That’s how the 49ers’ tight end described the motivation for building his own gym and 40-yard football field at his home on 75 acres just outside of Nashville.
On top of that, there was off-season core surgery which temporarily halted workouts and saw Kittle drop to 214 pounds. But there was no easing into training camp, because Kittle doesn’t ease into anything. “It’s not going to be the hardest practice of your career, and you’re not in pads, but you’ve got to go out there and work on stuff,” Kittle said. “Definitely it’s setting a tone.”
“I like to put myself around real talented football players to compete against them, to see how they’re doing, but also to bring them along with me because I feel I train at a real high level all the time,” Kittle said.“If you spend $50,000 on your body one offseason and it gives you one more year in the NFL, the vet minimum is a million dollars,” Kittle said. “I think that’s a pretty good investment.
“The decision was about, is it what’s best for the team to make us ready for Week One?,” Sorensen said. “And I think it was just the right decision. How he explained it to everybody was exactly what he felt and I think it was the right choice.”— Newly inducted Hall of Fame member Patrick Willis was at practice and broke down the huddle after its conclusion. He was escorted to the linebacker group by Fred Warner.
— Linebacker De’Vondre Campbell broke up a medium-depth pass on a rollout by Purdy and continued to work in the first team with Fred Warner and Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles when the 49ers were playing with three linebackers.