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The Chiefs’ Travis Kelce and the 49ers’ George Kittle are better of associates when they’re off the sector.
They’re fierce rivals once they step on it.
Additionally they occur to be two of the most effective tight ends ever to play the sport, and largely accountable for the best way their place has developed from a glorified offensive lineman catching occasional passes to a significant cog in a contemporary, pass-happy league.
In actual fact, the 2 of them together with retired tight end-turned-TV broadcaster Greg Olsen based Tight End University three years in the past to assist educate their craft. The immersive three-day program is designed to assist gamers at their place be taught from one another, whether or not that’s learning movie, doing on-field work or sharing finest practices in the case of restoration and rehab.
“My man proper there! The king of Tight Finish U,” Kelce stated of Kittle, when requested about their relationship. “He’s the most effective tight finish within the league and deservingly so this 12 months. He’s been enjoying lights-out, enjoying the most effective soccer of his profession, and actually catapulted that San Francisco workforce by means of the playoffs, man, and I couldn’t be extra pleased with him.”
Kittle led all tight ends with 1,020 yards receiving this season, however he additionally performed one sport greater than Kelce, who missed Week 1 with a hyperextended knee after which sat out the Chiefs’ meaningless regular-season finale. If Kelce would have performed, the 34-year-old boyfriend of pop superstar Taylor Swift may need clipped his good buddy, slightly than ending with 984 yards.
That snapped Kelce’s streak of seven consecutive 1,000-yard seasons.
Kelce stated the streak didn’t imply as a lot to him as making an attempt to win a 3rd Tremendous Bowl ring, and getting wholesome for the playoffs has confirmed to be invaluable. Kelce has been at his finest in win-or-go-home video games, catching seven balls for 71 yards in a frigid wild-card win over Miami, 5 for 75 yards and two scores in Buffalo, and 11 for 116 yards and a TD within the AFC title game in Baltimore.
That three-game stretch has made Kelce one of the crucial productive pass-catchers in postseason historical past.
He has 156 catches total, breaking the file of 151 set by Jerry Rice from 1985-2004, and his 116 yards towards the Ravens was his eighth sport of at the least 100, which tied Kelce with the longtime 49ers star for probably the most in playoff historical past.
Most of these passes have come from Patrick Mahomes, with whom Kelce has helped to show Kansas Metropolis right into a juggernaut.
“I believe they clearly have as nice a bond as any one-two punch within the NFL, a quarterback and talent place participant in historical past,” San Francisco linebacker Fred Warner stated. “Pat is aware of precisely the place Kelce goes to be on each single play. Kelce, having the boldness and belief in Pat that he can run his routes a sure means, the place it’s not essentially going to be by the playbook. He’s going to search out open house and so they can have a really feel on the market on the sector.”
Former security John Lynch, now the 49ers’ Normal Supervisor, marveled at how Kelce continues to get open, regardless that there have been instances this season — particularly when the Chiefs offense was sputtering — when age seemed to be catching as much as him.
“While you’re going by Jerry Rice’s data, that speaks volumes,” Lynch stated, “as a result of Jerry, he’s written each file within the playoffs, and Kelce is larger in the intervening time. However I believe it’s (Mahomes and Kelce) collectively. I believe you give Andy (Reid) a variety of credit score for giving them the liberty. Quite a lot of coaches would say, ‘You’ve bought to play inside our system. You’ve bought to run the route known as.’ You’ll be able to inform a variety of instances he’s simply making it up, however it works out very well.”
It labored out fairly effectively the final time San Francisco performed Kansas Metropolis within the Tremendous Bowl. Kelce had six catches for 43 yards and a landing that night in Miami, serving to the Chiefs rally with three fourth-quarter TDs for a 31-20 victory.
Kittle was largely shut down in that sport. He completed with 4 catches for 36 yards.
He hasn’t been stopped a lot within the years since. That features the divisional spherical of the playoffs a number of weeks in the past, when he had 4 catches for 84 yards and a landing, serving to the 49ers squeak previous the Packers.
Kittle had two extra catches within the NFC title game against Detroit to arrange his rematch with Kelce and the Chiefs.
“I couldn’t be extra pleased with him,” Kelce stated, “couldn’t be extra honored, actually, to go up towards George in one other Tremendous Bowl. I can’t say sufficient wonderful issues about who he’s, who his household is. I can’t say a nasty factor about him. It’s going to be a enjoyable time.”
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Republished with permission of The Related Press.
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