The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
TE Pitts finishes season just short of setting rookie mark
Pro Bowler felt he made significant strides in first year.
Falcons Pro Bowl tight end Kyle Pitts is ready to put his rookie season in the history books.
Pitts played in the regular-season finale, a 30-20 loss to the Saints on Sunday, despite a hamstring injury. “He was fighting through stuff,” Falcons coach Arthur Smith said. “He gave everything. I don’t think a lot of guys would’ve played in his circumstance.”
Pitts was 59 yards away from breaking Mike Ditka’s record for most receiving yards in a season by a rookie tight end, but he was held to two catches on five targets for 8 yards against the Saints.
“We certainly tried, and I’m sure you’ll get the hot takes about the targets, (but) he was the primary in a lot of play calls,” Smith said. “I don’t know if they took him away. But I can sit here and look at it and say he wasn’t 100%, but I appreciate him going out there and trying to help us.”
Pitts wanted to get the record, even though Ditka played in a 14-game season in 1961. “Just didn’t go the way I guess I planned,” Pitts said Monday. “Everyone is kind of dinged up at the end of the season. So, I just went out there and was playing for the rest of the guys on the team.”
Pitts suffered a hamstring injury in the second quarter against Buffalo on Jan. 2. He missed one day of practice and was limited for other practices.
Expectations were great this season for Pitts, a fourth pick overall in the NFL draft. Pitts, who played at Florida and was the highest-drafted tight end since the NFL-AFL merger in 1970, kept a level head and produced. He started 15 of 17 games and caught 68 of 110 targets (61.8%) for a franchise-record 1,026 yards for a rookie, with a touchdown.
“I feel like it was an OK start,” Pitts said. “I feel like there is a lot more to work on and achieve. I think (this is) just the first step.”
There were major lessons along the way, Pitts said: “Just knowing how I can do things differently to be a better athlete and human.” Pitts said there weren’t any major surprises for him, but he had some favorite moments.
“I would say either the first game or the last game,” Pitts said. “Starting out the year and ending it with the guys that were in our (tight end) room. Those were two pretty cool moments because we built a strong bond since I got drafted. We have all been kind of close-knit and together.”
Time management was his biggest challenge. “Just staying on schedule,” Pitts said. “Trying to rehab my body. Finding ways to rehab it better. Just get away from the game mentally and physically when I do have a chance.”
Pitts felt he made significant strides over the course of the season. “Mentally trying to read defenses better,” Pitts said, “I feel like I got better since OTAS all the way up until the last game. Trying to be able to play faster and be able to play at a high level of speed.”
Pitts learned flanker, slot, split end and the tight end positions in the offense.
“I would say they are slightly different, but at the end of the day, it’s just ball,” Pitts said of the route combinations. “Everybody kind of runs the same thing and it’s kind of mirrored, but it was some combinations and some different things. But I think it was just kind of cool to kind of learn different ways.”
The Falcons planned to move Pitts around, but that became even more important after wide receiver Calvin Ridley stepped away to address his mental well-being Oct. 31.
“I loved that challenge,” Pitts said. “Just to be able to learn everything and try and grasp the whole offense.”
Pitts believes the Falcons laid the foundation for the future in Smith’s first season. “I would say it’s a tough, hard-working, blue-collar team,” Pitts said. “Situationally aware, everything he preaches. I think that this year was a (stepping) stone and (we) will go up.”