San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle is a force of nature on game days. His after-the-catch exploits are already legendary, and he’s the best run-blocking tight end in the league.
On Sunday, as the 49ers knocked off the No. 1 seed in the NFC, the New Orleans Saints, it was Kittle who came through in the clutch with the biggest play of the game.
Jimmy Garoppolo threw to Kittle in the flat on 4th-and-2 from San Francisco’s 33-yard line, and the tight end ran through people, gaining a bunch of yards as a defender yanked on his facemask on his way to a 39-yard gain that set up the game-winning field goal as time expired (watch here).
After the game, he explained his mindset in a short, but telling quote.
As extraordinary as Kittle’s play was, it’s not exactly something new with this guy. He drags people around every game, and defensive ends routinely end up getting de-cleated by Kittle on run plays.
Here are a couple more examples that show why Kittle’s quote so beautifully illustrates the way he actually plays.
“Run through people, but have a good time doing it,” indeed.
More must-reads: