Mackey Award watch list. Against Washington State
, Davis had the best game of his career, with nine receptions for 124 yards and two touchdowns. The performance marked the most yards receiving ever in a game by a Trojans tight end. Prior to that, Davis had never caught more than six passes or gained more than 68 receiving yards in a game.
At the end of the 2007 regular season, Davis was selected to the All-Pac-10 Conference first team by league coaches. He was also selected to the SI.com All-American Second Team. Davis became the first USC player to win the Mackey Award as the nation's top tight end. When asked his favorite game as a USC player, Davis noted the 2006 Rose Bowl.
in the second round of the 2008 NFL Draft
by the Washington Redskins
. On May 4, the last day of the Redskins mini-camp, Davis overslept and missed the morning practice. Head Coach Jim Zorn
said that he's young, and he understands that Davis just messed up. On July 19, Davis received a four-year contract from the Redskins worth $3.5 million, including $1.8 million in bonus money.
On Monday, November 19, following a 14-10 home loss to the arch-rival Dallas Cowboys, Redskins head coach Jim Zorn was asked why Davis wasn't involved in the offense. Zorn answered: "It really is a matter of [Davis] doing his assignments correctly. It's a trust factor. It's not a speed factor. It's not an ability factor. But it makes no sense for me to put a guy out there who can run real fast, but not going in the right direction. Or in some cases not even go out. It's not that he forgot, it's just that it didn't register."
Zorn said it's difficult to tolerate those kinds of mistakes, even if it happens just once or twice.
"If it happens at all, it's hard to trust," Zorn said. "So that's part of the issue."
Davis was not much of a factor during the 2008 NFL Season
, partially due to the lack of playing time, for the Washington Redskins
. He caught three passes for 27 yards.
During the 2009 NFL Season
, in a Week 7 game vs. the Philadelphia Eagles, Davis caught his first touchdown
and recorded a career high 7 catches for 78 yards. Davis was playing first-string tight end for most of this game due to an injury to starter Chris Cooley. He finished the season with 48 receptions for 509 yards and 6 touchdowns.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
tight end
Tight end
The tight end is a position in American football on the offense. The tight end is often seen as a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like offensive linemen, they are usually lined up on the offensive line and are large enough to be...
currently playing for the Washington Redskins
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
of the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
. He was drafted
NFL Draft
The National Football League Draft is an annual event in which the National Football League teams select eligible college football players and it is their most common source of player recruitment. The basic design of the draft is each team is given a position in the drafting order in reverse order...
by the Redskins in the second round of the 2008 NFL Draft
2008 NFL Draft
The 2008 NFL Draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 26 and April 27, 2008. For the 29th consecutive year, ESPN televised the draft; the NFL Network also broadcast the event, its third year doing so...
. He played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at Southern California.
Early years
Davis prepped at Rogers High SchoolRogers High School (Toledo, Ohio)
Robert S. Rogers High School is located in west Toledo, Ohio, United States. It has been part of Toledo Public Schools since 1964, when Adams Township was annexed by the city. The school motto is "Writing success stories... one student at a time." As of 2008, the school principal is Kelly...
in Toledo. He was on the USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
All-USA second team. According to Scout.com, Davis was rated the second best wide receiver in his recruiting class coming out of high school. Davis played in the 2004 U.S. Army All-American Bowl
U.S. Army All-American Bowl
The U.S. Army All-American Bowl is a high school football all-star game held in early January in San Antonio, Texas. Currently played in the Alamodome, the game brings 90 of the nation's top high school football players in an East versus West matchup. In addition to the Bowl game, there is the U.S...
.
As a high school junior, Davis considered attending Ohio State University
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly referred to as Ohio State, is a public research university located in Columbus, Ohio. It was originally founded in 1870 as a land-grant university and is currently the third largest university campus in the United States...
because it was the first program to offer him an athletic scholarship
Athletic scholarship
An athletic scholarship is a form of scholarship to attend a college or university awarded to an individual based predominantly on his or her ability to play in a sport...
. His senior season resulted in many other offers, with USC winning out with a combination of weather, location, coaches, quality players and a style of offense that suited Davis; he conversed the matter over with fellow recruit Dwayne Jarrett
Dwayne Jarrett
Dwayne Jarrett is an American football wide receiver formerly of the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League. He was originally drafted by the Panthers in the second round the 2007 NFL Draft. He played college football at Southern California.-Early years:Jarrett attended New Brunswick...
before they both decided to join the Trojans.
College career
Davis graduated from Robert S. Rogers High School in ToledoToledo, Ohio
Toledo is the fourth most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Lucas County. Toledo is in northwest Ohio, on the western end of Lake Erie, and borders the State of Michigan...
, OH
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, a semester early to start spring training with the Trojans. Tired of the recruiting process that accompanies top prospects, Davis secretly left Ohio to enroll at USC. Recruited as a wide receiver
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
, he showed solid speed and raw athletic ability but lacked the route-running skills and ball-catching ability of other receivers. After consulting with then-offensive coordinator
Offensive coordinator
An offensive coordinator is a member of the coaching staff of a gridiron football team who is in charge of the offense. Generally, along with his defensive counterpart, he represents the second level of command structure after the head coach...
Norm Chow
Norm Chow
Norman Chow is the offensive coordinator for the Utah Utes, a position he started on January 22, 2011. He previously held the same position with UCLA, the NFL's Tennessee Titans, USC, North Carolina State, and Brigham Young University....
, Davis decided to try converting to tight end.
His freshman year, Davis contributed as a reserve to the eventual-national champion 2004 USC Trojans football team
2004 USC Trojans football team
The 2004 USC Trojans football team represented the University of Southern California in the 2004-2005 NCAA Division I-A college football season. Although now vacated for breaking NCAA rules, the team won the 2004 BCS National Championship by winning the 2005 Orange Bowl, that year's BCS National...
, playing in nine games and catching four passes behind fellow tight ends Dominique Byrd
Dominique Byrd
Dominique Montiel Byrd is an American football tight end who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the St. Louis Rams in the third round of the 2006 NFL Draft...
and Alex Holmes
Alex Holmes
Alex Holmes was a National Football League tight end.-Professional career:Holmes played for the Miami Dolphins in 2005 and signed as a free agent with the Saint Louis Rams for 2006...
. However, because of repeated incidences of tardiness, reporting late after trips back to Ohio, Davis was not allowed to travel with the Trojans to the BCS National Championship Game
BCS National Championship Game
The BCS National Championship Game, or BCS National Championship, is the final bowl game of the annual Bowl Championship Series and is intended by the organizers of the BCS to determine the U.S. national champion of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision...
in 2005 Orange Bowl. Davis reapplied himself the next season, catching 13 passes in 13 games during the 2005 season
2005 USC Trojans football team
The 2005 USC Trojans football team represented the University of Southern California in the college football season of 2005–2006, winning the Pacific-10 Conference , and playing for the NCAA Division I-A national championship...
, including two in the 2006 Rose Bowl
2006 Rose Bowl
The 2006 Rose Bowl Game, played on January 4, 2006, was a football game that served as the national championship of the 2005-2006 Bowl Championship Series...
. During the 2006 season
2006 USC Trojans football team
The 2006 USC Trojans football team represented the University of Southern California in college football season of 2006-2007, winning the Pacific-10 Conference and playing in the Rose Bowl...
, Davis started ten games and caught 38 passes for 352 yards and three touchdowns.
2008 NFL Draft
The 2008 NFL Draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 26 and April 27, 2008. For the 29th consecutive year, ESPN televised the draft; the NFL Network also broadcast the event, its third year doing so...
. He was on the 2007 Mackey Award watch list. Against Washington State
Washington State Cougars
The Washington State Cougars are the athletic teams at Washington State University; the term applies to any of the school's varsity teams. Washington State University is a member of the Pacific-12 Conference, which participates in the NCAA Division I...
, Davis had the best game of his career, with nine receptions for 124 yards and two touchdowns. The performance marked the most yards receiving ever in a game by a Trojans tight end. Prior to that, Davis had never caught more than six passes or gained more than 68 receiving yards in a game.
At the end of the 2007 regular season, Davis was selected to the All-Pac-10 Conference first team by league coaches. He was also selected to the SI.com All-American Second Team. Davis became the first USC player to win the Mackey Award as the nation's top tight end. When asked his favorite game as a USC player, Davis noted the 2006 Rose Bowl.
Washington Redskins
Davis was draftedNFL Draft
The National Football League Draft is an annual event in which the National Football League teams select eligible college football players and it is their most common source of player recruitment. The basic design of the draft is each team is given a position in the drafting order in reverse order...
in the second round of the 2008 NFL Draft
2008 NFL Draft
The 2008 NFL Draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 26 and April 27, 2008. For the 29th consecutive year, ESPN televised the draft; the NFL Network also broadcast the event, its third year doing so...
by the Washington Redskins
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
. On May 4, the last day of the Redskins mini-camp, Davis overslept and missed the morning practice. Head Coach Jim Zorn
Jim Zorn
James Arthur "Jim" Zorn is an American quarterbacks coach in the National Football League. He was formerly the quarterbacks coach for the Baltimore Ravens and now holds that same position with the Kansas City Chiefs...
said that he's young, and he understands that Davis just messed up. On July 19, Davis received a four-year contract from the Redskins worth $3.5 million, including $1.8 million in bonus money.
On Monday, November 19, following a 14-10 home loss to the arch-rival Dallas Cowboys, Redskins head coach Jim Zorn was asked why Davis wasn't involved in the offense. Zorn answered: "It really is a matter of [Davis] doing his assignments correctly. It's a trust factor. It's not a speed factor. It's not an ability factor. But it makes no sense for me to put a guy out there who can run real fast, but not going in the right direction. Or in some cases not even go out. It's not that he forgot, it's just that it didn't register."
Zorn said it's difficult to tolerate those kinds of mistakes, even if it happens just once or twice.
"If it happens at all, it's hard to trust," Zorn said. "So that's part of the issue."
Davis was not much of a factor during the 2008 NFL Season
2008 NFL season
The 2008 NFL season was the 89th regular season of the National Football League, themed with the slogan "Believe in Now."Super Bowl XLIII, the league's championship game, was at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida on February 1, 2009, with the Pittsburgh Steelers coming out victorious over the...
, partially due to the lack of playing time, for the Washington Redskins
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
. He caught three passes for 27 yards.
During the 2009 NFL Season
2009 NFL season
The 2009 NFL season was the 90th regular season of the National Football League.The preseason started with the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game on August 9, 2009, and the regular season began September 10. The season ended with Super Bowl XLIV, the league's championship game, on February 7, 2010 at...
, in a Week 7 game vs. the Philadelphia Eagles, Davis caught his first touchdown
Touchdown
A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:...
and recorded a career high 7 catches for 78 yards. Davis was playing first-string tight end for most of this game due to an injury to starter Chris Cooley. He finished the season with 48 receptions for 509 yards and 6 touchdowns.