Originally posted by FootballExpert49ers:
At no point did I say Celek is as good as Kittle.
The point is that people are overvaluing him, just like they overvalue all of the skill guys on this team.
People forget that Jimmy got his new contract throwing to almost entirely a group of guys who aren't even on this roster anymore, and whom nobody would describe as "weapons."
Skill guys have been overvalued for a long time in football. People always gave running backs way too much credit. Wide receivers, aside from some occasional freak athletes, get too much credit. Very few of these guys are nearly the difference makers they are portrayed as.
The caliber of offensive linemen themselves have very little to do with the effectiveness of any part of an offense.
Football is driven by schemes, and, on offense, the quarterback, who runs the scheme.
A reasonable contract for Kittle is fine, but fans are going overboard with this stuff about him being on the team for however many seasons, or being some kind of huge difference making player.
Kittle has not just been one of the best receiving tight ends in the league. He also is and has been the best run blocker as well. I don't know how you can overvalue how special he has been and will continue to be. Schemes only work when you have the right skill players. Take away Gibbs, St. Brown, and LaPorta, and the Lions are not going anywhere. Replace Saquon Barkley with Rico Dowdle and the Eagles are not the #2 seed. Delete Mike Evans from the Bucs and they're not in the playoffs. I mean, look at the 49ers this year - you hobble and shut down CMC & Aiyuk, and look what happens to the offense. I don't know where you're going with this. It's obvious that the right mix of scheme, skill players, and everyone else, is required, for a team to be successful. Skill players are a big part of the equation here.