NFL coaches are inclined to have their very own distinctive motivation ways for his or her groups. Simply final week, Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni used the rap battle scene from 8 Mile to fireside his workforce up forward of their NFC Divisional Spherical win over the Giants. And this week, only a day after the Bucs celebrated the twentieth anniversary of their first-ever Tremendous Bowl, Sirianni’s counterpart in Sunday’s NFC Championship Recreation used that 2002 Tampa Bay workforce as motivation for his group.
49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan mentioned Friday that he confirmed his workforce the Bucs’ January 2003 NFC Championship Recreation towards the Eagles, a sport that noticed them go into Philadelphia, win and advance to Tremendous Bowl XXXVII. In fact, Shanahan’s 49ers can be taking part in in Philadelphia this Sunday afternoon seeking to do the identical and get to Tremendous Bowl LVII.
“It was superior to observe,” Shanahan mentioned. “It was just a little bit boring as a result of [the Bucs] had 32 runs for 45 yards, 1.5 a carry, and had 26 factors. So, it was, Tampa Bay’s protection was superior in that sport.”
The Bucs truly ran for 49 yards on 32 rush makes an attempt within the sport, however that 1.5 yards per carry common didn’t come again to chew them. Relatively, it was the Tampa Bay protection forcing three turnovers — together with a late decide six by Ronde Barber — that left the house followers sad after what was the ultimate sport at Philadelphia’s outdated Veterans Stadium.
Former Bucs SS John Lynch – Picture by: Cliff Welch/PR
This Sunday, Shanahan’s workforce will head into Lincoln Monetary Discipline on the lookout for an analogous end result. Although Philadelphia is the NFC’s No. 1 seed and a 2.5-point favourite as of now, San Francisco has a dominant protection and a wealth of expertise on offense. It’s a extremely good squad that has been constructed by one of many members of that 2002 Bucs workforce, former Tampa Bay security John Lynch, who has been the 49ers’ normal supervisor since 2017.
Shanahan was requested if Lynch, a member of the 2021 Professional Soccer Corridor of Fame Class, was current because the 49ers watched that Bucs-Eagles sport.
“He got here into my workplace proper earlier than once I was going via it to get ready to indicate the workforce and he sat down and loved watching it for about 10 seconds,” Shanahan mentioned. “And he obtained up and was pacing the room and he didn’t even understand and I’m like, ‘what’s happening with you proper now?” And he’s like, ‘Why, what do you imply?’ [Then] he goes, ‘Oh, yeah, this brings again some emotions.”
Lynch had six tackles and a cross defensed within the Bucs’ win earlier than happening to report one other cross defensed when Tampa Bay beat the Oakland Raiders, 48-21, within the Tremendous Bowl the next week.
Shanahan Has Lots Of Reward For Bucs’ Legendary CB
Former Bucs nice Ronde Barber – Picture by: Cliff Welch/PR
When you concentrate on that Bucs-Eagles NFC Championship Recreation, it’s arduous to not image Barber’s game-clinching 92-yard decide six with 3:12 left within the fourth quarter. Shanahan had a lot to say about Barber, the Bucs Ring of Honor member who’s a Professional Soccer Corridor of Fame finalist this yr.
“Ronde Barber, I at all times knew how nice Ronde was, however that sport was pretty much as good because it will get,” Shanahan mentioned. “And that’s why my thoughts can be blown if he’s not within the Corridor of Fame quickly.”
Barber’s decide six, which despatched the Eagles house for the offseason and propelled the Bucs to the Tremendous Bowl, is without doubt one of the most iconic moments in NFL historical past. As he’s working the size of the sector, the Tampa Bay cornerback pointed to the nameplate on the again of his jersey.
“Operating it again, pointing like this the entire means, pointing at ‘Barber,’” Shanahan mentioned. “It was cool.”
So, with the 2023 Professional Soccer Corridor of Fame class set to be introduced in simply a few weeks, go forward and depend Shanahan among the many many who consider this could lastly be the yr that Barber will get his place in Canton.
