George Kittle's lack of involvement in the San Francisco 49ers' passing attack—at least as a target—has not gone unnoticed by the media. Over his last eight games, the All-Pro tight end has hauled in just 21 receptions for 220 yards and a touchdown.
Monday night was Kittle's second game back from a groin strain.
"The more Kittle is out there and healthy, the more he practices, the more he can get back in the routine, I think that stuff will take care of itself," head coach Kyle Shanahan said earlier this week, noting that the tight end is more than just a receiving threat. Kittle impacts the run and pass game as a blocker, too."
On Friday, Kittle, getting ready to travel with his teammates to the East Coast for a two-game road trip starting with Sunday's game against the Carolina Panthers, stood in front of his locker and was asked about his lack of receptions. The tight end, like his coach, was unconcerned.
"It's football," Kittle said. "There's great games. There's bad games."
He notes that it is unrealistic to expect significant stretches with impressive statistics.
"Sometimes defenses have really good game plans, and I'm double-covered the entire time," Kittle explained. "Other times, you play the Rams, and you've got to have six guys on the line of scrimmage to account for 99 (Aaron Donald), who is one of the best players in the game. It just is what it is.
"I would love to have 100 yards receiving and a touchdown every single game. As long as I'm impacting the game in a positive way, as long as we're winning games, I don't really care."
Kittle shared that there have been game plans that didn't really involve him, and he'll proceed to rack up significant receiving yards.
"Then there are times when it's, 'Oh my gosh, I'm going to get 20 catches this week,' and I [end up having] two catches," Kittle added.
Kittle has recorded six catches for 52 receiving yards through two games this season. The 49ers hope to get their tight end more involved.
"We definitely want to get him the ball more," Shanahan said, "but it's something we're not that concerned about. We think it will take care of itself just as we get going."
