On Saturday, the San Francisco 49ers hit the practice field together for the first time since mid-June. Several players are talking Super Bowl. Now, you may be thinking, "This team isn't quite there yet. Why are they talking Super Bowl?"
As quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo told Tyler Dunne of Bleacher Report this offseason, "If you don't have that on your mind, you have no chance of getting there."
Cornerback Richard Sherman, in his own unique fashion, elaborated on his quarterback's statement.
"If you don't believe you're going to win it, why play?" Sherman asked. "What the f--k is the point of playing if you don't think you're going to win it? Like, there's no point. Why go out there if, 'How do you think you guys will do?' 'Oh, I think we'll be middle of the road.' Like, what the f--k are you going to play for in the middle of the road?"
So, how close is this 49ers team? After three straight offseasons of rehauling the roster, they believe they are on the cusp of being something special. The players are a confident bunch. And that's really what you want to hear in late-July.
"We're just trying to try to get to .500," would be very disheartening for fans to hear.
While the team has adopted a Super-Bowl-or-bust mentality, NFL insiders believe San Francisco is still two years away from contending for a championship, according to a recent survey by ESPN. The sports media conglomerate asked 52 unnamed NFL insiders to vote on when each NFL team could realistically be considered a Super Bowl contender.
Not "most improved." Not playoff contender. A Super Bowl contender. As in walking away from a season with a Lombardi trophy in hand.
ESPN then put each team into tiers with distinct time frames, based on the results. Two more years for the 49ers is what the consensus was.
San Francisco sits in the same tier as the Cleveland Browns, Carolina Panthers, and four other teams.
ESPN's 49ers reporter, Nick Wagoner, says the 49ers' placement is based on the assumption that Garoppolo, who signed a then-record five-year deal worth up to $137.5 million last offseason, develops into a top-10 or top-12 quarterback and lives up to his contract.
Wagoner also wrote the following:
"There's an intriguing supporting cast in place and plenty of young potential. But it figures to be some time for all of that to come together, with gradual steps still to be taken to get to the middle of the pack and playoff contention before realizing any Super Bowl dreams."
Around the NFC West, the Los Angeles Rams are seen as clear-cut contenders right now. The Seattle Seahawks are viewed as being a year away while the Arizona Cardinals are four or five years away from contention.
The Cincinnati Bengals, by the way, were the lone team in the lowest tier of "At least five years away." The 49ers play the Bengals in Week 2.
Click here to read the entire ESPN feature.