The San Francisco 49ers have come up short twice in the past five seasons in their quest for that 6th Super Bowl. Their three-decade wait for the Lombardi continues. Meanwhile, the Patriots are one of the most successful dynasties of the 21st century. Despite being the complete opposite of each other in today’s times, there is something that binds these two these two franchises together.
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During a recent episode of the Colin Cowherd podcast, Colin and John Middlekauf discussed the off-season problems facing Kyle Shanahan’s team. During the segment, they compared the 49ers locker room to that of the Pats during their dynasty days, highlighting that both teams have tightly-knit units, where conflict or unnecessary drama is not tolerated.
Middlekauf pointed out that any issues are dealt with swiftly in such environments—they don’t hold on to bad apples. The situation with Aiyuk, who has been asking for more money and creating drama by missing mandatory workouts, is already testing the patience of Shanahan and 49ers front office. This kind of behavior can’t continue for long. He stated,
“I think the 49ers, one thing they really had, Kyle does a great job of this. He’s been around this whole life with his dad. It’s a lot like New England, everyone’s pretty tight, everyone’s rowing in the same way. They don’t do lot of b.s and when it comes to it, they get rid of it fast.”
New England had a core group of players- Brady, Gronk, Edelman along with HC Bill Belichick. They built the team around this nucleus, all of whom were team players, willing to give their all and lead by example. Similarly, the Niners with Shanahan as their HC, have McCaffrey, Kittle, Trent Williams, Fred Warner, and Deebo, creating a strong team dynamic.
But the 49ers aren’t the only team to build such a closely-knit locker room and culture, where everyone is accountable to each other. The Lions under Dan Campbell, have developed a similar environment in Detroit, and their performance last season was a testament to that.
Lions’ roster is a younger version of the 49ers
Colin Cowherd asserted that while Dan Campbell is no Kyle Shanahan or Andy Reid, he loves what he has done in Detroit. The 49ers and the Lions have two of the best rosters in the league, but Detroit is younger than the Niners. This is their window to the Super Bowl. The 49ers are not able to close the deal and history shows that Super Bowl shots are the tightest of windows.
Talent-wise, Detroit can go head-to-head with any team in the league. Although Jared Goff is not considered a top 10 QB, and many believe he didn’t deserve a $53 million contract, the Lions were in a position to pay without losing any key piece from their offense.
They have managed to keep both the roster and the coaching staff intact, despite interest shown by other teams in their OC, Ben Johnson. The locker room loves Jared and rallies behind him, much like everyone at the 49ers has Purdy’s back. The former Rams QB is mentally tough, a quality that fans, coaches, and teammates admire in their leader.
They have strengthened their weak areas through the draft. With a lot of pressure on the Niners to perform, the Rams in rebuilding mode, and the Packers not quite there yet, this could be the Lions’ year to finally make it to their first Super Bowl. The onus will be on Dan Campbell to take them there.
While it is great to have a mentality of going all-in and going for the kill, sometimes the situation demands a more cautious approach, especially when the stakes are higher. Campbell must keep this in mind if the Lions are to get their hands on their first Lombardi Trophy.
