Nick Bosa and George Kittle are officially back at practice for the San Francisco 49ers this week, but head coach Kyle Shanahan is juggling their workloads big time before the team jets off to Australia. It’s not your usual schedule, man. Shanahan said they’re balancing it out, not wanting either player to go three days in a row. They’ll get “a little on some of these days, and more on one,” with both guys on a “little different schedule.” The whole setup is flipped, too, with bonus practices after their travel-mandated days off. Their “Monday to settle everything” is gonna be Saturday in Australia. Talk about a curveball! Shanahan even joked they are “creatures of habit” but the schedule is generally the same.
Will Kittle Even Make The Flight?
The biggest question mark hanging over the team has to be George Kittle. A couple Sundays ago, Kittle himself said if he wasn’t going to play in Melbourne, it would make way more sense for him to stay behind. Shanahan was grilled on whether they needed to make a call on Kittle’s travel plans in the next few days. He basically said they don’t *have* to decide anything, but if it looks like Kittle won’t play, it’d be “much nicer” to make that call before they leave. Think about it: it’s a “long time” to be away, and being separated from the training staff and meetings for a week is a “big deal.” Shanahan’s crossing his fingers that these three practices go “the right way” to make getting Kittle on that plane an “easy decision.” Sounds like a stressful few days for the tight end and the coaching staff.
Bosa’s “Maintenance Thing” Ahead of Long Haul
Then there’s Nick Bosa. Shanahan confirmed Bosa was initially missing practice due to tendinitis. But now? It’s more of a “maintenance thing.” They’re being smart with their star defensive player. Shanahan made it clear, “you guys see him on the field working out. He’s feeling great.” The big decision is how much to push him in “team settings going against people” before they head out. They plan to get him in during these three practices, but again, “they’re not going to go all of them.” General Manager John Lynch chimed in on Bosa, saying “Nick’s pretty blessed with tremendous genes and was going along great.” The goal is to keep that going and then hopefully get both stars on the flight to Australia.
It’s gonna be a wild ride for the 49ers, flying across the world with key players on custom practice plans and one possibly staying home. What a start to the season for that squad!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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