It seems like most in the NFL despise Thursday night games. Some fans don't like them either. It always means playing on a short week of preparation, less rest for players, late nights in the office for coaches, and often some sloppy games.
San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan was asked how the upcoming short week impacts the preparation for Sunday's road matchup against the Seattle Seahawks.
"For me, I don't do anything (differently)," Shanahan said. "I mean, I'm all about Sunday and Seattle, and I just fully except that Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, and up to kickoff on Thursday are going to be a grind. And that's something that you just get used to, playing Thursday night games. That's usually probably the most times that coaches sleep in the office and stuff like that."
Shanahan sees the silver lining, though. There is a pot of gold at the end of the 49ers versus Green Bay Packers rainbow.
"I love it, personally, just because you don't get days off in the league, unless you have a bye week," the coach admitted. "I don't mind toughing out any days knowing that you'll get a few days off at the end of the week, which I think is really needed for our team right now, players and coaches, and everyone just to rest a little bit.
"So, I'm looking forward to a tough Monday through Thursday. You always hope that it finishes well, and then you enjoy a few days off that it's nice to sit around and watch everyone else for a little bit."
The good news is that Thursday night's game against Green Bay is a home matchup for the 49ers. For some coaches over the next day or two, it will mean a lot of extra late-night work ahead of the upcoming four-day grind.
"A lot of the other coaches, they've got to get stuff prepared, so we're ready to put that grind in on Monday right away," Shanahan continued. "So a lot of other coaches have got to stay around a little bit later today, do some stuff at the hotel tomorrow, where all the cutups and their projects, and all the stuff that they get for us are ready to go right away Monday morning."
