Kittle trying to fill 49ers’ leadership void
Tight end looking to be more vocal this season
One team captain, left tackle Joe Staley, retired. Another team captain, defensive tackle DeForest Buckner, was traded.
And another team captain, cornerback Richard Sherman, perhaps the 49ers’ most vocal leader, hasn’t been as prominent while spending the past month on injured reserve.
The situation prompted a question Thursday to another team captain, tight end George Kittle: Is the loss of leadership a reason he has found a more forceful voice this season? “Hmm,” Kittle began, “that’s a good question.” And then the AllPro gave an insightful answer in which he acknowledged that he has felt called to be “more direct” when it comes to “holding guys accountable.”
To be clear, Kittle, 27, hasn’t morphed from jokester to ogre this season.
However, the man known for riffing on pro wrestling and wearing beefcake Tshirts of shirtless quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo has offered pointed comments following the past two ugly upset losses to the Eagles and Dolphins.
After losing to Philadelphia, Kittle said the
49ers’ rungame issues were tied to poor blocking from tight ends and tackles Trent Williams and Mike McGlinchey.
“We just weren’t playing at our level that I expect us to play at,” Kittle said. “I know that Trent and Mike expect to play at a very high level in the run game.”
After losing to Miami, Kittle said the four offensive captains — Garoppolo, Williams and McGlinchey are the others — had to improve.
“We have four captains on offense and we’ve got to play together,” Kittle said. “We’ve got to play better, we’ve got to pick each other up better.”
Kittle isn’t new to leadership. He was voted a team captain in 2018 when he was in the middle of his second season. However, he has been more of a lead by his relentless example type. He suggested he’s still working to get comfortable being the type of leader who can make others uncomfortable.
Kittle noted players such as Staley and Sherman have vast experience navigating the ups and downs of a season and have a Ph. D. in lockerroom dynamics. That’s why Kittle has leaned heavily on Staley this season for advice. Kittle and Staley spoke after the loss to the Dolphins, a beatdown so perplexing that Staley, via Twitter, asked in the second quarter when the 49ers were trailing 307, “What the hell is this??!”
Staley “was just like, ‘ Look, you have to hold people accountable and you have to tell them that you hold them to the highest standard because that’s what we’ve done for the last three years,’ ” Kittle said.
Staley was known for speaking his mind after losses. In 2014, he cited the team’s “penalties, dumb blocks, dumb techniques and dumb schemes” after a loss to the Rams dropped the 49ers to 44 after they had reached three straight NFC Championship Games.
“My rookie year, I was terrified of Joe Staley,” Kittle said. “He would come in and he’d be kind of a prick sometimes. I wouldn’t really understand that. And then there are times you’d see him and he’d be the happiest guy ever and you’re like, ‘ What’s wrong with him?’ But if you think about it, it’s the way he holds guys accountable, no matter who you are.
“It doesn’t matter if you’re the QB. It doesn’t matter if you’re DeForest Buckner. It doesn’t matter if you’re ( defensive tackle) Arik Armstead. It doesn’t matter if you’re George Kittle. Joe would hold you accountable and he’d make sure you heard his point and what he thought was required of you on a daily basis.”
Of course, it’s doubtful the perpetually sunny Kittle can summon Staley’s level of occasional grouchiness. And head coach Kyle Shanahan said Friday he needed to lead naturally when told Kittle was seeking out Staley for advice.
“I appreciate George doing everything he can to get better,” Shanahan said. “I just want George to be himself. Don’t try to be Staley. Be yourself.”
Kittle has been wise to include himself in his critiques after the past two games. And he reiterated Thursday he has played a role in those defeats.
“I wasn’t happy with my performance ( Sunday), or the week before that,” he said.
The week before that? Kittle was reminded he caught 15 passes on 15 targets for 183 yards against the Eagles, tying for the secondmost receptions by a tight end in a game in NFL history.
The team captain working to keep teammates accountable made it clear high standards apply to himself.
“I know,” Kittle said, smiling, “I wasn’t very happy with my run ( blocking), though.”