George Kittle didn’t make much effort to mask his sarcasm. ‘I’m excited for the 16-hour flight,’ the San Francisco 49ers tight end told Pat McAfee back in February. ‘It’s going to be great.’
Only a day earlier, it had emerged that the 49ers would face the Los Angeles Rams on the NFL’s first ever visit to Australia. That game is now part of a blockbuster curtain-raiser for the NFL season starting this week and perhaps Kittle’s feelings have changed. They probably ought to.
Yes, it is a brutal, draining trip to face the Super Bowl favorites. But there are a couple of crucial advantages to the long flight Down Under. It will, as he pointed out in February, allow the tight end to sit through the entire Lord Of The Rings trilogy. Back to back. Extended edition.
More importantly, though, those 16 hours gave the 49ers some much-needed respite. A break from all the chaos and noise and embarrassment that has engulfed San Francisco this offseason.
What a mess the franchise finds itself in: an owner, Jed York, recently released from jail following an arrest over prostitution. A head coach, Kyle Shanahan, whose body was broken by a mysterious car accident.
A roster depleted by injuries. All in time for a brutal season opener against the Rams. All at a time when the window seems to be closing on a brilliant crop of talent.
49ers owner Jed York was arrested Sunday in East Palestine, Ohio, following a police sting
Earlier in the offseason, head coach Kyle Shanahan was involved in a nasty car crash
What the 49ers would give to rewind the clock a few months: back in February, Levi’s Stadium hosted the Super Bowl and fans’ biggest concern was whether an electrical substation was injuring key players. Those were heady times by comparison.
Shanahan has tried to claim that York’s arrest is ‘irrelevant’ to his players. Linebacker Fred Warner insisted it wasn’t a topic of conversation in the locker room.
But what else could they say? Neither could seriously be expected to spell out the truth: that the 46-year-old, who has an estranged wife and two sons, has embarrassed one of sports’ most storied franchises.
At best, it is an unwelcome, unsavory distraction at the end of a disastrous training camp. At worst, it threatens to derail the 49ers’ season before it has even begun. The irony won’t be lost on York: he rose to become CEO after his uncle’s own legal issues.
The organization is valued at nearly $9 billion and has not won a Super Bowl since 1994. San Francisco has twice fallen at the final hurdle in recent seasons. How many more chances will this current crop, led by Kittle, 32, Christian McCaffrey, 30, and quarterback Brock Purdy have? How can they expect to hit their peak while standing atop such shaky foundations?
For the uninitiated, here is a brief run-through the past few weeks of chaos:
York was arrested as part of a police sting, after allegedly trying to pay $140 for sex at a trailer park in Ohio. The 46-year-old pleaded no contest to charges of disorderly conduct and possessing criminal tools. He was sentenced to one day in jail and fined $1,150.
Back in July, meanwhile, Shanahan was involved in a nasty car crash that left him with a concussion, broken ribs, a broken nose, a broken hand and more than 40 stitches to close a cut over his eye.
Shanahan collided with another car, driven by a 21-year-old woman in Palo Alto, after reaching for his phone while his Tesla was in autopilot mode.
The July 14 incident has been shrouded in some mystery after the police refused to release an accident report or bodycam footage. To muddy the waters further, officers initially blamed the other driver, only for Shanahan to take responsibility.
York – above with estranged wife Danielle – allegedly attempted to pay $140 for sex in a trailer park in Ohio
The 49ers owner is believed to have been detained at Wheat Hill Mobile Home Community
George Kittle was recently activated from the physically unable to perform list after tearing his Achilles in January
Whatever happened, whoever was at fault, one thing is for certain: Shanahan’s injuries limited his ability to coach as normal during training camp, a pivotal time in preparing for the new campaign.
Some good news came from Kittle, though. He was activated from the physically unable to perform list after only tearing his Achilles back in January. It’s a remarkable timeline of recovery but the real proof will be how he shapes up on the field.
Running back McCaffrey, the star of the team, missed parts of practice in the offseason after battling ‘tightness.’ If he stays healthy, he can carry them on his back this season. But his status, two days before the Rams opener, isn’t yet completely clear.
Wide receiver Mike Evans is a fascinating new prospect for the offense, too. One of Tom Brady’s favorite targets during his time with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the 33-year-old has joined the 49ers in pursuit of another Super Bowl ring in the twilight of his career. But he too has a troubling recent history of hamstring injuries that he will need to put behind him if this move is going to work. Of course, if those issues do return, so too will those substation theories.
Evans’s new teammate and fellow wide receiver Ricky Pearsall is already out for the entire season. The 25-year-old missed some of his rookie year after being shot. This time, it is knee surgery that has ruled him out. He faces another punishing journey back to the field.
And while the 49ers have been putting out fires, two of their divisional rivals in the NFC West have only cemented their position as serious Super Bowl contenders.
So much hope for San Francisco rests on the shoulders of star man Christian McCaffrey
Mike Evans has arrived to bolster the offense but he too has had injury troubles in recent years
The Rams are Super Bowl favorites for a reason. After trading for Trent McDuffie and then Myles Garrett, the great Aaron Donald – who won’t play in Australia – came out of retirement to complete a defense that strikes fear into every team across the NFL.
The Seattle Seahawks, the current Super Bowl holders, have not taken a backwards step either. There is excitement around rookie running back Jadarian Price – replacing Kenneth Walker, who joined the Kansas City Chiefs after his Super Bowl MVP performance – but otherwise, they kept the major parts of their roster. They too will be brutal opponents in the coming weeks.
For the Niners, a long season awaits. But not before that flight, and 16 hours to ponder all that has gone wrong.
