Young explains why 49ers’ old Super Bowl-or-bust mindset won’t work now originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Steve Young was around for three of the 49ers’ Super Bowl titles, including one as the team’s starting quarterback.
When the 1994 NFL season began, 49ers ownership and management was growing restless. Coach George Seifert was on the hot seat and Young was under pressure to deliver.
Winning NFL MVP was one thing, but it was viewed as meaningless unless there was a Lombardi Trophy attached to it at the end of the season.
Those were the days when big changes were certain to be made if the 49ers went any amount of time without winning a Super Bowl.
Under incredible pressure, the 49ers won the organization’s fifth Super Bowl after the 1994 season.
And, now, the 49ers have gone 30 seasons without winning another.
Young sees the current 49ers team and believes there are a lot of similarities with the teams of the 1980s and ‘90s. He identifies superior coaching, a strong roster and the “spirit” of a championship team, he told NBC Sports Bay Area recently at the American Century Championship at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course in South Lake Tahoe, Nevada.
“We should think Super Bowl, and they are,” Young said on the latest “49ers Talk,” which debuted Sunday. “And when they come up short, you just have to grit your teeth, throw up in your mouth and spit it out, and we’re going to go do it again.
“And they’re up to it. There’s no less likelihood they win the Super Bowl this year based on last year.”
The 49ers have advanced to the NFC Championship Game in four of the past five seasons. They have twice played in the Super Bowl, and both times lost fourth-quarter leads (or later) to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Under the direction of former owner Eddie DeBartolo and top executive Carmen Policy, such disappointments might have led to a scorched-earth approach. After all, in the seasons when Hall of Fame coach Bill Walsh was not able to deliver a…
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Author : NBC Sports BayArea
Publish date : 2024-07-21 16:12:27
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