San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Torrey Smith joined the Murph & Mac show on KNBR 680 to discuss the team has they head into the final game of the season. Of course, Smith is on injured reserve and has not played since suffering a concussion on December 11 against the New York Jets.
Smith said that he is feeling better, but that the 49ers medical staff made the decision to simply keep him out for the remaining game, a New Year's Day matchup with the Seattle Seahawks.
On Christmas Eve, the 49ers won their second game of the season after losing 13 straight. However, there are some who feel that the win hurt the team because with the Cleveland Browns winning their first game of the season, it was an opportunity for the 49ers to jump into the top spot in the 2017 NFL Draft – had they lost to the Los Angeles Rams. That did not happen. Instead, the 49ers remain at the number two spot.
"Players, we don't play to lose," Smith said. "What happens with the draft has absolutely nothing to do with us...I understand, from a fan's perspective, why you want, obviously, to have a higher draft pick. But to us, we don't go out there, we don't prepare all week to lose. We're in there 50-some hours a week. You think we want to go out there and lose? We don't care about a draft pick. You know what I mean? And guys, the players, you just don't. That's just not how it works. You go out there (and) you try to win a game and the coaches feel the same way."
If the 49ers were to play for draft picks, which they are not, they would have another opportunity to gain the top selection this weekend if they were to lose to the Seahawks and the Browns were to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Smith also shared his thoughts on the possible upcoming changes with the team. "I don't know what kind of change there's going to be around here," Smith said. "I don't even want to speculate on it. I care about everyone in the building but I also understand that when you when two, three games, that people lose their jobs. It's going to happen with players. No one's safe around here when you lose that many games."
You can listen to the entire interview on KNBR 680.