Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
George Kittle led the NFL in touchdowns nullified by a penalty in 2019, per PFF
Jul 8, 2020 at 12:03 PM
•
Videos are auto-populated by an affiliate. This site has no control over the videos that appear above.
Poor
George Kittle. He could have had such a great 2019 NFL campaign.
Wait a minute, Kittle hauled in 85 passes for 1,053 yards with five touchdown receptions, earning first-team All-Pro honors and his second Pro Bowl selection. It was also his second consecutive season of over 1,000 yards receiving, and the tight end is widely considered to be the best in the NFL at his position.
A division championship and a trip to the Super Bowl aren't things to dismiss, either.
So, why poor George Kittle?
Pro Football Focus' Ian Hartitz explains that
2019 could have been even more impressive for the tight end, if not for some tough luck in the form of nullified touchdowns. Hartitz tracked such missed opportunities by going through ESPN's play-by-play sequences for all 256 regular-season games. Bravo to him.
"Truly exhilarating work," notes Hartitz.
What did he learn? Nine players fell victim to having multiple scores nullified by a penalty last season. None had more than Kittle's three. The video below shows those three.
"Arguably the best TE in the entire NFL could've had an even bigger season with a little better acting and/or performance from his teammates," writes Hartitz.
Not only did Kittle lead all players in scores nullified by a penalty, but the 49ers led all teams in the same category with seven.
"Nothing is more heartbreaking for fantasy managers than the stomach punch after watching points come off the board courtesy of the refs," adds Hartitz. "This holds doubly true in instances when the zebra probably should've just kept the flag in his pocket."
Facebook Comments
More San Francisco 49ers News
George Kittle's message to Brandon Aiyuk amid contract talks with 49ers: "Be patient"
George Kittle made his sentiments clear in a recent conversation about his teammate, wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk. The tight end emphasized that he couldn't picture the San Francisco 49ers without Aiyuk and spoke highly of him in a discussion with Fox News Digital's Scott Thompson.
Throughout the offseason, Kittle has had several conversations with Aiyuk and empathizes with his situation. Reflecting on his own contract negotiation in 2020 before reaching an agreement with the 49ers, Kittle offered his best advice to Aiyuk: "Hey, be patient."
Kittle added, "It's just kind of the way the Niners do things. I didn't
Where the 49ers landed in PFF's latest power ranking
While it would be foolish to declare that the San Francisco 49ers lack any deficiencies, the team remains one of the most talented rosters in the NFL. That alone is enough to place them high on media power rankings.
The truth is, power rankings mean very little at this stage in the offseason. Yes, free agency has come and gone, but NFL rosters are about to undergo further changes this week, with the 2024 NFL Draft slated for Thursday.
Pro Football Focus' Amelia Probst posted a power ranking based on the analytics site's data on each roster and the offseason roster moves made so far. The San Francisco 49ers came in at No. 2, behind only the Kansas City
NFL insider states the obvious regarding 49ers' talks with Brandon Aiyuk
ESPN insider Adam Schefter recently shared his insights on the situation surrounding San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk during an appearance on the network's "NFL Live" show. Schefter clarified that while Aiyuk would like to remain with the 49ers, his priority is securing a contract that reflects his value, regardless of the team.
When questioned about Aiyuk's desire to stay with the team that selected him in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft, Schefter responded, "Well, I think his desire to get paid is greater than his desire to stay in San Francisco, wherever that is. If the 49ers want to pay him, I'm sure he'd love to stay in San Francisco. If another team would like to pay him, I'm sure he'd like to go
49ers' Brock Purdy addresses young fan's question about scripted NFL
Taylor Swift, the Kansas City Chiefs, and a Super Bowl overtime matchup. If the NFL is scripted, the league came up with a good one this past season—unless you're a San Francisco 49ers fan.
During his inaugural youth football camp at Levi's Stadium this past weekend, 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy faced a candid inquiry from one young participant: Is the NFL scripted?
"No, the NFL is not scripted," a smiling Purdy responded. However, the quarterback added, "Good
