49ers HC is using one of the Eagles' worst moments as motivation for NFC Championship
By this point in the NFL season, no team needs additional motivation to get a win. That goes for both teams remaining in the NFC in the Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers. That being said, the film room can still be extremely useful. A blast from the past can help a team understand the […]
By this point in the NFL season, no team needs additional motivation to get a win.
That goes for both teams remaining in the NFC in the Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers. That being said, the film room can still be extremely useful.
A blast from the past can help a team understand the magnitude of a game like the NFC Championship.
49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan was asked about showing his team previous NFC Championships to prepare for this weekend's game.
“No, we always do some little stuff. Today we watched the 2002 NFC Championship game with the Bucs in Philly. It was awesome to watch. It was a little bit boring because they had 33 runs for 45 yards, 1.5 per carry and had 26 points. Tampa Bay’s defense was awesome in that game and [Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers CB] Ronde Barber, I always knew how great Ronde was, but that game was as good as it gets. That’s why my mind will be blown if he’s not in the Hall of Fame soon.”
Shanahan was also asked why that sort of game was meaningful to show this year's team.
He wanted his team to understand the opportunity to go into a very hostile environment in Philadelphia and take care of business.
“Yeah. You just like to show people the atmosphere. I know that was the last game at the Vet, but there’s parallel. You go pick a game at almost any time and you see parallels in everything. Players are all the same, different shoulder pads a little bit. The last time we watched the ‘82 game and it was much different shoulder pads, but they’re all great athletes who play at a high level. Rules are a little bit different, but it’s all the same stuff. I love showing the guys, to make people aware of the moment they’re in now, because sometimes people don’t realize that until they’re a little bit older.”
49ers quarterback Brock Purdy was also questioned about Shanahan's move to show them that film from an Eagles game.
He felt that it was helpful, too.
“Yeah, I mean that’s one of the best things I think coach does is go back in time and look at games and moments in time where something was on the line and you can learn from it. You could always learn from history because history tends to repeat itself whether that’s in sports or in life in general. So it’s cool to go back and try to feel where the teams were, how the environment was, and learn from the good and the bad of everything. So it’s cool how coach does that and I feel like he gets a good response out of the team when he shows those kinds of things.”
It is clear that the 49ers don't want to get surprised by anything that the Eagles throw at them – in terms of atmosphere or aggression. San Francisco knows that the environment that they'll play in this weekend is very special.
It should be a really exciting NFC Championship between the Eagles and 49ers.
Featured Image via USA TODAY-Sports
