49ers’ George Kittle to Raiders: ‘Let Maxx Crosby be Maxx Crosby’

49ers tight end George Kittle had some interesting observations about the Raiders’ defense after Thursday’s joint practice at the Henderson facility.

“They’re flying around and celebrating each other,” Kittle said. “That’s a Pete Carroll team. That’s what they do. I like the vibe here. Let Maxx Crosby be Maxx Crosby, and they’re going to have a great year.”

It was all going so well until the end.

Kittle appeared to be referencing at least one play when the Raiders had aligned Crosby directly over him in a four-point stance early in a team session, an alignment he claims led to a large gain in the run game for the 49ers.

“I’m not the defensive coordinator for the Raiders, but Maxx Crosby in a four-point stance at six-technique takes a lot of pressure off me and (right tackle Colton McKivitz), where I can just run through his outside shoulder and McKivitz can just eat it up at the second level,” Kittle said. “I’ll take that any day of the week.”

Crosby still provided a stiff challenge to the 49ers’ offense when he was in his typical spot on the edge with one hand in the ground.

“When you get to go against Maxx Crosby, you have to take advantage of those reps, because if you’re going against guys who are premier at what they do, it will make the rest of the season easier when you’re going against guys that might not be as good as them,” Kittle said.

“Your technique has to be so perfect on every snap because he’s fast enough to make you miss, jukes people out, and he’s physical enough to go through your face. So you really have to be under control and really dialed in with your technique. Otherwise, he’s going to make your life not very fun.”

High praise

Kittle had high praise for Raiders tight end Brock Bowers, who is coming off a record-setting rookie season.

He called Bowers “phenomenal.” Kittle added he hopes the Raiders continue to put Bowers in a position to succeed despite all the changes on the coaching staff.

“It’s tough to be young and your offense switches immediately and you have a new quarterback and a whole new vibe,” Kittle said. “But my hope for him is they let him hit the ground running and force feed him the ball and make it easy on him. Because when you’re young, stuff still moves fast and you don’t have a total understanding. Brock is a really smart guy and he’ll figure it out quick, but just make it easy on him early and he’ll find his stride and have another fantastic season.”

Just being cautious

Wide receiver Dont’e Thornton Jr. appeared to take a shot early in Thursday’s practice that caused him to do extra stretching throughout the rest of the session.

Thornton later left early for the locker room with the training staff.

Coach Pete Carroll indicated the decision to remove the rookie fourth-round pick was largely precautionary.

“He fell and got hit in the head a little bit,” Carroll said. “I didn’t think it was serious, but we just made sure.”

One off?

The Raiders agreed to practice with the 49ers despite the fact that Carroll isn’t a fan of joint workouts.

He has always preferred to format his own practices. He doesn’t remember scheduling a joint practice with another team during his time with the Seahawks.

“Last time I did it was when the Jets went against Joe Gibbs, at some little college out there on the east coast. I don’t know what it was,” Carroll said. “So, it’s been a long time. I feel the way we practice is beneficial for us.”

Carroll said he agreed to this joint practice mostly because of his respect for 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan. The Raiders were also considering hosting their training camp in Napa, California, at the time, which would have made it a short trip.

“It just sounded like a good idea,” Carroll said. “Whether we do it again, I don’t know. I’ll let you know later.”

Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on X.