49ers' focus on current opponent allows team to stay centered
49ers' focus on current opponent allows team to stay centered originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SANTA CLARA — With all of the hype surrounding the 49ers' 5-0 start to the 2023 NFL season, the players in the locker room are staying grounded and simply are focused on each week’s contest.
They are so focused, that oftentimes they forget who the next opponent on their schedule actually is.
Trent Williams told NBC Sports Bay Area that most of the time he can’t name the team the 49ers play next until the week of preparation actually begins. So far through the 2023 season, there’s been only one exception.
“I always forget,” Williams said on Thursday. “My mom and family will be asking, ‘So, who’s next week?’ And I’ll be like, ‘I have no clue. You got to look at the schedule.’ But I’d be lying to say I didn’t know it was the Cowboys after the Cardinals, definitely knew that. But for the most part, I’m literally waking up, living that week.”
With how much preparation goes into facing a single opponent, players need to stay centered on the task at hand to avoid becoming distracted. Fred Warner admitted he often forgets who the club’s next opponent is when game planning throughout the week.
“Absolutely,” Warner told NBC Sports Bay Area. “That’s our mindset. If you’re where you’re always looking ahead, it can be a little overwhelming. It’s such a long season. It’s so much easier to dial it on one week, focus on going 1-0, and usually you like the result.”
Kyle Shanahan’s complex playbook might partly be responsible for players needing to be completely present with the opponent that they will face each week. Several players, including George Kittle, shared that what their coach had planned for Week 5 was their biggest weekly play package of the 2023 season.
With all of the ways Kyle Juszczyk is used on the field, the fullback doesn’t even think about who might be next on the schedule. During the club’s Week 5 win, his mind was completely on what the offense had planned next for the Dallas Cowboys.
“Literally this past week, it wasn’t until the game was over,” Juszczyk said to NBC Sports Bay Area. “It was, ‘Wait, who do we play next week? Oh, Cleveland.’ And then you start thinking about it. Most of the time I have to think about it, put some time into it. It’s not at the forefront of my mind. Definitely focused on one week at a time.”
Wide receiver Deebo Samuel definitely stays present with the opponent of the week, never forgetting who is on the docket, but still, like his teammates, remains laser-focused on who they will attack the week’s opposition.
“I really don’t pay too much attention til the week of,” Samuel said. “I’m just locked into who we are playing, and then once we get to the next game, then I change my focus.”
For some, it’s a way to have the mental endurance to get through a 17-game season, but for much of the 49ers' locker room, it’s the way they are wired. Each player focuses on one opponent at a time and winning the week. Making it to the Super Bowl is the ultimate goal, but no one on the roster will have that game in their sights for some time.
“That’s the only way you can do it in the NFL,” Williams said. “If you get to worry about who is coming, and forget about who is in front of you, it doesn’t matter who it is. They can make you look bad in front of the world.”
All eyes are on what the Cleveland Browns will be bringing to the table on Sunday. As for their Week 7 opponent, most in the locker room wouldn’t be able to tell you who it is, at least not until the game clock hits 0:00 on Sunday afternoon.
Download and follow the 49ers Talk Podcast
