The 49ers took a lot from the Eagles’ victory over the Patriots in Super Bowl LII. Philadelphia finished 7-9 in 2016 before going 13-3 in 2017 and winning the franchise’s first Super Bowl title.
The 49ers went 6-10 in 2017, winning their final five games with Jimmy Garoppolo at quarterback.
“I think the system is set up for parity, and so it’s a fine line between being 13-3 and being 6-10,” 49ers General Manager John Lynch said Friday. “It’s a real fine line. That’s one of the things that made this attractive to Kyle [Shanahan in joining the 49ers a year ago], and then Kyle got me on board. We kind of had a clean slate, and there was a lot of money at our disposal. Was it daunting at times? We felt like we had a long way to go, sure, but we also felt like we had an opportunity to shape it the way we wanted to. You know, seeing that fall into place has been fun. I also know that each and every year is a new year in this league, and the teams that understand that, they do better. Winning a bunch of games at the end of the year, is that a good thing? Absolutely. But does that guarantee us anything? No. The work we do this offseason, that will guarantee us what our prospects are and what our success is going to be.”
The 49ers have not made the postseason since 2013, going 21-43 the past four seasons with four different head coaches. But after signing Lynch, Shananhan and Garoppolo to long-term contracts, the 49ers look like a team on the rise.
“We have one goal in mind, and that’s to get to a Super Bowl and win it,” Garoppolo said. “We want a parade just like Philly had one, and that’s our goal here.”
Lynch and Shanahan called getting Garoppolo locked up for five years “a big piece” in the 49ers’ quest for their first Lombardi Trophy since the 1994 season.
“There was a parade in Philly yesterday, and that’s where we want to be,” Lynch said. ". . . I think when you watch those things, that’s where we want to go. And we have a lot of work to get there, but we feel like this is a big piece. From day one, when Kyle and I started having conversations, we all know it, this position is key. If you don’t have one, you’re looking for one. We feel like we’ve got our guy now, and we’re thrilled about that.”