San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan is well aware that nothing will be handed to his squad this season. Last year's accomplishments have no meaning headed into Week 1, other than the fact that no opposing team is looking past you, and everyone is looking to prove themselves against you.
"We've got to work pretty dang hard to be better than we were," Shanahan admitted on Monday. "If we're not, then it's going to show."
It's difficult enough for the Super Bowl champion to return to the big game. History shows that the runner-up has an even more daunting task. Only eight teams in NFL history have returned to the Super Bowl the year after losing the game. They are the 1971 Dallas Cowboys, 1972 Miami Dolphins, 1973 Minnesota Vikings, 1987 Denver Broncos, 1991-93 Buffalo Bills, and the 2018 New England Patriots.
That's just returning. Out of those eight teams, only three — the '71 Cowboys, '72 Dolphins, and '18 Patriots — were able to return and emerge as champions.
Shanahan was asked why getting back to the Super Bowl is so challenging.
"I think the first reason is just the rules of the NFL and salary caps and stuff like that," Shanahan explained. "Teams who have success in the playoffs, teams who have success in the Super Bowl, those teams become much bigger free agents for other teams. It seems like everyone who was on a Super Bowl team, win or lose, the next year they get a little bit more money when they have their opportunities. So, it's very hard to keep teams together."
The 49ers had their share of offseason losses. Gone are two key contributors from last season — defensive tackle DeForest Buckner and wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders. Although, San Francisco attempted to draft each's replacement with the selections of Javon Kinlaw and Brandon Aiyuk.
"That's one of the coolest things about the NFL, that you don't see many dynasties last," Shanahan continued. "And when you lose [a Super Bowl], it's even harder because it starts with that. Then a lot of people, it's so hard to get there, and you put in so much work to get there, and it goes a month longer than you're used to and things like that. Human nature, you want to sit back and relax a little bit. Then I think some people do that a little bit too long."
COVID-19 has further complicated things. NFL teams didn't have proper offseasons, doing everything virtually before finally coming together for training camps. While every team is in the same situation, the 49ers were left itching to get back to work and start making amends for the heartbreaking defeat.
"You've also got to understand that in this league, you only get better or you get worse, and it is very hard to get better when you think you were that good," Shanahan added. "So you better be extremely humble, you better recognize that, and you better be willing to put in the pain and sacrifice that it goes through to get to that moment.
"I always say that in order to get to heaven, you've got to go through hell, and I feel like that's what you do. Sometimes, that's not fun. That's why if you want to get to that moment again, you better get away and relax because you know how hard it is. So, when it's time to come, you're ready to pay your dues and go through that grind. If you do, that gives you a chance at the end of the year to be the only happy team in the league."