Football: Vernon Davis' comments about the Bears put 49ers on the defensive

SANTA CLARA, Calif. - San Francisco's Vernon Davis put his teammates in a position usually reserved for politicians. The 49ers' outgoing tight end has his teammates spinning his recent comments.

"Things are going to be said," 49ers guard Eric Heitmann said Wednesday. "You see bulletin board material all the time. It's happened to me in the NFL and in college. You can't get emotional about it."

Davis told reporters Tuesday that "We can destroy their front. The guys up front, I think we can destroy them. I don't see anything spectacular about their front line."

The Chicago defence ranked 15th in the NFL heading into Thursday night's game at Candlestick Park, 21st against the run.

"I talked to him and I know what he meant," 49ers coach Mike Singletary said. "It's a little frustrating but you have to translate and read between the lines. He was not being disrespectful of the Bears. What he meant was 'we can do this."'

The outburst may be a good thing for Singletary, who will be coaching against his former team for the first time as a head coach. The comments lessened the attention on Singletary's relationship with the Bears.

"I'm not glad he said it but I'm not going to think a lot about it," he said. "He said it, it's out there and they'll have their reaction. We'll just go play the game."

Davis caught 10 passes for 102 yards in the 49ers' 34-27 loss to the Tennessee Titans.

Heitmann said he doesn't feel any added pressure to back up Davis' words.

"As a player you have to stay focused," he said. "You can't worry about what is being said. If you get too emotional you can mess up. You have to have a level head to be successful."