At the time the 49ers were preparing for the Super Bowl LVIII against the Kansas City Chiefs, Kyle Shanahan’s team was assigned to practice on a nearby UNLV football field.
This is the typical process for Super Bowl teams, with the ‘designated home team’, in this case, the Chiefs, being allowed to practice at the local NFL team’s facility (Las Vegas Raiders). The visiting team is assigned to practice at the nearest local college football fields.
For the 49ers, this meant heading to UNLV, where the field conditions were ‘spongy’ and not ideal for making precise cuts as players planted their cleats into the field.
However, the 49ers did have the option to bring in new sod for the field or even request that the practices be moved to another location had they wanted to. Yet, at the time, Shanahan said he was “not worried about it at all.”
“I’m not worried about it at all. It is what it is. We’re here. We won’t change anything,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said during Super Bowl Opening Night.
“It improves each day. It should. Hopefully it will keep getting better and better.”
But that was back in February, before the 49ers lost 25-22 to the Chiefs while seeing multiple players suffer serious injuries during the game. The most recognizable was linebacker Dre Greenlaw, who tore his Achilles simply while running out onto the field.
He’s not alone. Defensive backs coach Daniel Bullocks also suffered a torn Achilles while celebrating rookie Ji-Ayir Brown’s interception.
Now, after having months to reflect on what transpired, Coach Shanahan clearly feels much differently about the practice fields the 49ers used to prepare for the Super Bowl. When asked if he had any theories about what contributed to the injuries
“Nothing I want to get into. It’s frustrating,”
As Shanahan noted, he’s frustrated about the whole situation, and losing in the Super Bowl likely doesn’t help. Yet, as upset as he is, it’s probably best to avoid getting into any controversies regarding what happened in the past.
Nothing can be done about it now, but it’s clear Shanahan still hasn’t gotten over it. Who can blame him? However, we also can’t forget the fact that the 49ers had the option to change fields if they wanted to; they just chose not to, for whatever reason.
