Prolific 49ers TE Kittle takes great joy in run blocking

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — No tight end in NFL history has been as productive as George Kittle at catching the ball over the first three years of a career.

A player that skilled as a receiver might be expected to ask, or even demand, for the ball to come his way plenty of times on offense.

But instead of spending his time telling his coaches on the San Francisco 49ers or quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo how open he is, Kittle has other play-calling requests instead.

“Everyone knows what he’s done in the pass game, but he has never once in three years came up to me during a game and said, ‘Hey I need this route.’ Or, ‘Hey we’ve got to do this,’” coach Kyle Shanahan said. “He’s never once came up to…