San Francisco 49ers star Vernon Davis says curling takes more strategy than football

The love affair between the sport of curling and San Francisco 49ers star tight end Vernon Davis has been well documented.

His respect for the game - coming after he had that "what the hell is curling?" moment - has been unhidden and on display for all to see for over four years now.

Named an honourary captain for the U.S. men's curling team at the Vancouver Olympics in 2010, Davis is serving in the same capacity for the Sochi Games.

Davis has credited curling with improving his mindset, leading to him being a better football player. "It humbles you," he said of the sport that is much, much more difficult to play and master than many of the uninitiated believe.

Now, in an interview with FOX Sports, Davis drops another gem. One that will have curling fans feeling boastful and leave football fans scornful or, at least, scratching their heads.

Vernon Davis believes curling takes more strategy than football.

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Asked which sport has more strategy, Davis pauses. Then replies: "Umm... I'm gonna have to say curling. You have to be really focused in this game. You have to set up the stones right, you have to set up defence. It's just one of those games where you have to have a high level of focus."

Davis then goes on to say what all curlers know to be true:

Now, to say that curling requires more strategy than Davis' number one vocation is a stretch.

Football is a sport where complicated play books and schemes have to be learned and executed seamlessly by 12 players (or 11, depending on which side of the border you find yourself). Its demanding nature is, perhaps, unmatched when it comes to that in team sports.

But Davis' point is, nevertheless, a good one. To the new eye, curling appears to be just sliding around and whacking stones out of a circle. Easy.

But what Vernon Davis knows - what all fans and players of the sport know - is that is far, far from the case.