George Kittle on comparisons to Travis Kelce: 'It's a good thing'
49ers' George Kittle speaks to the media on opening night of SB LVIII. He explains how his playing style differs from that of Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.
LAS VEGAS — Maybe Deebo Samuel, the dynamo receiver with a lot of swagger, can set the record straight about the state of the practice fields the San Francisco 49ers were tasked with working on this week at UNLV.
After all, the reports weren't good on this buildup to Super Bowl 58.
“Go ask Kyle,” Samuel replied during the media session inside Allegiant Stadium on Monday night.
That would be 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan, who asked a similar question at his podium several yards away.
“Go ask Deebo,” Shanahan said.
The questions seemed legitimate enough after a report from CBS' Jonathan Jones revealed that the 49ers were unhappy with their practice fields because they weren't firm enough after the NFL installed two natural turf fields over artificial turf fields. The 49ers' logistics team, including members of the equipment staff and grounds crew, initially raised concerns during a visit last week to UNLV, which was followed by a visit from GM John Lynch. The 49ers conducted a light walkthrough session on the fields on Monday and will hold a full practice on Wednesday — after the team apparently decided no alternative was possible.
By Monday night, the 49ers had essentially squashed the problem. We believe.
“No position,” Shanahan declared. “The players were good with it today, and they will be good with it on Wednesday.”
Although NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell downplayed concerns during his Monday afternoon press conference, asserting that the stadiums were “very playable” and passed inspection that met minimum standards, an alternative plan was for the 49ers to practice at their Las Vegas headquarters. Vegas Raiders – Where the Kansas City Chiefs practice has been floated as a possibility.
But Godel seemed to be having none of that. He strongly advocated the quality of the fields.
“We have 23 experts there,” Goodell said. “We've had the association there. They all think this is a very playable surface. It's softer than they've trained on, but it happens. It's well within all of our testing parameters. It's something we believe – everything our experts, as well as neutral field inspectors, have said,” Unanimously, this is a playable field.
An NFLPA official contacted by USA TODAY Sports had no comment, confirming that the union will address the issue publicly on Wednesday when its new CEO, Lloyd Howell Jr., holds his first news conference since succeeding DeMorris. Smith. The NFLPA in recent years has been adamant in raising concerns about the quality of fields and risks to safety.
In this case, a year after criticism arose regarding the condition of the game field used in Super Bowl 57 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., the 49ers' underlying beef appears to be measurable. According to Jones' report, the 49ers prefer a field with a hardness of 70 grams (units of gravity), while UNLV's installed practice fields have a hardness of 50 grams. Without a proven surface between the grass and the artificial turf, the fields were described as “spongy”.
Perhaps the solution will come by raising standards. However, the 49ers are resigned to taking it as it comes.
“We'll deal with what we have,” Shanahan said. “We're fine. We won't change our schedule.”
Imagine the disruption that would have been if the 49ers had to revamp their practice schedule because of poor fields. Talk about the need to limit distractions. Switching training locations at this point was a logistical nightmare.
The optics of the NFL could have been worse. It would have been extremely embarrassing if one of the teams participating in the NFL's signature event had to find an alternative training site.
Just think: a multi-billion-dollar league can't even guarantee proper practice fields for its showcase event?
It seems to be a hypothetical question now, in part because the 49ers have dropped the issue. It is not known if the league was pressured to move forward, but it seems clear that the NFL has avoided some embarrassing drama.
Shanahan said he was “not at all concerned” about field conditions. “It's getting better every day.”
Maybe George Kittle, the 49ers' thoughtful and talkative tight end, can provide the straight scoop.
Or maybe there is no address there.
“I'll be playing football in February. I have nothing to complain about,” Kittle said from his stand on Monday night. “I'm in Las Vegas, at the Super Bowl, playing football with my teammates for an extra week. There are only two teams doing that. I have nothing to complain about. No problems for me.”
Then again, where is Allen Iverson when you really need him to talk coaching?
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