Gipson drops perfect ‘Space Jam' metaphor to describe 49ers' roster
Gipson drops perfect ‘Space Jam' metaphor to describe 49ers' roster originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Tashaun Gipson Sr. has played for his share of talented teams during his 12-year NFL career, but none quite stack up with the 2023 49ers
During a recent appearance on "The Richard Sherman Podcast," Gipson revealed what makes this 49ers squad so special while likening San Francisco's current roster to the iconic movie "Space Jam."
"To look around and you see this, I can't help but just thank God that I was put in this right situation," Gipson told Sherman. "You see a Nick Bosa, man. Selfless, dog. Best defensive player in the league, no matter what the stats look like. The impact that man [makes] is different. Fred [Warner], truly a top-five defensive player in the league, man. I don't think people know exactly what Fred [does].
"People know but, you look around it's like you got the Monstars, man. I'm on Space Jam, I'm living a dream, you got all these dudes back here, I just got to do my job, man. I just got to be in the right place, man."
Gipson's praise wasn't exclusive to San Francisco's defense, however, as the veteran defensive back also highlighted the 49ers' star-studded collection of offensive weapons.
"The way [Brock] Purdy is operating," Gipson said. "You got guys like [Brandon] Aiyuk … we [saw] it during training camp, what he's done this year is just different. We know what Deebo Samuel [does]. Deebo is the best player with the ball in his hands, and [George] Kittle, best tight end in the National Football League."
After a dominant regular season where the 49ers finished with a 12-5 record and the NFC's No. 1 playoff seed, the conference's path to Super Bowl LVIII runs through Levi's Stadium due to San Francisco securing home-field advantage. With the 49ers knocking on the door of another Super Bowl appearance, Gipson revealed that while he doesn't like looking ahead, the roster's talent alone is championship caliber, making the 33-year-old confident this will be the year San Francisco gets over the hump.
"You don't like to look ahead, but this is a Super Bowl-caliber team just from talent alone," Gipson said. "We ain't talking about the schematics or anything like that, we talking about the talent alone. I'd be remiss if this wasn't the year, and I don't like to talk too far ahead but you know how it [goes]. This is the most talented team I've ever been a part of and I'd say it's not close, it's not remotely close."
The 49ers will host the lowest remaining NFC playoff seed at Levi's Stadium in the divisional round -- just three wins away from capturing a Super Bowl title that has eluded the franchise for nearly three decades. Gipson's confidence in the 49ers' stacked roster remains unwavering as the intense pressure of a playoff run ramps up.
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