49ers take pride in drastic turnaround
SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Robert Saleh stood in a corner of a festive 49ers locker room on Sunday night, reflecting on the efforts that led to a berth in Super Bowl LIV, when a team staff member popped up in front of the defensive coordinator and waved a T-shirt.
It was like a pop-up flashcard. The black T-shirt contained bold letters that read: “Mobile to Miami.”
Saleh stopped his thought in midsentence. “Where did you get that from?” he asked.
The staffer pointed to the coaches’ quarters adjacent to the players dressing room.
“They’ve got ‘em in the back,” the staffer replied, pointing in the pertinent direction.
Saleh grinned and added, “Oh, I’ve got to go and get me one of those.”
NFC championship T-shirts are one thing. And there were plenty of those being worn by the players as they basked in the aftermath of the NFC title game victory against the Packers. But for members of Kyle Shanahan’s coaching staff and the 49ers’ personnel department, the “Mobile to Miami” garb represented another type of serious swag as a matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs looms on Feb. 2 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.
“We were in Mobile, Alabama, this time last year as a coaching staff and now we’re going to Miami,” Saleh told USA TODAY Sports. “So, it’s been a helluva year.”
A few minutes later, the staffer popped up while John Lynch was holding court in another corner of the locker room. When the team employee presented the general manager with a Tshirt, Lynch, too, stopped in mid-sentence.
“I love it!” Lynch said. “Last year, we were coaching in Mobile!”
The staffs from the teams with two of the worst records in the NFL traditionally draw the assignment of coaching at the Senior Bowl. This week, coaches from the Lions (3-12-1) are handling the North squad while the Bengals (2-14) work the South.
Last year, the 49ers (4-12) coached the South team.
Oh, the power of planting a seed with a thought.
“We talked about that while we were down in Mobile last year,” Lynch added. “If you’re coaching the Senior Bowl, you probably didn’t have a really good year. We met before we went and said, ‘Let’s make the best out of it.’ Some of the fruits of that labor: Deebo Samuel. We coached him all week. Dre Greenlaw was on the opposing team.”
Samuel, who has demonstrated remarkable talent as a game-breaking receiver (57 catches, 802 yards, 3 TDs during the regular season), was drafted by the 49ers in the second round from South Carolina.
Picked in the fifth round from Arkansas, Greenlaw ranked second on the team with 87 tackles during the regular season.
Yeah, the 49ers’ staff made the most of their Senior Bowl duty.