Super Bowl 54 live updates: reports from 49ers and Chiefs pressers
Stay up to date with news and live reports on everything from practices to press conferences as Super Bowl 54 draws near. This post will be continually updated throughout the day.
2:58 p.m. - Tony Gonzalez and Rob Gronkowski talk the importance of tight ends in Super Bowl 54
Tight end play might ultimately be the deciding factor in Super Bowl 54.
At least that’s what two of the position’s all-time greats — Tony Gonzalez and Rob Gronkowski — think.
“To me, this whole story is about the tight ends and what they mean to their team,” Gonzalez said.
The Hall of Famer has a point. Kansas City’s Travis Kelce led the Chiefs in targets (136), receptions (97) and receiving yards (1,229). Similarly, George Kittle led the San Francisco 49ers in targets (107), receptions (85) and receiving yards (1,053). The two tight ends couldn’t be used more differently yet their role is essential to their teams’ success.
“You’re used as a blocker a lot, you don’t catch as many balls but you catch big balls for big yards,” Gonzalez said of Kittle’s role in the 49ers’ offense. “Kelce, they’re using him all over. They’ll throw it to him short, they’ll throw it to him long.”
Although Gonzalez said he preferred being used similar to Kelce, Gronkowski disagreed.
Kittle “reminds me of myself, you know, every time you get the ball just have everybody on the defense try to take you down,” Gronkowski said, alluding to the against the New Orleans Saints.
The two wouldn’t share their Super Bowl picks but Gonzalez made one thing clear.
“Whoever wins this Super Bowl, and obviously I’m hoping it’s Kansas City, that tight end is going to be a star.”
— C. Isaiah Smalls II
2:08 p.m.- 49ers having ‘a hell of a year’ despite criticisms, Garoppolo says
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo has heard the criticisms, about the team in general and him in specific. He understands where it’s coming from.
But he doesn’t care. The 49ers are playing for the Super Bowl, one year after going 4-12.
“I mean, whenever you have people hating on you as a team, it’s always a good thing,” Garoppolo said Tuesday, “because they’re not going to hate on a bad team. It’s been a hell of the year. Just starting from the beginning. People are predicting us to be 2 and whatever or three and whatever and getting to where we are now. We’ve come a long way.”
Garoppolo threw for 3,798 yards with 27 touchdowns against 13 interceptions this season, but has not been needed to do as much for the 49ers in the playoffs.
During their postseason wins over the Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers, Garoppolo has thrown just 27 passes while the run game and defense has carried the 49ers.
But that’s not to say that there’s a lack of confidence in what Garoppolo can do if needed.
“I did not need to have a conversation with him,” San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan said. “ I think it’s really funny that people say that because has anybody noticed how good we were running the ball? We weren’t just running it to punt to try to win 3-0. ... Jimmy should never apologize for us running the ball too well.”
— Jordan McPherson
This story was originally published January 28, 2020 at 3:54 PM.
