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Ralph Vacchiano
NFC East Reporter
LAS VEGAS — Travis Kelce might be the biggest celebrity on either team at this year’s Super Bowl. He’s undoubtedly the most famous tight end in the world.
Just don’t call him the best tight end. That honor, he said last week, belongs to George Kittle.
Although to be honest, it’s a compliment that even Kittle didn’t sound like he believed.
“Anything that he says nice about you, it feels great,” the San Francisco 49ers tight end said on Monday night. “He’s a fantastic football player. A first-ballot Hall of Famer.”
And the 30-year-old Kittle … is not. At least not yet. He’ll also probably never enjoy the kind of Taylor Swift-induced fame that the 34-year-old Kelce has harnessed this season. The mob of reporters and cameras around Kelce’s podium at Super Bowl LVIII Opening Night inside Allegiant Stadium was easily twice the size of the throng that surrounded Kittle later in the night.
Not that Kittle was bothered. Nor did he seem to mind all the questions he got about his Kansas City Chiefs counterpart. Kittle was flattered by anyone who wanted to make a comparison, even though there really isn’t one in terms of career accomplishments.
“Any time you’re compared to Travis Kelce, it’s a good thing,” Kittle insisted. “Travis is a guy who I watched since I was in college. When I ended up trading jerseys with him (after a game in 2018), I was kind of like, ‘This is one of the coolest games of my life.’ I’m a huge fan of Travis Kelce. The fact that I’ve become friends with him, peers with him, run ‘Tight End U’ with him, it’s been awesome. He’s someone I’ve looked up to. I’ve looked up to his game and watched so much of his film.”
That’s understandable considering Kelce is the gold standard — not just in terms of superstardom, but because of his play on the field. He has averaged 90 catches for 1,133 yards over the past 10 seasons and caught a remarkable 74 touchdowns. He missed two…
Source link : https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nfl/49ers-george-kittle-managing-to-thrive-in-travis-kelces-super-shadow
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Publish date : 2024-02-06 06:55:52
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