Inside the mind of Anthony Davis: Part 3 — Why I returned to the NFL

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Editor's note: After an exclusive interview with 49ers lineman Anthony Davis, Mindi Bach delivers Part 3 of a three-part feature breaking down his decision to retire from the NFL, what he did in his year away from the league, and why he wanted to return to professional football.

When Anthony Davis retired from the NFL, his contract with the 49ers “went on the shelf”, as one team executive explained it. If and when Davis decided to apply for reinstatement, his contract would pick up at the same point as the day it went into storage, as if time stood still. But the player who returned to the 49ers in July of this year is different than the one who put that contract on hold 13 months earlier.

“When I was younger I wasn’t lazy, but I would do just enough work to be better than other talented people, but not [reach] my max potential,” Davis said.

That’s no longer the case. To scroll through Davis’ Twitter feed is to see how his experiences over the last year have had a strong influence on his life.

[BACH: Inside the mind of Anthony Davis: Part 1 -- Why I retired from the NFL]

He continues to draw on the benefits of meditation and positive thinking that he first learned in Japan.

“Train yourself to let go of everything you fear to lose,” Davis Retweeted from the account @OmVibing. 

 

https://twitter.com/BamDavis_/status/767436128827813888

 

Like the veteran boxers he trained with at Gleason’s Gym, he maintains a degree of humility while wanting to dominate at his position on the offensive line.

“I need my pads to be a little lower and I need to be tighter with my hands. But yeah, I kicked his a--. Lol”

And as he did when he heard the life circumstances of the homeless women he met outside a local grocery store, Davis considers perspectives other than his own.

 

https://twitter.com/BamDavis_/status/766398990506078208

 

Davis says he definitely found what he sought in his time away from the NFL –- he got right with himself. He developed into the person he wants to be and gained the ability to manage the not-so-real-life circumstances that surround professional football. With what he has come to understand, he needed to return to the field.

[BACH: Inside the mind of Anthony Davis: Part 2 -- How I spent my year away]

“I knew I didn’t get everything out of myself as far as my body, preparation. I just knew I could do better. The mental state I’m in now, it’s more focused and calm. You can be in the moment and everything just doesn’t just build up, build up build up.” Davis explained. “Everything is individual moments, and that helps you focus, that helps your work ethic. That helps everything. I know [with] this mindset, it’s meant for me to come back and get the best out of myself instead of just getting by off of talent.”

Those around him have noticed a transformation since his return to 49ers headquarters. Center Daniel Kilgore called Davis’ growth and maturation “unbelievable”. Head coach Chip Kelly praised his work ethic as well as his strength and conditioning.

Davis came into camp nearly 40 pounds lighter than the last time he started a regular season game for San Francisco. He now knows that bison burgers, steak and eggs over medium and pizza from Artichoke Basille’s in New York City are some of his favorite foods. But he eats them when appropriate unlike before when at 370-or-so-pounds he ate without much thought as to what he was putting in his mouth.

Davis puts a level of consideration into all aspects of the game. Kelly has yet to officially announce his starting offensive line, but with 6-foot-8 inch, 355 pound Trent Brown working with the first unit at right tackle, Davis is expected to open the season at right guard. It’s a position he hasn’t played since his freshman year at Rutgers and one that requires more speed and attention to detail. As talented as the 26-year-old is, Davis is making sure to put in the work needed. Despite the time he's missed, he wants to leave no doubt that he deserves to start.

“I don’t take it for granted, but at the same time I keep it in perspective,” Davis said. “It’s not the end of the world when things don’t go my way or it won’t completely destroy my whole week until the next game like it used to.”

“There are people out there a lot worse off, and it’d be selfish to treat this as if it was an end all be all.”

Davis withstood heavy criticism when he chose to step away. He also had to pay the 49ers a large amount of money from an unearned portion of his signing bonus. But Davis believes he has not yet reached his full potential as a player or as a person. If he reaches the standards he has set for himself, then his time and his money over the last year have been well spent.

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