Robbie Gould shares why 49ers fans should be excited for next year, says George Kittle should be in the Pro Bowl

The 2018 season hasn't played out how the San Francisco 49ers and their fans had hoped. Injuries derailed a once-promising season. Despite having just three wins this year and being in a three-way tie for the worst record in the NFL, kicker Robbie Gould, a nominee for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award, believes there is a lot of reason for optimism.

Gould joined 95.7 The Game on Wednesday and explained how head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch, each in their second year with the team, are changing the culture and why it is important for the young roster to face adversity right now rather than later.

"They spent a good bit of the first year trying to change the culture," Gould told Matt Steinmetz and Daryle Johnson, "and I think Kyle Shanahan, with his personality and his football acumen, has really done a great job of really taking the reigns on understanding what it's going to take to win. I think you saw a lot of that at the end of last year. Guys starting to come together, starting to get it, play with grit.

"There will be one thing that we never do, and that's we're never going to not play hard. I think that's because of the type of leader that [Shanahan] and John Lynch are.

"The record might not be exactly what everyone thought it would be this year, but I think what's unique about the direction we're headed is there's a lot of young guys getting experience. And some of those mistakes that maybe you made on the field right now, you would want that to happen in a [3-10] season, not in a playoff run.

"The nice part is that experience they're gaining should help us next year, and there's a lot to be excited about coming into next year."

One young player who is excelling within Shanahan's system and not making too many mistakes is tight end George Kittle. In just his second year with the 49ers, he has already broken the franchise record for single-season receiving yards by a tight end and is on pace to pass Rob Gronkowski's NFL record for single-season receiving yards by a tight end.

While Kittle was already on the radar of many, his seven receptions for 210 yards and a touchdown in the first half against the Denver Broncos on Sunday made everyone take notice.

"He should be in the Pro Bowl," Gould said of his teammate, Kittle. "There's no doubt about it. I think he's having that kind of season. Everyone's going to look at his stats, and everyone's going to look at kind of the year that he's having, because that's what the Pro Bowl is all about. But I think this all started for George in the offseason.

"He was one of the guys from year one, last year's rookie class, to year two that you could really see the growth physically. He came back in great shape, was bigger, he was faster, he was stronger. You're seeing a guy who got the opportunity to understand the offense another year.

"You talk about the growth with the young kids we're talking about right now with some of these guys, some of those mistakes. Well, George is one of those guys that has really taken the lead and taken a charge of being the leader of his class, that rookie class.

"I think you're seeing that hard work, time, and effort really pay off, and I'm really happy for him because he's definitely deserving of everything that he's getting right now from the Pro Bowl with all the attention of how he's playing. He's playing at a very, very high level."

You can listen to the entire conversation with Gould below.