Arik Armstead, 49ers excited to work toward Super Bowl return, improve as a defense

San Francisco 49ers defensive lineman Arik Armstead and his teammates were eager to get back to work after an unusual offseason filled with virtual meetings and training on their own. The goal has remained the same since February: Return to the Super Bowl and, this time, emerge as champions.

"We all have that engrained in our brain, and it's all motivating us and pushing us to get back there," Armstead told reporters on Monday via a video conference call. "I think we had such an amazing year last year, and we want to continue to get better and move forward. So, I know we're all excited to get back to work and try to get back to a Super Bowl and win this time."

Armstead confirmed that he would continue to play along the edge in base formations and then move inside to rush the passer in nickel situations. At least, that is the plan right now. He and his teammates, however, want to build on last year's impressive defensive performance. They want to be even better this season.

"One thing we talked about: We were tops in a lot of categories except run defense — we were middle of the pack," Armstead explained. "Definitely looking to get better in that aspect."

The 49ers defense ranked No. 1 in pass defense and No. 2 overall, but No. 17 against the run.