There was a lot of hurting in the visiting locker room at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami after Super Bowl LIV. Players were disappointed after coming up just short in the biggest game of the year.
Tackle Joe Staley admitted that his mind was elsewhere during his post-game press conference and apologized for not being able to answer the questions asked of him sufficiently. It was a frank admission and telling of how heartbreaking the loss was.
Wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders, who is scheduled to become a free agent, was less willing to endure questions from reporters — again, understandable.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan didn't look visibly upset while answering questions at his podium, but that wasn't the case after he left the media area and threw out an expletive or two, according to Mike Silver of NFL Network, before regrouping and saying, "I'm OK. We'll bounce back. We'll get it done."
Others are just eager to get back to work and find a way to return to the Super Bowl. One of those players is the 49ers tight end with the wrestler's mentality.
"Revenge tour, baby," George Kittle said after the game. "I was just sitting with Kwon (Alexander), and we were saying: 'The Legendary Revenge Tour of 2020.' It's coming, and I can't f------ wait."
"Legendary," of course, being the word adopted to describe the mentality of the fifth-year linebacker, Alexander. It spread to the rest of the team and became something of a battle cry this season.
Another player focused on working his way back to the Super Bowl rather than sinking into the disappointment from defeat is defensive tackle DeForest Buckner.
"We're gonna make another run," Buckner insisted. "We've got to go back to the drawing board, have a strong offseason and put in a lot of work, but we've got it in us."
The 49ers will take some time to move past the Super Bowl loss. Then they will refocus on improving, both individually and as a team.