Can Cat Man Escape the Doghouse? A Dante Pettis Theory

Dante Pettis has never played the underdog role, until now.

In today’s NFL, many players overcome an abundance of adversity and hardship on their way to becoming successful NFL athletes. Just turn on the NFL draft, and Trey Wingo will occasionally list off three to five hardships certain draftees had to overcome to get to where they are today.

For many players in the NFL, football is everything, so they develop a “dog mentality”. Pettis receives lots of criticism for lacking that dog mentality, which often gets tied into the fact that he is a huge cat lover.

This is my theory behind why Pettis had a disappointing sophomore season, and ultimately ended up in Shanahan’s doghouse:

Let me start off by saying I'm not insinuating Pettis has never had to overcome adversity or hardship. However, from an outsider looking in, his path to the NFL seems easier than most.

The background: Pettis comes from a star-studded family. He is a second-generation professional athlete, as his father, Gary Pettis, played 12 seasons of Major League Baseball. Along the way, Gary Pettis won five Gold Glove awards.

The stars of the Pettis family don’t end with Gary and Dante. Austin Pettis, Dante’s cousin, played four seasons in the NFL, mostly for the St. Louis Rams. Kyler Pettis, Dante’s brother, is an Emmy award-winning actor.

At a young age, Pettis had the luxury of being around professional athletes and hanging out in professional clubhouses and locker rooms. It seems fair to say that spending time in that sort of environment at a young age gives the kid the impression he belongs there.

There is no doubt Pettis comes from an extremely talented family. There also is no doubt Pettis himself is extremely talented. It seems reasonable to believe the combination of his roots and the fact that he is a naturally gifted athlete were enough to provide him with opportunities to prove he could be a successful high school and college football player.

Pettis was born in San Clemente, a beach town in Southern California. The current median house value in San Clemente is just over $1 million. Pettis’ upbringing took place in one of the most beautiful areas in the state.

What many aspiring NFL athletes dream to give back to their parents, Pettis already grew up with. This may possibly contribute to the lack of a "dog" mentality. He didn’t exactly start from the bottom.

Pettis went to high school at JSerra Catholic, located in San Juan Capistrano. The current tuition cost at JSerra Catholic is just shy of $20,000 a year.

Pettis was the star receiver for the JSerra Lions for both his junior and senior season. Those years, Pettis caught 77 passes for 1,439 yards and 14 touchdowns.

Despite the solid numbers, Pettis did not generate a ton of national buzz. 247 Sports had Pettis as a 3-star recruit, and ranked him as the 91st-best player in California and the 120th-ranked receiver in the nation.

Nonetheless, Pettis received a scholarship to Washington University, where he would play for coach Chris Petersen over the next four years.

The Huskies were particularly thin at wide receiver, so Pettis stepped into a big role as a true freshman. That year, Pettis was tied with John Ross for most receptions and receiving yards by a Washington wide receiver.

As a Sophomore in 2015, Pettis’ had the second most catches and yards by a Washington receiver. Pettis also returned two punts for touchdowns.

It wasn’t until his third season where he really broke out as a pass catcher. During his junior year, Pettis amassed over 1,000 all-purpose yards and scored 17 total touchdowns.

He followed that up with a great senior year where he led the team in receiving yards and touchdowns. Pettis also returned four punts for touchdowns, and set the NCAA record for punt-return touchdowns with nine.

Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch traded up for Pettis in the 2nd round of the 2018 NFL Draft. Pettis got off to a hot start with Jimmy Garoppolo during his rookie season, as he caught three passes for 96 yards and a touchdown over his two first NFL games.

An injury suffered in week four of the 2018 season set back Pettis’ promising start. Pettis either didn’t play, or was completely ineffective through weeks 4 and 11. However, Pettis bounced back after the team’s Week 11 bye, and put up big numbers to close out the season.

Through the final five games of 2018, Pettis caught 20 passes for 359 yards and 4 touchdowns with Nick Mullens playing quarterback.

So what could’ve happened to Pettis that led him to such a disappointing 2019 season, and ultimately into the dreaded Shanahan doghouse?

Well, going into his sophomore season, Pettis was under a lot of scrutiny from both the media and Shanahan. Shanahan went as far as to call out Pettis directly when talking to the media.

Is it possible that at the time the 23-year old Pettis mistakenly took the 2019 offseason lightly, for whatever reason? Is it possible since he ended the 2018 season on fire, he thought he figured out how to be a successful NFL receiver?

Oftentimes we mistake football players for machines, and the human element is completely forgotten. Thinking everything is figured out seems like a pretty common mistake for a 23 year-old to make, if that were the case.

Mistakes can be made, as long as they’re learned from. Look at Kendrick Bourne in 2017.

Bourne made a mistake his rookie season that almost resulted in him getting cut. He did not attend a team meeting because he misread the schedule, and Shanahan was not happy.

Bourne said that Shanahan was extremely angry, but said he was going to give him one more chance. Bourne took advantage of that second chance and has been on a great path ever since.

Granted, those are two different types of problems. Bourne’s was a hiccup, while Pettis’ had a long term effect on his season. Nonetheless, this upcoming season seems like Pettis’ “one-more-chance” opportunity to prove himself.

Another reason I believe Pettis may have struggled so much last season, is because I believe it is entirely possible that Pettis has never been challenged at any point throughout his football journey in the same way that Shanahan challenged him last year.

Of course I can’t say this for certain, but it does seem likely. Looking back at his time in high school and college, he was always the star. Not many true freshmen get a big role like Pettis did.

Pettis is now the underdog, and maybe for the first time ever. He has to overcome challenge, adversity, and embarrassment.

Going back to the human element, it appeared last season Pettis completely went into a shell and did not respond to the challenge well. For a 23-year-old (now 24) young adult who is possibly in this position for the first time, it shouldn’t come as all that surprising.

Pettis is still learning both on and off the field. Learning how to become a better wide receiver, and learning how to respond to challenge, adversity, and embarrassment.

Not having that dog mentality and underdog background hurt Pettis last season. However, I don’t think it is entirely his fault that he never developed that mindset. It isn’t his fault that throughout his football journey he was always “the guy”.

Having an entire offseason to reflect on how poorly he treated last offseason and how poorly he responded to Shanahan’s challenge should place a chip on his shoulder. Because Pettis now has a taste of what it is like to not be the guy.

This offseason is about growth for Pettis both on and off the field. If he wants to remain a 49er, let alone an NFL player long term, then the work needs to be put in to meet Shanahan’s demands.

The dog mentality is directly associated with being physical and bullying opponents. That is not Pettis’ playing style. Pettis loves cats and, quite frankly, his playing style resembles one. He wins with deception, agility, craft, and finesse. Is it fair to knock someone for playing to their skillset?

Pettis is not your tough, gritty receiver, and that's okay. The 49ers have their dogs in Deebo Samuel, Kendrick Bourne, Jalen Hurd if he can stay healthy, and Brandon Aiyuk projects to be one as well. Pettis can round out the receiving group with his feline skill set.

While he can get by without a dog mentality on Sundays, Pettis needs to develop a dog-like work ethic. That seems to be what is holding him back.

This is Pettis’ make or break year with the 49ers. In fact, he may not get an entire year to prove himself. The message Shanahan sent Pettis was loud and clear, and the shape in which Pettis returns to the team will say a lot about his growth and seriousness towards the sport.

Don’t write off Pettis just yet. Remember, he really blossomed as a receiver in year three at Washington.

Pettis needs to show up ready to compete, but if he’s not ready then it is unlikely Shanahan and Lynch will waste any time before they cut ties with the 2018 second-round pick.

If Pettis comes in ready to compete and carries that chip on his shoulder, then the cat man has a good chance of breaking out of the doghouse.

Follow me on Twitter: @NinerNick_22