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Saubert prepared to uphold 49ers ‘standard’ amid Kittle injury originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SANTA CLARA – Eric Saubert has spent the majority of his NFL career trying to perfect the idea of being a blocking tight end. That’s key because all indications are that the journeyman will have to fill in for one of the best blocking tight ends in the game when the 49ers take on the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday at SoFi Stadium.
With Friday’s announcement by 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan that George Kittle is doubtful to play against the Rams, all eyes turned to Saubert.
The 30-year-old backup, who has 38 career receptions over his eight-year career, likely will get the starting call and the majority of tight end work if Kittle is unable to play.
If that turns out to be the case, Saubert is fully aware of the challenge he’ll likely face while filling in for the five-time Pro Bowl tight end.
“There’s a high standard of performance,” Saubert said Friday. “It’s really cool, though, because it elevates your game. You got to be on your stuff every day. You have to come to work with the expectation that the standard is what it is, and if you’re not going to match that, you’re not going to play here.
“It’s cool, and it’s why the 49ers have been so successful.”
Kittle has provided a huge chunk of that success when he’s healthy, and any prolonged absence would be a huge blow to San Francisco’s offense.
Kittle is not just one of the best receiving tight ends in the league. His skills as a blocker are well-known across the NFL and has enabled Shanahan to use Kittle in a variety of ways.
Saubert, who played at Drake College in Iowa about 125 miles away from Kittle, doesn’t have the receiving skills that Kittle does but has tried to solidify his blocking.
“It’s something I really had to work on when I got to the league,” said Saubert, who was a fifth-round draft pick by the Atlanta Falcons in 2017. “Drake was obviously a very different level…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/saubert-prepared-uphold-49ers-standard-232752685.html
Author : NBC Sports BayArea
Publish date : 2024-09-20 23:27:52
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