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George Kittle spent up to an hour on most off-season days working on balance beams in his custom gym. Last weekend, the San Francisco 49ers tight end showed off his newfound ability to defy gravity during a highlight-worthy play against the Seattle Seahawks. Kittle took a short pass from his quarterback, Jimmy Garoppolo, and somehow managed to avoid defenders (hat tip to wide receiver Jauan Jennings for a nice downfield block to help create a lane) and scamper into the end zone for a 48-yard score.
George Kittle tip-toes the sideline for a 48-yard TD!
As impressive as that play was, it isn't the first one that comes to mind for head coach Kyle Shanahan when it comes to Kittle's best-ever play as a receiver.
"I think he's made some better ones," Shanahan told NBC Sports Bay Area this week. "That was a real good one, alright? But the blocking is what made it go all the way. The tight-rope was awesome.
"The catch he made to break the [most single-season receiving yards by a tight end] record in [2018] at the Rams when he needed like 50 yards, and we just threw him a five-yard pass, and he was getting 50 yards no matter what, that one was pretty impressive to me. He's had a bunch."
Kittle finished the 2018 season with a then-tight end record of 1,377 receiving yards. The record stood for just two years before Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce broke it in 2020 with 1,416 receiving yards.
While Sunday's touchdown run against the Seahawks may not be listed first in Shanahan's top Kittle moments, the coach was still impressed.
"But that play, we had run that run a number of times in the game, and they were just overplaying it a lot," Shanahan continued. "So we put in a keeper off of it, and George blew by everybody. Their safety tried to grab him and slow him down, but George is explosive enough to run right through that. So he was going to get a big play.
"But then that block that Jauan made was unbelievable. And then that little hit by—not getting a penalty, but getting in [Seahawks safety Quandre] Diggs' way—that [Brandon] Aiyuk did, that allowed him to turn the corner. Then it was just unbelievable staying inbounds."
Of course, Shanahan was not quick to celebrate Kittle's highlight-worthy run.
"I get used to celebrating and then seeing that it comes back," Shanahan explained. "It's a little deflating, so I waited for a while. Then by the time George hit me on the sidelines, I knew we were good. But he's way too physical of a celebrator too. We try to stay away from him as coaches because he comes at us pretty hard."
Breaking down the 49ers drafts under John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan
By Marc Adams
Apr 20
We are less than one week away from the NFL Draft, and the San Francisco 49ers have their first day-one draft pick since 2021. That was the year they selected QB Trey Lance number three overall. The trade-up to get Lance cost the 49ers their first-round picks in 2022 and 2023. And now that they are back in the first round, at pick 31, fans are anxious to see what the team does with the pick. And with former assistant GM, Adam Peters, now in Washington, it will be interesting to see how well the 49ers draft without Peters in the room.
We looked back at the seven drafts GM John Lynch and Head Coach Kyle Shanahan have led to see what information we could pull from those drafts. There were plenty of hits, plenty of misses, and a few surprises along the way. The draft picks are
Brock Purdy hopes Kyle Shanahan makes addition to 49ers playbook
By David Bonilla
Apr 16
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy threw for a franchise-record 4,280 yards last season, leading the team to the Super Bowl and earning his first Pro Bowl selection. He held onto the football 39 times on the ground, rushing for 144 yards and scoring twice. This marked a significant improvement over his rookie 2022 campaign when he had 22 carries for 13 yards and a score.
Purdy further displayed his athleticism during the 49ers' playoff game against the Detroit Lions last season, helping engineer a comeback victory while rushing for 48 yards on five carries.
On Tuesday morning, Purdy joined the "Pat McAfee Show," acknowledging that he believes he can contribute more rushing yards if called upon. However, that decision rests with head coach Kyle Shanahan,
49ers Flashback: Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch react to drafting Brandon Aiyuk
By David Bonilla
1 hr
In 2020, the San Francisco 49ers traded up from the No. 31 overall pick to the No. 25 spot with their sights set on a wide receiver brimming with potential. It was the first year of COVID, so NFL teams conducted their drafts remotely, providing fans with a unique glimpse into team decision-makers' makeshift home war rooms.
Almost immediately after Aiyuk heard his name called, fans caught a glimpse of the reactions from head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch.
In honor of Draft Day, let's throw it back to Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch's reaction to drafting Brandon Aiyuk
Malachi Corley welcomes opportunity to play with 49ers WRs
By David Bonilla
Apr 23
Malachi Corley has been likened to versatile San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel. What does Corley, the former Western Kentucky wide receiver, think about the prospect of joining Samuel and the rest of the 49ers' receiving corps?
It's a possibility. Corley is expected to be drafted in the second or third round this week and recently visited the team in Santa Clara. Could it be the 49ers calling his name?
"Put me out there with Deebo," Corley recently told Kay Adams on the "Up and Adams" show. "Deebo, left, Malachi, right, [Brandon] Aiyuk, [Christian] McCaffrey down the middle."
While 49ers fans hope to see Aiyuk remain with the team, negotiations for
