LANDOVER, Md. -- Bruce Miller was the guy who was supposed to make plays on special teams. Vernon Davis is the 49ers' go-to receiver on offense.The rookie and the veteran had their roles reversed on Sunday in the 49ers' 19-11 victory over the Washington Redskins.
Miller, a fullback, caught the first touchdown pass of his NFL career and was the only 49ers player to get into the end zone on Sunday. He hauled in a 30-yard scoring pass from quarterback Alex Smith in the second quarter.And Davis secured the victory when he recovered an onside kick with 70 seconds remaining after the Redskins pulled to within eight points.Miller, who was a defensive end in college, scored two touchdowns on interception returns last season at Central Florida. He found himself all alone as he released out of the backfield on Sunday.When asked about being so wide open and how long it seemed the ball was in the air, Miller said, "It felt like five minutes. That's what it felt like. It felt like that ball was in the air forever. But I looked it in and Alex threw a great pass."Davis' game-clinching play also seemed as if it took forever to develop. In fact, Davis signaled a fair catch on Redskins kicker Graham Gano's onside kick, despite the fact the ball first hit the ground before going the mandatory 10 yards."I kept hearing Ted Ginn in my ear, telling me, 'Fair catch it, fair catch it.' So when I saw the ball up the air, I just did what I could to make a play," Davis said.Davis was penalized for an invalid fair catch signal, but it didn't matter. The 49ers retained possession and was able to run out the clock. Davis admitted he did not know the rule governing fair catches.
"No, I didn't know anything. I just do what I'm told -- stand out there and catch the ball. I'm going to put it on him (Ginn)," Davis said, laughing.
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