When Kyle Shanahan was on the Chris Simms podcast, he was asked when he felt the San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo started taking his game to the next level. Simms asked if it was due to the acquisition of Emmanuel Sanders, to which Shanahan replied:
That was the time to do it. Our defense led us to the beginning of the year. Then our running game took our offense earlier in the year, where we didn’t have to do much and put a lot on Jimmy. We didn’t have to ask for many passes. During that time, however, it allowed us to be undefeated, and suddenly Jimmy never thought about his ACL at Week 6, 7 and 8. It allowed us to weather that storm that so many players are going through when they return from Injuries like that. We were able to get over it without really having to tackle it because of how good our defense and our running game was.
So when Emmanuel got here, the ACL was an afterthought. And when our defense had a couple of bad games, Jimmy was ready; he was the quarterback he could be. He was not the type to come back from an ACL. That’s when, ‘Well, we have a full team. It’s all ‘The receivers got ready with him [Jimmy]. The runners did it. Raheem started coming strong. We were getting a better understanding of our rotation. We lost Staley and McGlinchey, and Brunskill and Skule entered. A guy from the AAF and a seventh round (it’s the sixth, but we all know what he means), and we keep running the ball well, we still win those games. It gave everyone the confidence that we are still a good team. So when we lost Kittle, and we lost Dwelley, we still did very well. Our team fed and everyone felt it. So we were very confident when we got to the playoffs and the Super Bowl.
Shanahan said you never get past a Super Bowl loss. He said your depression is leaving. He said during February and March; It was not in the best condition. While he acknowledged that no one died, and he still had his health and family, how much the loss hurt him and how he felt the Niners had earned it. “It is just a sport, but it is my livelihood,” said Shanahan, who would never let the loss pass and who is not afraid of losing. He also said he felt the loss made him stronger, wiser, and, most importantly, better.
“I promise it made me better. When you have a Super Bowl ring, it makes you look better. I want to make sure we get one of those because that’s what we all work for. ”
Shanahan said he had not seen the Super Bowl with the team from the first game to the end, but that he had planned to do so during OTAs. While the game was last year, Shanahan said he still plans to watch it with the team.
“I will do something similar when we return. There are parts to it that it’s a new year, but you want to tackle it. You don’t want boys running away from it at all. You want them to be hungry for it. It is not an exact science. So we lost; So we could have one. It is these plays, and they add up. However, you want it to be the mood; you can dictate that. ‘Oh my gosh, we can easily do this again.’ Or you can just crush the boys and make them feel horrible. I do not want to do that. I want you to see how easily we could have done it. Also, I want you to remember how difficult it was to get there. Yes, we have a good team on paper, but all of our guys right now are independent contractors. I guarantee you that our boys have been working hard, but our team has not been working hard. You become a team working hard together. That is what none of us has done. So when our players get here, they need to know, “We haven’t done anything yet,” and we have to get to work as a team. We are ready to get the job done. I want to improve the Niners, not just the individuals. “
