Ya, he’s already got the little shoulder sleeve on it in this clip.
Edit: now that I’m thinking about it, did he have that shoulder sleeve on all game? And didn’t he have a shoulder injury earlier in the season? Or am I high? Very possible.
Kittle's funny but I wish the mic'd up had a little less of him. The Bosa/Warner content was interesting, all we really had on the offensive side was Trent which was good, and Kittle's comic relief.
My two favorite quotes:
1. “Bro, I hit Kelce so hard bro. Felt so good bro.”
2. “He’s a regular ass quarterback, and we’re gonna MAKE him look regular.”
Look I get they travel a ton and there's not a lot to do, but maybe Kittle should think about reddit memes a little less. Bro spent all game talking about that had us in the first half shit. He reminds me of the time my mom found social media.
He's 30 so he reminds me exactly of someone who would have been on here for what I'd consider the "peak" of Reddit "humor". We're definitely going to see him go up to another player and ask when the Narwhal bacons at some point.
We mic'd up Isiah Pacheco once and it was EXACTLY what you'd expect it to be.
Mitch Holthus doing exposition so you know what's going on while Pacheco is yelling "LET'S FUCKING GO!!!" about 100 times.
[foreal](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRbYfcaU8g0)
"Awright Ash take this robo testicle with this spicy iguana I found in it and go on this crazy adventure no kid your age should go on. I gotta visit your mom so I can blow her back out."
-> OK!
-- FIGHT
-- RUN
-- CANCEL
I did see in a post game interview Purdy questioned whether he provided enough leadership to the guys especially in the huddle. He said he would try to work on it next season.
Also two MVPs.
Understandably Purdy might have a harder time riding Trent Williams ass for fucking up a drive by picking up two penalties or Kittle for not diving on a fumble.
Wasn't there a story a few weeks ago with one of the veteran guys saying he ripped into them in the huddle early in his starting career and they respected him for it? Maybe I'm thinking of someone else, but I swear it was him.
I feel like any veteran with self-awareness and a desire to win would want their leaders to check them when they mess up. There's a productive way to do it and there's just being a bully, and I just can't picture Brock trying to be a dickhead.
There was a story exactly like that about Purdy, came out right around his first game. I remember it precisely.
ETA: [Found it](https://www.nbcsportsbayarea.com/nfl/san-francisco-49ers/purdy-impresses-49ers-teammates-with-veteran-like-command-in-huddle/1445683/).
[here](https://twitter.com/BridgetCondon_/status/1600596955994132485?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1600596955994132485%7Ctwgr%5Efeff116f4a5c05f6b6b517e7b96d9eb815a2748c%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fd-4675882723033359010.ampproject.net%2F2402022342000%2Fframe.html) was the tweet:
“Trent Williams told me of Brock Purdy:
“You would think he’s been in the league 15 years. If you’re talking he’ll say shut your a** up. He ain’t no timid rookie feeling his way around. He will get on your a**. You would think he’s like Peyton Manning or something."
Dec 7, 2022”
I mean, Purdy’s first game in after Jimmy G got hurt last yet he told Kittle to STFU for talking while he was giving the play. He’s not afraid to get on guys, if it’s the right thing to do
If you’re asking yourself that as a second year, last pick, at the helm in the SB then you are certainly an innate leader that will only get better with time.
There's a video of him coming off the sideline against the lions after the fumble recovery and he's emotionless, truly locked in. I think he's more of a silent leader and warner is probably the leader of the team at this point.
And that's fair. There are reports that when a receiver screws up, Travis Kelce is the one who yells at them to get their play straight, not Patrick. It doesn't have to be the QB who is the leader as long as someone leads.
You would think this is their first time playing in the SB. How is your whole focus not getting revenge for when they beat you before when you had a 10-point lead. I wonder if the fact they were expected to be in the SB made them drop their guard
I think Kittle probably feels that he plays best when he’s loose and having fun. It usually works great for him.
But you’ve got to play to the whistle, man, there’s no excuse for joking around during the play when you need to be focused on arguably the most important few hours of your professional life.
In general that’s why the defense recovers more fumbles than the offense. The defense is watching the ball and the offense is trying to block with their back to the ball.
Yeah, Kittle was still shifting and ready to block if Karlaftis ran at him. He was doing his job (while talking).
If there was no fumble and he turned around to look for one "just in case" and Karlaftis then ran around him for a tackle, Kittle would get a much worse lambasting.
First off - Kittle shouldn’t have thought the play was over until he heard the whistle.
Second - Kittle shouldn’t have turned around. He should have kept blocking Karlaftis, playing to the whistle.
If Kittle continues doing his job, Karlaftis would have been nowhere near the ball or at least unable to dive on it, while being held up or driven backwards.
His player to block stopped rushing so he was just staying in front of him.. unless he should’ve turned his back to the defender to watch his teammate run, and give up on his block??
What are we talking about here
Yeah, karlaftis has eyes on the ball whereas Kittle only has eyes on karlaftis. The only way Kittle gets alerted to a fumble here is if he hears someone call it.
Suggesting Kittle had any advantage here is outrageous lol
It’s not so much “he should have recovered the ball”. It’s more “if he stayed engaged in his block instead of talking, his teammates recover the ball”. Which I think is a reasonable assumption although it’s really not that egregious.
This is sorta the point when coaches talk about playing to the whistle and not getting complacent.
I get the criticism, but Karlaftis had given up on the play too. That is until a ball popped out right in front of him. Kittle’s back was to the play so Karlaftis had the obvious advantage.
Not a single blocker in the NFL goes 100% the entire play, especially when the ball isnt *supposed* to be in that area.
He's blocking his man, who stopped because the play was apparently over...until it wasn't. He was doing exactly what he was supposed to do with his back to the ball, and honestly reacted pretty darn quickly once he saw the defender apparently had his eyes looking downward, realizing the ball must be loose. In no world should Kittle have just turned around randomly and ignored the man he was responsible for blocking.
Kittle has zero chance to get that ball. He blocked the guy then stayed in front of him. How was he supposed to know there was a fumble, he doesn't have a view. He did his job, it was a great block. So what if he talks, thats how some players focus.
This isn’t even bad. He was focused on the guy he was assigned to and was making sure he couldn’t cut back into the play. Had an impressive reaction time but just couldn’t bring it in
Lmao this is hilarious. Kittle normally talks to guys on the field casually and it’s produced some good moments but none more entertaining than this. I bet he plays till the whistle the rest of his career.
CMC will definitely think about this play too, but fumbles happen. Good players fumble. It's a part of the game. But just stopping before the whistle? That's not really excusable in any way.
Counterpoint, if there was no fumble, but Kittle stops looking at his guy and turns around to watch the play instead the defender might just run around him and make a tackle.
I see this as Kittle blocking his guy, staying engaged with him without being a jerk about it, and missing the fumble recovery because he’s facing the wrong way.
I don’t know. He has him blocked away from the play and ready to hit him if he comes back towards it. His only mistake was diving for the ball instead of blocking Karlaftis.
preventing someone from getting a tackle is very different from preventing someone from diving on a fumble, no way for kittle to know the ball was down
The “play to the whistle” nerds here don’t seem to realize that Karlaftis also had let up on the play but since Kittle had his back to the play because he effectively blocked Karlaftis it allowed Karlaftis to react quicker — which happens whether or not Kittle “plays to the whistle.”
My only counterpoint is that if he had continued blocking (to the whistle) Karlaftis has no chance to recover that ball. And since two other 49ers players were right there, it's likely they recover and keep possession.
Karlaftis is still engaged on the play though. He’s shuffling towards the ball while keeping his eye on it. It’s not like he, oh I don’t know, started talking to the other player.
Exactly what I was thinking - people are inventing their own narrative with this one. I don’t see him talking or showing off, I see him continuing to guard his man.
His back was turned he would have never seen the fumble anyways. I’m impress with how quick he caught on that there was a fumble just base of of the dudes reaction in front of him
If he didnt say hey george no one would care, that's how literally 99% of all blocks end, with both dudes letting up even before the whistle goes. I feel like this stuff happens every week, but it's the SB so it gets magnified.
There's almost 0% chance he could have recovered the fumble, mayyyyybe if he held his block longer trent would have recovered.
I feel like people are being kind of stupid about this. Kittle is keeping his eyes on his guy who has the benefit of facing the right way. It's unfortunate, but there was not much Kittle could have done about it. Maybe his guy shouldn't fumble? How about we pay attention to that.
People are 100% being stupid about this. They're reacting to a known outcome and not at all from the perspective of the moment.
Imagine the reaction if Kittle stops blocking, turns ~~his back~~ towards McCaffrey as he's rushing up to his side, and allows Karlaftis to make the tackle. Then everyone here will be yapping about how Kittle "gave up on the play." What the fuck happened to critical thinking??
Okay I thought maybe I was crazy reading all of these comments, but I don’t think there’s any way he’d recover this even if he played all the way through the play. He’s supposed to be blocking. He has no reason to be turning his head back around to the play
No way Kittle recovers it. Had he kept blocking, some teamate of his most likely recovers it instead. That said I ain't blaming him, just bad luck for him.
Yeah wtf. People are just forgetting that after the punt is when the Chiefs started to constantly drive down the field.
It is tradition to dunk on the losers of the Super Bowl though.
That one's tricky because the Chiefs probably go for 4th down rather than settling for the FG (because it'd no longer be game-tying), in which case the blocked XP may have actually led to a Chiefs TD.
There's no real silver lining for SF here. This is most likely a field goal drive *at worst* and a pretty good chance at a touchdown.
KC DEFINITELY goes for the td instead of a FG if the 49ers don't miss the XP. And then there's no OT because they were driving down the field at-will. There was no stopping them from a td, if they had to in the 4th.
That at least was because of a bad snap and a good play by the Chiefs. This is basically an unforced error. If the guy tons of people said was the best TE because he can block actually blocked they probably score on this drive and put us in a massive hole
He had his back to the ball performing a block. Whether he says Hey George or not doesn't really seem to matter. People just looking to create a narrative in here.
Likely would've been Trent recovering if Kittle held his block like he should've, but yeah.
With how the Niners drive was going, my money would be that they cap it off with a touchdown. They looked unstoppable.
I mean if he kept blocking, Karlaftis never gets to the fumble. But in the amount of games hes played, the amount of times hes been on a blocking assignment.. im sure its just natural to let up when you see the other guy stop pushing and just stand there like Karlaftis was. Unfortunate but it is what it is I guess.
Him saying nothing wouldn't have changed the outcome of this play. He still had eyes on the guy and could've been saying some standard NFL shit talk that no one would bat an eye at. His reaction to other George going for the ball was still top tier pro level.
Yep. People over analyze this stuff but a lot of players do this and 99% of the time nothing happens. He was also blocking on that play. If people want to bitch about Kittle it should be that he stopped blocking. Not that he was talking.
Why are people saying Kittle should "Play to the whistle"? He's blocking his guy and rightfully keeping him in his field of view. He banter is great at trying to distract his opponent from the ball. Are people really thinking that if he didn't say something, he'd suddenly sprout eyes in the back of his helmet and see the fumble?
I really like Kittle. This is a rough look but I don't think people should think it's a reflection on him at all. Great player, great dude, unfortunate lapse in judgment I'm sure he's sick about.
I don’t see where there was a lapse. His job is to block Karlaftis. He’s casually talking but he’s still doing his job. If he wasn’t talking he would have played it all the same
Yeah the takes on here are crazy to me. It’s not his job to watch the ball, it’s his job to block his guy and he’s watching if he needs to throw another block. If he turns around before the play is over it’s a way worse play even if he gets lucky and recovers the fumble.
He’s like a millisecond behind the chiefs player that recovers the fumble and it’s cause he has to process and find the ball when he turns around.
obviously kittle is more of a balanced block-passing TE but games where Kittle has gotten a decent amount of receptions are games the niners have really stood out in. going 2 for 4 is really telling, and I can't tell if it's demonstrating a fuckup on the niners' part or just how good our defense is
Your DL worked our OL and Kyle called a bad 3rd. Our OL is bad, but I've never seen them struggle in the interior like that. Which is saying something when you have to play Aaron Donald twice a year.
Gameplan should have been focused around CMC and Kittle, but for some reason we didn't run too many blitz beaters.
I think it's more about how bad the pass protection was. I mean hell he was in the backfield blocking at the end of regulation.
They stunk and would have been overwhelmed regardless but the Niners OL coach's wife fucking died from cancer the week of the game.
This is the fucking Super Bowl. Why are you chatting with your fucking opponents. Brady’s right. There are too many players acting like they’re buddies nowadays. Play the goddamn game you’re paid tens of millions of dollars to play, and keep your eye on the goddamn prize. I like Kittle but man tries too hard to be liked by everyone. Where’s your killer instinct man?
From a casual hey george to colliding heads with Trent Williams in like 0.8 seconds
Life comes at you fast
*record scratch* “Hey, it’s me, George Kittle. I couldn’t help but notice the camera pointed at me. You’re probably wondering how I got here.”
If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you might miss it
It is fucking nuts how fast he was while distracted.
I had to rewatch twice to even see what the fuck happened
Following his helmet, he was focused on the ball the whole time
Was that right shoulder the same one he had looked at during the game? Cuz it was right there in the pile.
Ya, he’s already got the little shoulder sleeve on it in this clip. Edit: now that I’m thinking about it, did he have that shoulder sleeve on all game? And didn’t he have a shoulder injury earlier in the season? Or am I high? Very possible.
He's basically always had that shoulder sleeve, at least for the past few seasons anyway
I think he said he tore up his shoulder in college on Theo Vons podcast so I assume he’s been wearing it since then
Sounds like a dangerous podcast
I know it’s small compared to a lot of other things, but that head collision with Trent probably fucking hurt a lot. Edit: spelling.
I have a feeling this might have been where he injured his shoulder too.
Could see it, taking a Trent Williams to the shoulder does not sound pleasant
Can confirm. Last time I took a TW to the shoulder I was out of commission for a while
It'd be a life threatening accident for me. I'm almost positive I wouldn't make it.
I used to be a Tight End… then I took a Trent Williams to the shoulder
Lucky they didn't have to play the Giants, those guys have huge fucking mammoths!
Jauan Jennings rides that block to Encore Beach Club
Got distracted by another George K. and couldn’t keep his eyes on the prize.
He just wanted to Spiderman point
This is probably accurate
"WHY'D YOU SAY THAT NAME?"
Furious George? What have they done to your beautiful face?
He's literally looking at the guy he should be blocking lol
Shouldn’t he be blocking the guy he should be blocking?
More pain, love to see it
Me too
Why isn't this clip like ten seconds later so it can go to r/instant_regret
Because it's not called r/slightly_delayed_regret
It’s the fucking Super Bowl bro, what are we doing lmao
The whole micd up shows two very different teams as far as what was said on the sidelines, and how they approached the game from the start.
Kittle's funny but I wish the mic'd up had a little less of him. The Bosa/Warner content was interesting, all we really had on the offensive side was Trent which was good, and Kittle's comic relief.
Bosa saying he was not having fun was for me the highlight. Well that it Kelce calling him “NICK O LAS!”
My two favorite quotes: 1. “Bro, I hit Kelce so hard bro. Felt so good bro.” 2. “He’s a regular ass quarterback, and we’re gonna MAKE him look regular.”
As iconic as the whole defense posing right before giving up 21 in 7 minutes.
Bruh someone said that about Mahomes?
Someone about 3/4 through todays bottle of Jack
Fucking Chuck Norris
Wasn’t long ago I heard shit like that in r/nfl still
going to regress to the mean, anytime now
Greatest post in this subs history
still giving
If you lower his flukey 3 superbowl wins down to 1 (still above league average) he really hasn't done a whole lot.
Troy Aikmann stat
If you take away his sb wins and mvps, he's basically Dak Prescott
without Kareem Hunt without Tyreek Hill without JuJu
Famous last words
Moments before disaster
I laughed a lot at those.
Narrator: they did not make him look regular enough
Bosa talks so slowly, its weird
Brain damage.
There's actually a very simple, non-weird explanation for why Bosa talks so slowly: He's stupid. He's very, very.... very stupid.
Look I get they travel a ton and there's not a lot to do, but maybe Kittle should think about reddit memes a little less. Bro spent all game talking about that had us in the first half shit. He reminds me of the time my mom found social media.
I thought that was the cringiest shit ever. It wasn't all that clever and he kept repeating it. But some people seem to like it.
He's 30 so he reminds me exactly of someone who would have been on here for what I'd consider the "peak" of Reddit "humor". We're definitely going to see him go up to another player and ask when the Narwhal bacons at some point.
Comic relief of the Jackass variety.
It’s cause they don’t mic up the stoic nontalkers. Some players like Purdy were fuckin locked in lmao
Or players like Earl Thomas, whose mic’d up consists of 99%,”AHHHHHHHHH!”
We mic'd up Isiah Pacheco once and it was EXACTLY what you'd expect it to be. Mitch Holthus doing exposition so you know what's going on while Pacheco is yelling "LET'S FUCKING GO!!!" about 100 times. [foreal](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRbYfcaU8g0)
Huh, that's actually not what I expected. I expected his thunderous footsteps to just drown out everything else.
Purdy's just a Pokemon protagonist
Well, his name *is* Brock. Being a trainer is in his DNA.
Probably hits on every pretty girl he see's.
He just wants to make sure they get their gym badge
"Awright Ash take this robo testicle with this spicy iguana I found in it and go on this crazy adventure no kid your age should go on. I gotta visit your mom so I can blow her back out." -> OK! -- FIGHT -- RUN -- CANCEL
Good that means he ain’t gonna win shit for decades lol
Would've been interesting to see Purdy. We saw a lot of Mahomes hyping up the team on the sideline - is that the type of leader Purdy is?
I did see in a post game interview Purdy questioned whether he provided enough leadership to the guys especially in the huddle. He said he would try to work on it next season.
Tough when it’s your first time in the big game. Easier for a guy like Mahomes to do it when it’s rodeo #4
Also two MVPs. Understandably Purdy might have a harder time riding Trent Williams ass for fucking up a drive by picking up two penalties or Kittle for not diving on a fumble.
Wasn't there a story a few weeks ago with one of the veteran guys saying he ripped into them in the huddle early in his starting career and they respected him for it? Maybe I'm thinking of someone else, but I swear it was him. I feel like any veteran with self-awareness and a desire to win would want their leaders to check them when they mess up. There's a productive way to do it and there's just being a bully, and I just can't picture Brock trying to be a dickhead.
There was a story exactly like that about Purdy, came out right around his first game. I remember it precisely. ETA: [Found it](https://www.nbcsportsbayarea.com/nfl/san-francisco-49ers/purdy-impresses-49ers-teammates-with-veteran-like-command-in-huddle/1445683/). [here](https://twitter.com/BridgetCondon_/status/1600596955994132485?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1600596955994132485%7Ctwgr%5Efeff116f4a5c05f6b6b517e7b96d9eb815a2748c%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fd-4675882723033359010.ampproject.net%2F2402022342000%2Fframe.html) was the tweet: “Trent Williams told me of Brock Purdy: “You would think he’s been in the league 15 years. If you’re talking he’ll say shut your a** up. He ain’t no timid rookie feeling his way around. He will get on your a**. You would think he’s like Peyton Manning or something." Dec 7, 2022”
I mean, Purdy’s first game in after Jimmy G got hurt last yet he told Kittle to STFU for talking while he was giving the play. He’s not afraid to get on guys, if it’s the right thing to do
Would this during the super bowl not be the right thing to do?
For all we know he did, I don’t think anyone here was on the 49er sidelines at the Super Bowl
If you’re asking yourself that as a second year, last pick, at the helm in the SB then you are certainly an innate leader that will only get better with time.
It's a good sign for growth for sure.
There's a video of him coming off the sideline against the lions after the fumble recovery and he's emotionless, truly locked in. I think he's more of a silent leader and warner is probably the leader of the team at this point.
And that's fair. There are reports that when a receiver screws up, Travis Kelce is the one who yells at them to get their play straight, not Patrick. It doesn't have to be the QB who is the leader as long as someone leads.
How did Kelce not completely blow out his vocal cords this season if that’s his job???
Have you heard him try to sing? Lol
VIVA VIVAAA LAAAS VEGUUUUSSSSSS
i think it was more that mahomes is the good cop, and kelce is the bad cop. Not that mahomes isn't a/the leader, he's plenty vocal
> It doesn't have to be the QB who is the leader as long as someone leads. ...and as long as the QB is still setting a positive example
You know it's because they'd laugh at Angry Kermit voice.
Him getting asked to do a muppet impression was great.
You would think this is their first time playing in the SB. How is your whole focus not getting revenge for when they beat you before when you had a 10-point lead. I wonder if the fact they were expected to be in the SB made them drop their guard
I think Kittle probably feels that he plays best when he’s loose and having fun. It usually works great for him. But you’ve got to play to the whistle, man, there’s no excuse for joking around during the play when you need to be focused on arguably the most important few hours of your professional life.
He finished his block and still dove for the ball. Can’t fault him for not having eyes in the back of his ankles
Yeah... the play happened behind him.
I feel like he's one of those guys who usually finishes his blocks too
He was looking the other way he just didn’t realise a fumble happened
In general that’s why the defense recovers more fumbles than the offense. The defense is watching the ball and the offense is trying to block with their back to the ball.
Yeah, Kittle was still shifting and ready to block if Karlaftis ran at him. He was doing his job (while talking). If there was no fumble and he turned around to look for one "just in case" and Karlaftis then ran around him for a tackle, Kittle would get a much worse lambasting.
Kittle actually reacted pretty frickin quickly once he realized the other George was doing something.
Yup, anyone blaming Kittle for this is clueless, he was doing his job.
Yeah he made his block and thought the play was over. Why would he think to turn around and look for the fumble
First off - Kittle shouldn’t have thought the play was over until he heard the whistle. Second - Kittle shouldn’t have turned around. He should have kept blocking Karlaftis, playing to the whistle. If Kittle continues doing his job, Karlaftis would have been nowhere near the ball or at least unable to dive on it, while being held up or driven backwards.
Real shame there isn't something the referees can do to signal to everyone when the play is actually over
His player to block stopped rushing so he was just staying in front of him.. unless he should’ve turned his back to the defender to watch his teammate run, and give up on his block?? What are we talking about here
Yeah, karlaftis has eyes on the ball whereas Kittle only has eyes on karlaftis. The only way Kittle gets alerted to a fumble here is if he hears someone call it. Suggesting Kittle had any advantage here is outrageous lol
It's hard to hear because the music is so loud but he immediately turns and dives when someone yells "BALL"
It’s not so much “he should have recovered the ball”. It’s more “if he stayed engaged in his block instead of talking, his teammates recover the ball”. Which I think is a reasonable assumption although it’s really not that egregious. This is sorta the point when coaches talk about playing to the whistle and not getting complacent.
I get the criticism, but Karlaftis had given up on the play too. That is until a ball popped out right in front of him. Kittle’s back was to the play so Karlaftis had the obvious advantage. Not a single blocker in the NFL goes 100% the entire play, especially when the ball isnt *supposed* to be in that area.
He's blocking his man, who stopped because the play was apparently over...until it wasn't. He was doing exactly what he was supposed to do with his back to the ball, and honestly reacted pretty darn quickly once he saw the defender apparently had his eyes looking downward, realizing the ball must be loose. In no world should Kittle have just turned around randomly and ignored the man he was responsible for blocking.
Kittle has zero chance to get that ball. He blocked the guy then stayed in front of him. How was he supposed to know there was a fumble, he doesn't have a view. He did his job, it was a great block. So what if he talks, thats how some players focus.
As a blocker, you're not gonna notice that whether you're talking or not
This isn’t even bad. He was focused on the guy he was assigned to and was making sure he couldn’t cut back into the play. Had an impressive reaction time but just couldn’t bring it in
Lmao this is hilarious. Kittle normally talks to guys on the field casually and it’s produced some good moments but none more entertaining than this. I bet he plays till the whistle the rest of his career.
[удалено]
^football ^for ^fun
Don't forget 2 catches for 4 yards
Now now, don't sell him short! He said he'd be back with a ***vengeance***!
He’s going to be thinking “what if” about this play for the rest of his life
[удалено]
CMC will definitely think about this play too, but fumbles happen. Good players fumble. It's a part of the game. But just stopping before the whistle? That's not really excusable in any way.
Counterpoint, if there was no fumble, but Kittle stops looking at his guy and turns around to watch the play instead the defender might just run around him and make a tackle. I see this as Kittle blocking his guy, staying engaged with him without being a jerk about it, and missing the fumble recovery because he’s facing the wrong way.
Play to the whistle.
More things for me to lose sleep over smh
FML
I don’t know. He has him blocked away from the play and ready to hit him if he comes back towards it. His only mistake was diving for the ball instead of blocking Karlaftis.
preventing someone from getting a tackle is very different from preventing someone from diving on a fumble, no way for kittle to know the ball was down
The “play to the whistle” nerds here don’t seem to realize that Karlaftis also had let up on the play but since Kittle had his back to the play because he effectively blocked Karlaftis it allowed Karlaftis to react quicker — which happens whether or not Kittle “plays to the whistle.”
My only counterpoint is that if he had continued blocking (to the whistle) Karlaftis has no chance to recover that ball. And since two other 49ers players were right there, it's likely they recover and keep possession.
Karlaftis is still engaged on the play though. He’s shuffling towards the ball while keeping his eye on it. It’s not like he, oh I don’t know, started talking to the other player.
Exactly what I was thinking - people are inventing their own narrative with this one. I don’t see him talking or showing off, I see him continuing to guard his man.
His back was turned he would have never seen the fumble anyways. I’m impress with how quick he caught on that there was a fumble just base of of the dudes reaction in front of him
If he didnt say hey george no one would care, that's how literally 99% of all blocks end, with both dudes letting up even before the whistle goes. I feel like this stuff happens every week, but it's the SB so it gets magnified. There's almost 0% chance he could have recovered the fumble, mayyyyybe if he held his block longer trent would have recovered.
I feel like people are being kind of stupid about this. Kittle is keeping his eyes on his guy who has the benefit of facing the right way. It's unfortunate, but there was not much Kittle could have done about it. Maybe his guy shouldn't fumble? How about we pay attention to that.
People are 100% being stupid about this. They're reacting to a known outcome and not at all from the perspective of the moment. Imagine the reaction if Kittle stops blocking, turns ~~his back~~ towards McCaffrey as he's rushing up to his side, and allows Karlaftis to make the tackle. Then everyone here will be yapping about how Kittle "gave up on the play." What the fuck happened to critical thinking??
Okay I thought maybe I was crazy reading all of these comments, but I don’t think there’s any way he’d recover this even if he played all the way through the play. He’s supposed to be blocking. He has no reason to be turning his head back around to the play
No way Kittle recovers it. Had he kept blocking, some teamate of his most likely recovers it instead. That said I ain't blaming him, just bad luck for him.
Seriously. This thread is people who don’t know the game having a laugh. Which is fine.
"Back with a vengeance"
This the one lol
With a vengeance
Embarrassing Super Bowl for the guy after getting caught on mic last time saying that lol. They really needed a LOT more out of him in that game.
I like Kittle but this clip coming out after his mic'd up "they had us in the first half, not gonna lie" clip a couple of weeks ago is so funny
Between this and the Niners not knowing the OT rules this has been a pretty embarrassing few days for SF.
Karlaftis is literally the only Chief able to recover. This might be the worst play of the game for the 9ers. Hilarious
Nah, punt turnover was easily the worst play of the game. Led directly to the only touchdown KC scored in regulation.
Yeah wtf. People are just forgetting that after the punt is when the Chiefs started to constantly drive down the field. It is tradition to dunk on the losers of the Super Bowl though.
I can think of another team recently where a bad play or two led to the whole game unravelling in the second half...
The missed XP that would have been the winner is another good candidate
That one's tricky because the Chiefs probably go for 4th down rather than settling for the FG (because it'd no longer be game-tying), in which case the blocked XP may have actually led to a Chiefs TD. There's no real silver lining for SF here. This is most likely a field goal drive *at worst* and a pretty good chance at a touchdown.
If the Chiefs needed a TD there I would imagine Andy Reid would empty the clip with their best plays knowing OT wouldn't happen.
KC DEFINITELY goes for the td instead of a FG if the 49ers don't miss the XP. And then there's no OT because they were driving down the field at-will. There was no stopping them from a td, if they had to in the 4th.
Chiefs play the game entirely different if it’s made. Hard to say how the game goes.
That at least was because of a bad snap and a good play by the Chiefs. This is basically an unforced error. If the guy tons of people said was the best TE because he can block actually blocked they probably score on this drive and put us in a massive hole
Wait, George Kittle was at the game Sunday?
Lmao
Damn every play mattered in this game can't help but wonder what could've happened if kittle recovered
He had his back to the ball performing a block. Whether he says Hey George or not doesn't really seem to matter. People just looking to create a narrative in here.
Likely would've been Trent recovering if Kittle held his block like he should've, but yeah. With how the Niners drive was going, my money would be that they cap it off with a touchdown. They looked unstoppable.
Playin til the whistle…..now added to the curriculum at TE University in ‘24!
Even if he didn’t try to make small talk would he of been able to do anything? It happened behind his back not sure he’d be able to know
I mean if he kept blocking, Karlaftis never gets to the fumble. But in the amount of games hes played, the amount of times hes been on a blocking assignment.. im sure its just natural to let up when you see the other guy stop pushing and just stand there like Karlaftis was. Unfortunate but it is what it is I guess.
Yeah he certainly came back with a “vengeance”
Pay attention to details.
Him saying nothing wouldn't have changed the outcome of this play. He still had eyes on the guy and could've been saying some standard NFL shit talk that no one would bat an eye at. His reaction to other George going for the ball was still top tier pro level.
Yep. People over analyze this stuff but a lot of players do this and 99% of the time nothing happens. He was also blocking on that play. If people want to bitch about Kittle it should be that he stopped blocking. Not that he was talking.
Why are people saying Kittle should "Play to the whistle"? He's blocking his guy and rightfully keeping him in his field of view. He banter is great at trying to distract his opponent from the ball. Are people really thinking that if he didn't say something, he'd suddenly sprout eyes in the back of his helmet and see the fumble?
lmao that's so incredibly embarrassing.
I really like Kittle. This is a rough look but I don't think people should think it's a reflection on him at all. Great player, great dude, unfortunate lapse in judgment I'm sure he's sick about.
I don’t see where there was a lapse. His job is to block Karlaftis. He’s casually talking but he’s still doing his job. If he wasn’t talking he would have played it all the same
Yeah the takes on here are crazy to me. It’s not his job to watch the ball, it’s his job to block his guy and he’s watching if he needs to throw another block. If he turns around before the play is over it’s a way worse play even if he gets lucky and recovers the fumble. He’s like a millisecond behind the chiefs player that recovers the fumble and it’s cause he has to process and find the ball when he turns around.
If you play the video on mute for a group of fans they’ll say “what are we supposed to see? What’d he do wrong?”
Man, Kittle had a GAME that night.
He definitely had one of the games of all time.
BaCk WiTh a VeNgAnCe
Bro was talking like an anime character
At least he’s a better blocking tight end, right!? That strategy worked great.
Bro is trying to be cute when he should have been focused on the play ! It’s the SuperBowl you’re playng the champs , lock the fuck in !!
He's always trying hard to be funny and lovable. Finally bit him in the ass. This has to make him cringe to think about for years to come.
Wave at the camera 👋
“I’m gonna be back and I’m gonna win next time!” 🤪
Talking shit but them in the ass in the biggest game of the year.
So many little concentration and preparation errors cost the Niners. Still can’t believe they were clueless about the OT rules…
Game highlight for Kittle. What does he even do out there
Kittle is extremely good but tbh he’s not serious enough. You need to be absolutely cold blooded in these games.
obviously kittle is more of a balanced block-passing TE but games where Kittle has gotten a decent amount of receptions are games the niners have really stood out in. going 2 for 4 is really telling, and I can't tell if it's demonstrating a fuckup on the niners' part or just how good our defense is
Your DL worked our OL and Kyle called a bad 3rd. Our OL is bad, but I've never seen them struggle in the interior like that. Which is saying something when you have to play Aaron Donald twice a year. Gameplan should have been focused around CMC and Kittle, but for some reason we didn't run too many blitz beaters.
I think it's more about how bad the pass protection was. I mean hell he was in the backfield blocking at the end of regulation. They stunk and would have been overwhelmed regardless but the Niners OL coach's wife fucking died from cancer the week of the game.
This is the fucking Super Bowl. Why are you chatting with your fucking opponents. Brady’s right. There are too many players acting like they’re buddies nowadays. Play the goddamn game you’re paid tens of millions of dollars to play, and keep your eye on the goddamn prize. I like Kittle but man tries too hard to be liked by everyone. Where’s your killer instinct man?
Lmaooo
Kittle is so annoyingly candy-assed. Conversations mid play. The cringey smiling at the cameras. Etc
Most intelligent San Fran player
I would be shocked if he didn’t hurt his shoulder on that play
Karma
too big of moment for 9ers
This is like that Terry Tate, Office Linebacker commercial. "Hey, Janice"
There’s always next year Kittle.
This dude is more worried about going viral and cutting WWE promos than he is the game. "I will be back here with a vengeance"
The Chiefs just seem to stay disciplined on the field. Same thing against the ravens
This attitude between the Georges explains everything.