George Kittle, 49ers Skill Players Benefit from Shanahan's Play Calling Wizardry

Sourdough Sam

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Mar 20, 2019
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Despite the gaudy figures, Kittle alone could not carry the 49ers offense. San Francisco has struggled to convert in the red zone over the past two seasons and ranked 20th and 21st, respectively, in points per game. Only 12 percent of drives have ended in points during that time span.


Kittle revealed that the red zone has been a point of emphasis so far throughout the 49ers offseason program. With a healthy Jimmy Garoppolo at the helm and a revamped supporting cast, San Francisco hopes to improve on its offensive efficiency heading into 2019.


“As a team, we left a lot of plays out there,” Kittle said of the 49ers pass catchers. “You can’t win games if you don’t score, unless it’s the (Chicago) Bears game where we had five field goals. But you don’t want to win like that. You want to score points. When you’ve got a guy like Jimmy G throwing the ball, with his accuracy and his timing, you’ve got to make those plays. So that’s something we’re really working on.”


San Francisco anticipates seeing an early return on its offseason investments. The 49ers added two young and versatile receivers in Deebo Samuel and Jalen Hurd in the 2019 NFL Draft. The 49ers also added Tevin Coleman, one of Shanahan’s former pupils who excelled under his coaching with the Atlanta Falcons in 2015-16. San Francisco is also eager to get Jerick McKinnon back in the fold following an ACL tear last season.


Kittle is more than willing to spread the love in the stat sheet if it results in an improved record overall.


“If we’re winning games, I can have no catches. As long as I do well in the run game, then I’ll be happy,” he added. “I’m not really a guy that sets personal goals. I’m just going to wait till coach Shanahan tells me what plays I’m going to catch and run for 80 yards, and I’ll take advantage of those plays.”
 
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