49ers boss Kyle Shanahan used footage of Eagles’ 2002 home NFC Championship loss to motivate players
- Harrison Discombe
- 28 January 2023
In order to help players be ‘more aware of the moment they’re in’, the San Francisco 49ers coaching staff has been showing them footage of historical NFL games and moments.
This week the team watched Tampa Bay upset a raucous Philadelphia crowd on its way to lifting Super Bowl XXXVII, head coach Kyle Shanahan revealed on Friday.
Twenty years ago, the Buccaneers travelled as underdogs to the first seed Philadelphia with the number one defense and an inexperienced quarterback.
With the 49ers sitting in an eerily similar position, coaching staff showed players a replay of the Championship match-up.
"Today we watched the 2002 NFC Championship game with the Bucs in Philly," Shanahan told reporters Friday. "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."
Three turnovers helped the Buccaneers to a 27-10 victory over the Andy Reid-led Eagles and Tampa would go on to comfortably beat the Oakland Raiders, picking up the franchise's first Super Bowl success.
49ers general manager John Lynch was an integral part of the Buccaneers secondary for their 2002 playoff run and could not help but relive some of the emotions as he watched footage of his former team's exploits in Philadelphia.
"Yeah, (John Lynch) was watching it too," Shanahan said.
"He came into my office right before when I was going through it to get prepared to show the team.
"He sat down and enjoyed watching it for about 10 seconds and he got up and was pacing the room.
"He didn't even realize it. I'm like, what's going on with you right now? And he is like, what? What do you mean? And then he goes, oh yeah, this brings back some feelings."
As Shanahan prepares for his third Championship appearance in four years, the head coach revealed the importance he places on providing historical context for the players in order to inspire and motivate them.
Last week players and coaches watched old Cowboys-49ers footage in the build-up to their 19-12 victory over Dallas.
"You just like to show people the atmosphere," Shanahan continued. "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."
