49ers cite false fire alarm, field woes as pre-Super Bowl adversity
HENDERSON, Nev., Feb. 9 (UPI) -- San Francisco 49ers players believe someone set off a hotel fire alarm to disrupt their sleep ahead of Super Bowl LVIII. The incident is one of several adversities they say they've weathered amid preparation.
Players were jolted out of bed by searing sounds Thursday in Henderson, Nev. Fullback Kyle Juszczyk compared the 18-minute siren that began sometime after 5:30 a.m. PST to an alien invasion.
"I'm sure somebody did it," 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa said Thursday night at the Hilton Lake Las Vegas Resort and Spa.
The 49ers took the short trip from Santa Clara, Calif, and arrived in Las Vegas on Sunday. On Monday, they held a walkthrough at Fertitta Football Complex on the UNLV campus.
Players and coaches found the field surface to be overly soft. The 49ers still held practices Wednesday, Thursday and Friday there.
"For me, I cant even think about it," 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey said. "I just have the mindset that it doesn't matter. ... If I sit here and think about the fields, I'm not focused on my job.
"No matter how bad the fields are or how soft or different it is from normal fields, i just have to do my job."
McCaffrey also said the combination of the alarm and troublesome field increased the 49ers' determination ahead of the Super Bowl.
"As soon as the fire alarm went off, I just laughed," McCaffrey said. "Of course, this would happen. It's part of it. Is it random? No. I think there is no way it's random. It's just more wood thrown in the fire."
Several 49ers players said that a similar situation occurred when they played a game earlier this year in Philadelphia, as alarms and construction disrupted their sleep. They won the game 42-19.
They are 1.5-point favorites over the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl.
"Having a fire drill when we occupy the hotel -- just us -- especially at 6 in the morning ... you could have done it at noon when we were out for practice or something like that," 49ers offensive tackle Trent Williams said. "It's weird. It was definitely terrible timing for us. I don't think it was a coincidence."
Wide receiver Deebo Samuel said Thursday's incident marked the third time this week that an alarm went off at the team's hotel.
"We've got the fields, we've got the fire alarms, like we've got everything going on right now," Samuel said. "We'll deal with the cards we're dealt and we'll go out and take care of business."
The 49ers will hold a barbecue with players, coaches and families Friday night after their final practice. They will then take on the Chiefs, who are staying a nearby hotel, at 3:30 p.m. local time/6:30 p.m. EST on Sunday at Allegiant Stadium.
