Tight end Kittle shows intensity in opener
On Sunday, 49ers tight end George Kittle had five catches for 90 yards and one hellacious tackle.
About that last statistic: Kittle leveled Xavier Rhodes as the Vikings’ cornerback was returning an interception early in the fourth quarter and the collision left Rhodes writhing on the turf.
“I haven’t hit anyone like that since high school,” Kittle said, “so it was pretty cool.”
The shot was a reminder that Kittle, 6-foot-4 and 250 pounds, has a background that’s more grunt than glamour: At Iowa, he spent much of his time blocking in the trenches and he didn’t have more than 22 catches in a season.
His puny production as a pass-catcher pushed him to the fifth round of the 2017 draft, but the season-opening 24-16 loss at Minnesota offered evidence that Kittle will have a major offensive role in his second season.
His performance impressed former NFL linebacker Chris Spielman, 52, who will serve as the Fox analyst when the 49ers host the Lions on Sunday. Spielman, a punishing four-time Pro Bowler, raved about Kittle’s blend of intensity and skills, at one point saying, “I love that guy.”
“I think he plays angry — he plays with controlled anger — and that’s what you want,” Spielman said. “... He’s tough, and he’s just a matchup problem, man. Because he can run — he can just run away from guys. He’s a problem for safeties because of his size, and he’s faster than most linebackers. At least he plays fast. I have no idea what his time speed is. But I know what I see. And I know that I like him.”
Kittle ran the third-fastest 40-yard dash (4.52 seconds) among tight ends at his combine, and he’s moving better than he did during a 43-catch, 515-yard rookie season in which he dealt with a slew of nagging injuries.
Last year, Kittle missed just one game, but was listed on the injury report because of issues with his ankle, back, calf, chest, elbow, hamstring and hip. Another reason for his better movement: He says he’s no longer thinking his way through head coach Kyle Shanahan’s dense playbook.
“When you know what’s going on in the offense, you’re playing fast,” Kittle said. “You’re not having to think about ‘OK, I have this route on this play.’ Now it’s just click-click.”
On Sunday, Kittle often clicked with quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, but the tandem could have been far more prolific. In the third quarter, Kittle dropped a potential 80-yard touchdown pass around midfield. In the fourth quarter, Garoppolo overthrew Kittle on what would have been an easy 4-yard score.
The nine-target afternoon was a departure for Kittle. At Iowa, he had 48 career catches and didn’t have more than 314 yards in a season.
“It’s really fun for me to go do things that maybe people don’t think I can do,” Kittle said. “But overall, having targets is really fun. And catching the ball is even more fun.”
Kittle earned preseason buzz as someone who could have a breakout season. And his season-opening performance only will increase his popularity in fantasy-football circles. Kittle says his communication with social-media strangers has increased exponentially recently. So how often do his fantasy owners reach out?
“Very often,” he said. “It’s like ‘Hey, good luck this week. You’re starting. Don’t disappoint me.’ It’s a lot of pressure.”
Kittle has also heard from Minnesota fans this week who think his shot on Rhodes was dirty. Kittle, who appeared to catch part of Rhodes’ helmet, explained that Rhodes turned in his direction just as he went to make the hit.
“I didn’t try to really hit him that hard,” Kittle said. “I was just taking an angle and he kind of turned right into me.”
Really? He didn’t try to hit Rhodes very hard?
Kittle, who smiled when told of Spielman’s appreciation for his controlled rage, amended his story.
“I might have been a little angry,” he said.