Several San Francisco 49ers players took part in this week's State of the Franchise event. One of the topics of conversation surrounded the possibility of a Super Bowl hangover. As tough as it is for a Super Bowl champion to claw its way back to the mountaintop, it is even tougher for the runner-up. All too often, that second-place team will regress the next season, but 49ers players don't see that happening with this squad.
Why is that? What makes this 49ers team so different from past Super Bowl runner-ups? What makes its players think that they can get back and win it all, this time?
"I think it's the guys in our building and the leadership that we have," responded offensive tackle Mike McGlinchey during the conversation with Keiana Martin and Greg Papa. "It's not even an option. It's not even a possibility because of who we are, what we do, the way that we work, and the way that things are going to go.
"And I think when you look at our roster from top to bottom, there isn't really a glaring hole at any part. I know for a fact, on top of the good football player at each position, it's an even harder worker and an even better person that's going to continue to fight to get better each and every day.
"I think that's how you avoid those kinds of situations. Teams in the past have not prepared the same way. Like I said, because of the people in our building, that's not an option."
The 49ers had some personnel losses this offseason, but nothing drastic. The team's decision-makers have worked hard to ensure that those voids are filled to avoid any drop-off. Players like DeForest Buckner and Emmanuel Sanders were replaced by rookies Javon Kinlaw and Brandon Aiyuk. Joe Staley retired but the team added Trent Williams.
"I think it goes back to the mental side of it because your team changes from year to year, but you're not going to get 30 new guys that you had not on the roster before," quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo said. "If you have the mentality of not being satisfied, you got to the Super Bowl, you didn't win it, where do you go from here? It's all a mentality."
All-Pro tight end George Kittle agreed with his quarterback.
"It's our mindset. Coach Shanahan and John Lynch have brought in incredible people," said Kittle. "We have incredible football players, but at the same time, we have really good people in the locker room every single day. When you're around really good people all the time, you yourself are a really good person.
"So, I think we have all these positive people in our locker room that we interact with every single day, and it just kind of elevates the level of play on the football field because every single guy out there trusts every single person. When you have that, along with the competition out there in practice, I think our team can get a lot better, and I'm really excited about that."
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