Anthony Davis, the 49ers offensive tackle, ripped his former head coach.
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Tell us how you really feel, Anthony Davis.
Davis, the former Rutgers star, signed a $37.3 million contract extension three days ago to keep the right tackle with the 49ers for the next five years. But according to Davis, the highest draft pick in Rutgers history, his time in college with the Scarlet Knights under then head coach Greg Schiano did nothing to prepare him for the next level.
Davis blasted Schiano, now head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, several weeks ago while he attended Rutgers’ Pro Day to support his former teammates. Speaking to the NFL Draft Bible for their podcast, Davis didn’t exactly endorse Schiano, who has ruffled veterans in Tampa Bay with his no-nonsense personality and strict disciplinarian style on the practice field.
“Schiano didn’t do s—,” Davis told NFL Draft Bible. “He like, breaks your confidence down. That’s his idea of molding guys, by breaking their confidence down. But really, without confidence, you’ve got a s— team. And I feel like, what he’s doing, I thought it was because I was young and I just didn’t appreciate what he was doing, but now that I’m a little older, I just realize that his plan is not working. And I think he’s going to start finding that out soon enough.”
Schiano was recommended to Tampa Bay last year by Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, himself notorious for his blunt demeanor.
On Friday after signing his extension with the 49ers, Davis tweeted a quote that seemed to be attributed to Schiano. Davis deleted the tweet just minutes after he posted it.
Despite his digs at Schiano, Davis had a reputation for underperforming at Rutgers, including a lackluster work ethic on the field and in the weight room. He struggled his rookie season, coming into rookie camp overweight and in poor shape.
In recent years, Rutgers has been relatively solid in terms of producing NFL products. Ray Rice, a second-round pick in 2008, has become a Pro Bowl running back with the Ravens. In addition, Titans cornerback Jason McCourty, twin brother Devin McCourty of the Patriots and wide receiver Mohamed Sanu of the Bengals have all developed into solid NFL players.
Follow Jets beat writer Kristian Dyer on Twitter @KristianRDyer for all your offseason news.
