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News | Washington Commanders - Commanders.com

Akeem Davis: 'You've Got To Wreak Havoc'

Whenever Washington Redskins safety Akeem Davis takes the field, he wants to play "like a hellfire missile."

"Every time you go out there it's like a competition," he said. "You've got to get down there fast and you've got to wreak havoc when you get down there. I enjoy that part of the game. Being able to block guys, create space for the returner, get down there make a play on special teams that changes the momentum of the game."

A countdown of the top-10 images of safety Akeem Davis during the 2014 season.

And whether it's making a huge special teams hit -- which he made a few of in 2014 -- or having some sort of role on the defense, Davis wants to be a guy for which the opposition has to account.

"That's the type of things that I feel like I can contribute to and just being a game changer," he said. "Whether it's special teams, getting a chance at safety, I want to be the guy to change the game."

Davis' 2014 season was emblematic of his entire NFL career to date, as he had to fight through several different moves between the active roster and practice squad, but he never let it affect his approach to the game.

"I realized it's a blessing," he said. "The whole process, being up, getting cut, being up, getting cut, you can't it for granted. [I'm] fortunate with the guys that I was able to play with. This coaching staff, it's a great coaching staff and hopefully I can stick around and be an asset to this organization."

Davis' contributions were most felt on special teams, as he made a few bone-crunching hits and finished tied with Adam Hayward for the third-most special teams tackles on the team with 13.

In his debut against the Jacksonville Jaguars Week 2, Davis, on punt coverage, got free and walloped returner Mike Brown as soon as he caught the ball.

While the play ultimately resulted in a penalty, Davis did just what he set out to do – make a statement.

"I was just trying to make an impression," he said at the time. "We want to be defined as a special teams unit that goes and gets it, make plays, is tough-nosed, has hard hitters and is non-stop flying to the ball. That's how we want our special team unit to be defined. …Even though they threw the flag, it ain't about the flag, it's about the statement."

One area Davis knows he will need to work on moving forward -- especially if he wants to play more -- is his play in the defensive backfield.

Head coach Jay Gruden said Davis is "very raw as far as secondary is concerned," but that he'll "slowly but surely come along" with additional reps.

This offseason, Davis plans to heed Gruden's advice and really hammer down some of the intricacies of the position.

"Just continue to work on technique, work on my craft, my shuffle agilities, flipping my hips, being able to get range in the back end, being able to make plays, being able to just get the ball carrier down, work on my leverage," he said. "Man, I got to levy of things that I have planned going into the offseason and I've formulated a plan with the strength and conditioning coaches and hopefully it works out."

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