The San Francisco 49ers will travel to Melbourne, Australia, this week ahead of their Week 1 matchup against the Los Angeles Rams. The lengthy journey has required extensive planning and some difficult decisions, as the trip represents somewhat uncharted territory for the organization.
However, the 49ers have done their due diligence. While the Rams have opted to leave for Australia much later than San Francisco, that did not influence the 49ers' travel decisions. Instead, they relied on significant research.
"We didn't really focus on what the Rams were doing," general manager John Lynch said Tuesday morning on Bay Area radio station KNBR. "We focused on doing a study from every angle, from talking to sports science people, from talking to sleep experts."
The 49ers also spoke with athletes with extensive international travel experience, gaining valuable insights into the challenges of long-distance travel and significant time-zone changes.
More importantly, the team's decision-makers spoke with its players, presented the data they had gathered, and solicited their input.
"And overwhelmingly, our players felt like wanting to get down there [early]," Lynch said.
Lynch added that the 49ers even sent an advance group of staff members to Australia and had them report back on their adjustment to the time change. The group found that the effects lingered for about three days, and that information became an important factor in the decision to leave for Australia early.
"It became clear to us, in our mind, that the best logistics for this trip, to put our players in the best position for success, not only down in Australia, but for the rest of the year, [involved leaving early]," Lynch said.
The 49ers general manager also reflected on his own experience with NFL international travel, recalling a trip with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to Japan for a preseason game. That trip had a lasting impact after the team returned home.
"I really felt like we were off for multiple weeks after it," Lynch admitted. "So it's not just while you're down there. How can you set yourself [up best] for when you come back? We took all that into account, and it's the schedule we came up with."
Lynch even revealed that the date of the 49ers' final preseason game was factored into their planning for the Australian trip. San Francisco worked with the Las Vegas Raiders, who agreed to play their preseason finale on a Thursday, giving the 49ers additional time to prepare for the trip and the mandatory roster cutdown ahead of Week 1.
"I think it was really important, and appreciate the Raiders working with us to have that game on Thursday," Lynch shared.
The 49ers did not have to travel far during the preseason. They played their first game at Levi's Stadium before making short trips to Los Angeles to face the Chargers and Las Vegas to face the Raiders. Working with the Raiders to schedule their preseason finale on a Thursday was an important part of San Francisco's Week 1 preparation plan.
"They were good partners in that, and then made the suggestion, 'Let's do this Thursday so we have ample time, diagnose injuries, and all that before the 53-man roster was set,'" Lynch added.
Then came the challenges of building the 49ers' practice squad. While several players who had already spent time with the team during the offseason were added, the 49ers needed to ensure that any newcomers had valid passports before joining.
"The first time I've ever had to say to an agent, or our people had to say to an agent or a player, 'Do you have a passport?'" Lynch said. "Because if not, it's not a deal-killer. We can figure this out, but you've got to get out here. So just a ton of logistics. Our staff has been tremendous in handling all those things.
"There's been a lot of work to make this as good as we can for our players, and I think now, the complaining's done, and now it's like embracing the opportunity to go see a country we haven't seen, but know it's also a business trip, and we're down there to do one thing, and find a way to win a football game."
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