What Fred Warner learned about combating ‘Super Bowl hangover’

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy recently participated in a panel during the Dwight Clark Legacy Series event. He was joined onstage by several former 49ers quarterbacks—Alex Smith, Jeff Garcia, and Steve Young—each sharing their experiences entering the NFL. While Purdy was the last overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, Smith was the first overall pick in 2005. Garcia was undrafted and played in the CFL before getting his NFL opportunity. Young's path to the NFL went through the USFL, and he produced a Hall of Fame career. Speaking at the 49ers' recent "State of the Franchise" event, Purdy shared what he learned from these seasoned quarterbacks. "It was

San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle joined the "Dan Patrick Show" and was asked a question he had not encountered before: What would he change about the strategy the 49ers deployed in their Super Bowl loss against the Kansas City Chiefs? Kittle didn't immediately have an answer. However, after reflecting on the game, he prioritized better ball protection, feeling that might have made the difference. The fumble by running back Christian McCaffrey during the opening drive is the one play that sticks out in the tight end's mind. "I think if we could [avoid] that turnover, I think that's a difference," Kittle stated. It's worth noting that Kittle had an opportunity to recover the fumble, which would have kept the football in the 49ers'

The San Francisco 49ers didn't have to sit with the sting of February's heartbreaking Super Bowl defeat for too long. That's one of the benefits of playing deep into the postseason. Before you know it, you are back at work, preparing for the next season. Two months after the loss, the 49ers reported for the start of the offseason program, which concluded last week with a two-day minicamp. Most of the players and coaches have moved past that game against the Kansas City Chiefs, but the memory of it serves as motivation for the 2024 season. That doesn't mean returning after the loss was easy. However, it's not the first time the 49ers have faced

Chris Simms of NBC Sports entered the world of hypotheticals this week, asserting that the San Francisco 49ers would have likely emerged as Super Bowl LVIII champions with one video game-like change at quarterback. Making his case for Jordan Love of the Green Bay Packers as the better quarterback, Simms declared that the 49ers would win the Lombardi Trophy in February with Love at the helm of head coach Kyle Shanahan's offense instead of Brock Purdy. "If Jordan Love played in the Super Bowl, the 49ers would be the Super Bowl champions," Simms said on the "Chris Simms Unbuttoned" podcast, per Tristi Rodriguez of NBC Sports Bay