Davis, O'Sullivan are hoping to connect

SANTA CLARA — When J.T. O’Sullivan’s deep pass Sunday skimmed off the hands of 49ers tight end Vernon Davis, there was an audible groan from the home crowd at Candlestick Park.

Davis clapped his hands in frustration. And as he turned to head back to the huddle, there was a smattering of boos from the home crowd.

He has yet to emerge into the kind of explosive playmaker the 49ers envisioned when they selected Davis with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2006 draft. Davis caught 52 passes for 509 yards and four touchdowns last season.

In the first three games with the 49ers’ new-and-improved passing attack, Davis ranks fifth on the team with four receptions for 68 yards. He said he shares the frustration of seeing a potentially big play slip away.

“Oh, yeah, I’m frustrated,” Davis said. “Heck, yeah, because we work on it in practice. We’re just getting around each other. It’s still early in the season. We still got time.”

The 49ers return to action Sunday against the New Orleans Saints at the Louisiana Superdome. Davis got back to work Wednesday to prepare for the upcoming opponent.

“I do everything I have to do and more. I go beyond. I practice how I play. I do it in practice and then I do it in the game,” Davis said. “I just can’t go out there and make those passes come to me. We’ve got to connect. People can say what they want to say, but as long as I know and the coaches know — when we get in that meeting room they’re giving me credit and telling me the good things I did — I’m cool with that.”

Davis remained after class Wednesday for some extra work. Davis and O’Sullivan spent about 10 minutes working together on the deep seam route. It’s a pass route Davis figures will become a regular feature of coordinator Mike Martz’s offense.

“You’ll see me go deep every game.” Davis said. “Mike Martz has always stressed that nobody can run with me. You see it in the game — like the guy holding me. They can’t run with me. That’s why he has me going deep like that.”

In the second quarter Sunday, Detroit Lions safety Dwight Smith had difficulty keeping up with Davis. First, Smith held Davis. Then, he appeared to interfere with him when O’Sullivan’s pass was underthrown. The pass was incomplete, but Smith was called for holding. (Pass interference, which would’ve been a 35-yard penalty, was not called.)

On the next drive, O’Sullivan’s 30-yard pass to Davis appeared to be slightly over thrown as it flicked off Davis’ hands.

“The first one was underthrown,” Davis said. “The other one he overthrew me a little bit and my fingertips barely hit it.

“I slowed down thinking that pass was going to be like the first one he threw — the first one that was underthrown. We had a problem connecting. If I would’ve kept running fast like the first one, we would’ve been on the same page.”

In an attempt to get on the same page, Davis said he asked O’Sullivan to remain on the field after practice for some one-on-one work. Davis and O’Sullivan discussed the importance of forming a connection, Davis said.

“This is our first time really talking about that since he’s been here,” Davis said. “We talked about being on the same page. We haven’t discussed that before because we haven’t run many deep routes.”

O’Sullivan and Davis hooked up on a 37-yard pass in the opener against the Arizona Cardinals, but they’ve misfired several times down the field in the past two games against Seattle and Detroit.

“We know it’s critical we get on the same page,” Davis said. “He knows how I’m going to run. I’ve talked to him and told him, ‘J.T., this is how I’m going to run it in a game.’ I told him, ‘Just put it up there and let me do the rest.’”

O’Sullivan said he does not make any special adjustments because of Davis’ rare speed from the tight-end position.

“I’ve got to throw an accurate ball (to him) just like everybody else,” O’Sullivan said. “He’s definitely a fast guy, I can’t deny that. But I don’t think of it any differently whether he’s running a route of anybody else. Anybody we’re going to throw the ball down the field to is going to be a fast guy. I just got to put a perfect ball on him.”

After Wednesday’s session, Davis said he is confident about his future with O’Sullivan.

“I’m feeling good now,” he said.

For more on the 49ers, go to Instant 49ers at 49ers.pressdemocrat.com. You can reach Staff Writer Matt Maiocco at 521-5492 or matt.maiocco@pressdemocrat.com.