Maybe it’s the big contract, or the two turnovers in consecutive games, whatever it is, 49ers’ fullback Kyle Juszczyk is getting tired of being ripped on social media.
“I want to defend myself, I’m getting ridiculed on social media, man,” Juszczyk said to a gathering of reporters while he stood in front of his locker getting ready for Wednesday afternoon’s practice.
It’s about numbers. Juszczyk signed the richest fullback contract in the league, a four-year, $21 million deal with a $5 million signing bonus before the season. However, in terms of his statistics, it looks like he doesn’t do much – rushed only seven times for 31 yards and caught 19 passes for 140 yards.
And that’s after the team dubbed him an offensive weapon when he did sign. Also losing those fumbles didn’t help and neither does a 2-10 record.
Nor did Juszczyk’s absence on third-down and two-minute situations, which is a role he fulfilled last year in Baltimore.
“I feel like I’ve gotten a lot of criticism for my stats this year,” Juszczyk said. “I think what people failed to notice is my last two years at Baltimore, I was the third-down back and the two-minute back. There’s a lot of balls being caught at that time. We got guys like Carlos (Hyde) and (Matt) Breida, who can take care of that.”
Where Juszczyk excels is what you can’t typically measure – lead blocking. Juszczyk rarely misses one, so much of Hyde’s running statistics are due to him.
Hyde ranks 12th in the NFL in rushing with 693 yards, 4.0 yards per carry average and four touchdowns. Social media isn’t known for noticing subtlety and that’s where Juszczyk lives with his excellent blocking. Nevertheless, social media could ease off if he makes another Pro Bowl, and that’s something that may happen on the strength of what most fans don’t notice – blocking.