You can tell George Kittle is having fun while doing his job. It doesn't matter whether he is hauling in a 60-yard touchdown pass from his quarterback, Jimmy Garoppolo, or pushing a defender into the end zone to give his running back the space he needs to make a big-time play. The San Francisco 49ers tight end is doing it all with a smile on his face.
Football isn't work. It's fun.
That is Kittle's philosophy. It has been since he was a kid. It remains true today.
That's not to say that Kittle doesn't work hard. You don't just wake up one morning and decide you are going to go out and have a little fun and be a Pro Bowl and All-Pro tight end. Kittle works hard to remain a reliable target in the passing game, and he works hard to make sure he can move that opposing defender from point A to point B. He is as studious as they come.
Kittle is just having a whole lot of fun while he does it.
The stakes of the game have changed for Kittle over the years, but the motivation behind the game itself hasn't. He understands what football in its purest form should be. This billion-dollar game at the pro level is the same one he enjoyed as a kid.
"My mindset with football has never changed," Kittle told reporters on Friday. "Obviously, the stakes and pressure increases from high school to college to the NFL, but at the end of it, it's still a kid's game, and that's just how I attack it every single day, and I just have fun doing it."
Kittle wants to be out on the field with his teammates. He wants to make plays. He wants to have fun. That's what makes Kittle so enjoyable to watch. It's also what made being sidelined for two games so difficult for him to endure.
After suffering knee and ankle injuries during Week 9 against the Arizona Cardinals, Kittle couldn't wait to get back in the game. The 49ers had to hold him back, though. Having Kittle in the lineup down the stretch was necessary for the team's long-term goals.
Now, here the 49ers are, sitting as the No. 1 seed in the NFC and a week away from hosting Levi's Stadium's first-ever playoff game. And they have a healthy Kittle at their disposal.
Kittle wasn't a high draft pick. He didn't have flashy numbers coming out of Iowa. There was nothing that pointed to a tight end capable of putting up record-breaking statistics at the next level. Head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch saw glimpses of his potential, though, and made him a fifth-round pick in their first-ever draft together.
In December, Kittle was named to his second consecutive Pro Bowl. On Friday, he learned he was voted first-team All-Pro for the first time in his career.
What does Kittle hope fans see when they watch him? For the rising NFL star, the answer is simple.
"Hopefully, when people watch me play, they see that I play, and I have a lot of fun doing it," Kittle said. "That's what I try to do is just make guys have fun because football's a lot easier when you're having fun."
That is true of any job. There is an important lesson in Kittle's football philosophy.
Pro Bowls, All-Pros, other honors, they are all nice. Kittle appreciates the recognition, but he is focused on getting back on the football field and having more fun. That means winning and doing what he can to help the 49ers reach their first Super Bowl in seven years.
"It is an honor to be voted [a first-team All-Pro]," Kittle added. "It definitely means I have a lot of respect around the league, which is incredible. All I try to do is go out there every single Sunday and put good football on tape for people to see. I'm just honored to be voted that. I'm excited to play more football, though."
