SANTA CLARA -- George Kittle’s secret to success is really no secret at all.
All you have to do is watch him play and it’s easy to see what has enabled him to become the NFL’s best tight end in a short period of time after the 49ers selected him in the fifth round of the 2017 draft.
Kittle loves to come to work. He really enjoys his job.
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“My dad at a young age told me, football is a lot easier when you’re having fun,” Kittle said. “So I figured out that it was. That’s what I try to do, just enjoy myself and the rest will take care of itself.”
Kittle’s dad, Bruce, was a co-captain on the 1981 Iowa team that won the Big Ten championship. His dad was an offensive lineman, which goes to explain why he seems to enjoy blocking every bit as much as catching passes and plowing through defensive backfields.
Last year, Kittle set the NFL’s single-season record for tight ends with 1,377 yards and was named the winner of the Bill Walsh Award as the 49ers' most valuable player.
Despite missing two games this season with knee and ankle injuries, Kittle concluded the regular season with 85 receptions for 1,053 yards and five touchdowns. Kittle was named first-team All-Pro after being selected to his second NFC Pro Bowl team in two years.
San Francisco 49ers
He is the only tight end in 49ers history with a 1,000-yard season, and now he’s done it back-to-back. Kittle’s 2,945 receiving yards are the most in league history for a tight end through three seasons.
Kittle was part of the 49ers’ first draft class under general manager John Lynch and coach Kyle Shanahan. After the 49ers won just 10 games in the first two seasons, the club finished the regular season with a 13-3 record to win the NFC West title and secure home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.
What does that mean for Kittle?
“(I’m) excited to play more football,” he said.
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For Kittle, nothing should change even as the games grow in importance. The 49ers open the playoffs on Saturday at Levi’s Stadium in the divisional round of the postseason.
“My mindset is football has never changed,” Kittle said. “Obviously, the stakes and pressure increase from high school to college to the NFL. But at the end of it, it’s still a kid’s game and that’s the way I attack it every single day. I have fun doing it.”