George Kittle says that Jeff Wilson goes to a "dark place" before every single game. That must be true of the 49ers running back, as fullback Kyle Juszczyk used the exact same terminology to describe Wilson's gameday mentality.
"The guy just works so hard, and he just goes into this dark, dark place on game day," Juszczyk said of Wilson on Thursday on KNBR's "Murph and Mac" show. "You should just see him at his locker before the game. He is in another world, I promise you."
The dark place described by Wilson's teammates is evident in his punishing running style. It also stands in stark contrast to his typical demeanor throughout the week. So, when does this dark place go into effect?
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"It's a point, I guess, for me, getting off the bus, making it to the locker room," Wilson told KNBR's Mark Willard on Thursday. "It's between some point in there when I just go into a zone. I can't even describe it. It's crazy. ... but it just gets me going. I don't know. I just love playing football."
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Wilson admitted that while he has always gone to that dark place before games, it has gotten "worse" as his career has progressed, though not necessarily in a negative way.
"It helps me," Wilson added. "The stronger it gets, the more in tune I feel. The more myself I feel ... I just feel more like me. I just feel as if I was in high school and I had all my family at the game. I don't know. I just feel like me."
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Wilson might occasionally go to a dark place, but he consistently has been a bright spot for the 49ers in his three seasons with the organization. He'll surely go through the same routine on Sunday, when he figures to be a big part of their rushing attack against Washington.