On Thursday, George Kittle sounded like he expected to play against the Pittsburgh Steelers this weekend. A reporter asked the San Francisco 49ers tight end how he felt.
"Wonderful," Kittle responded. "I get to practice, get to play football, have the best job in the world besides you guys, and I'm just excited to play on Sunday."
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His head coach may not be as confident.
Kittle has practiced all week but was a limited participant due to a nagging groin injury. Kyle Shanahan admitted that the tight end had a setback after the 49ers' final preseason game. That has resulted in Kittle being among the two players listed as "questionable" on the team's game status report for this weekend's Week 1 matchup.
The other is cornerback Charvarius Ward, who missed practice on Thursday due to a heel injury and was limited during Friday's session.
"[Kittle]'s a great pass-game tight end, and he's a great run-blocking tight end," Shanahan told reporters after Friday's practice when asked about the star player. "So obviously, anytime you're missing a great player, it does change things, but you always are prepared for that when you have an idea it could be a possibility, too. So it's better than being surprised."
How much could Kittle participate in practice this week while dealing with his injury?
"He was able to do enough to be limited," Shanahan responded.
We'll see if it was enough to prepare the tight end to play in Sunday's game. Considering how he was talking on Thursday, there is no doubt that the competitive Kittle will do everything he can to be on the football field with his teammates.
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