Arizona Cardinals prepare for return of George Kittle

The Arizona Cardinals will need to prepare for the return of All Pro tight end George Kittle on Sunday.

While the San Francisco 49ers have not announced for certain whether he is playing, they have said if he is healthy they will play him.

This has drawn the ire of fans, but it also has brought an interesting discussion forward.

From Kyle Posey of Niners Nation:

What Shanahan was saying above speaks about the team culture. Kittle is healthy. I’ve seen him run. He looks like No. 85. We have to assume that Kittle is healthy. Knowing that Kittle is healthy, you’re going to get some funny looks when you address the team, and they see Kittle isn’t playing. Shanahan mentioned that he’d have to pull the likes of Fred Warner, Trent Williams, and perhaps another one of his best players if he were to give Kittle the “superstar” treatment.

It’s an interesting read from Posey and gives a look into how the 49ers handle their business, and why it would seem they plan on unleashing Kittle against the Cardinals.

In his career against the Cardinals Kittle hasn’t been the All Pro he has against everyone else, which is odd considering the Cardinals issues against tight ends.

The All Pro has 25 catches for 325 yards and one touchdown in six games. Meaning he averages about 4 catches for 54 yards a game against the Cardinals.

Good, but not quite All Pro numbers.

The big difference Kittle makes against the Cardinals seems to be his ability to block in the run game. We’ll see how much he can do coming off the fractured foot, but if healthy he is a menace.