Bill Belichick: 49ers' George Kittle 'As Good as Anybody' He's Coached or Faced

Ahead of their Sunday matchup, New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick said San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle is "as good as anybody" that he's coached or played against in his time in the NFL. 

"He does everything well," Belichick said, per ESPN's Nick Wagoner. "I'd put him right at the top of the league there, period. His ability to run, catch, get open, after the catch, block, he does everything at a high level. He's as good as anybody that I've coached or as good as anybody that we've played against." 

Through an NFL-coaching-record nine Super Bowl appearances, Belichick has seen quite a bit of talent pass through Foxborough, and there has been no shortage of it at the tight end position. Now-Tampa Bay Buccaneer Rob Gronkowski was a four-time first-team All-Pro selection during his time in New England, leading the league in receiving touchdowns in 2011. He was named to the league's All-Time Team and the 2010s All-Decade Team.

Belichick has never coached against Kittle, as the Patriots' last matchup against the Niners came in 2016, the season before San Francisco drafted Kittle in the fifth round (146th overall) out of Iowa. A two-time Pro Bowler, Kittle finished the 2018 season with 1,377 receiving yards an NFL record for a tight end. 

Through four games this season, Kittle has made 30 catches on 38 targets for 380 yards and two touchdowns. 

"I don't think there's a tight end in the league, and we've seen a lot of good ones and had a lot of good ones, but I don't think there's anybody in the league that does everything overall as well as he does," Belichick said. "He just really doesn't have any weak points at all. Just outstanding at every phase of the game."

On Sunday, Belichick will also reunite with quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, whom he traded to the 49ers for a second-round pick in 2017. After tearing his ACL in his first year on the West Coast, Garoppolo led the Niners to the Super Bowl last season, where they fell to Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs.

In four games this year, he's gone 63-of-99 for 735 yards and seven scores.