Kittle says he’s ready for Sunday’s game

No surprise here: 49ers tight end George Kittle will have no problem playing Sunday in the NFC Championship Game against Green Bay.

On Thursday, a day after the AllPro was held out of practice because of ankle soreness, head coach Kyle Shanahan said Kittle would be a full participant in practice and wouldn’t have issues facing the Packers.

Kittle clearly wasn’t interested in discussing his health status when he was asked how he was feeling.

“I feel fabulous,” he said. “Thanks for asking.” And his ankle? “I feel fabulous,” he repeated, still smiling. “Thanks for asking.”

Shanahan didn’t mention Kittle’s ailment when he provided the 49ers’ injury list to reporters before Wednesday’s practice. He indicated he wasn’t aware how much soreness Kittle was experiencing.Kittle chipped a bone in his left ankle on Oct. 31.

“That’s why I didn’t bring it up in here before practice,” Shanahan said. “I knew he had some wear and tear with the (ankle). It was a little sore, we found out before practice and we held him out.”

Kittle was named a firstteam AllPro after he had 85 catches for 1,053 yards and five touchdowns in 14 games.

Kittle, who had six catches for 129 yards, including a 61yard touchdown grab, in a 378 win against Green Bay on Nov. 24, has made a strong impression on Packers coach Matt LaFleur.

“I think he’s the most complete tight end in the National Football League,” LaFleur said to reporters. “I love watching this guy play, just the emotion he plays with, the energy. He’s a big part of that offense, a big part of that football team. And we’ve got to make sure we do our best to try to contain him as best we can.

“He’s going to get his touches, he’s going to get his yards. What we can’t get beat on is like the big play when they ran the keeper corner post last time we played them for a touchdown. Just got to do our best to eliminate those types of plays.”

— Eric Branch

Warner on Kuechly: Two days after Carolina linebacker Luke Kuechly abruptly retired — at age 28, after five AllPro selections and multiple concussions — one of his 49ers counterparts candidly considered his football mortality.

Fred Warner was asked Thursday about the long view of his career, in the context of Kuechly’s announcement and the early retirement of former 49ers linebacker Patrick Willis. Willis, like Kuechly a fivetime AllPro, retired at age 30 after the 2014 season.

Chris Borland, another former 49ers linebacker, retired during that same offseason, after playing only one year in the NFL.

“When you’re young, you think you’re going to play forever,” Warner, 23, said. “Your dream is to play in the NFL, and you think you’re going to play 20 years. But it’s a violent game and it takes a toll on your body. ... I don’t try to think too far ahead, because your career could be over in a matter of seconds.”

This spate of early retirements isn’t confined to linebackers. Colts quarterback Andrew Luck, Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson and Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski also left the game in recent years, at age 30 or younger.

“Luke is one of the best to ever do it,” Warner said of Kuechly. “It was a pretty big shock to me, but I understand. I know there are probably a lot of reasons why he made the decision he made.

“That’s a guy I’ve studied closely, just the way he studied the game and played at such a high level with the amount of passion he’s played with. So my hat’s off to him.”

— Ron Kroichick