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It is no surprise that there is still plenty of chatter about the 49ers performance late last season, and the tough Super Bowl loss. It was a close game and a few plays here or there would be difference-makers. Colin Kaepernick has been asked about this quite frequently, and his answers do not vary too much. He points to a few specific plays, and then will also mention about his own relatively poor performance in the first half.
I bring this up now for a couple reasons. The first is Kap sat down with Steve Mariucci for an interesting interview. They discussed the Super Bowl, but they discussed other topics as well, and Kap provided some interesting answers we don't always get during training camp and in-season interviews. He has had plenty of chances to reflect on the closing moments of the Super Bowl, and we've heard about the woulda, coulda shouldas. However, it seems like he is prepared to move on.
Speaking of those interviews, the second reason I bring this up is yesterday's media sessions. Jim Harbaugh opened with the media (transcript), Kap appeared shortly after (transcript), and Justin Smith also made an appearance (audio). All three made it clear that they were looking ahead to the coming season.
Jim Harbaugh was asked about the notion that it is tough for a Super Bowl loser to get back to the Super Bowl the next season. The 1972 Miami Dolphins bounced back from a Super Bowl loss to go undefeated. Other than that, it is not exactly a frequent occurrence. Of course, appearing in back-to-back Super Bowls is difficult no matter whether you win or lose, but let's not let that get in the way of a good storyline!
Coach Harbaugh basically said if you're spending your time talking about what you did yesterday, you're not getting enough done today. Obviously the team has to self-scout and see what they did wrong, but getting too concerned with some of the details is not going to be productive in building toward Super Bowl XLVII.
Justin Smith also was quick to point toward the future when asked about the team's struggles after his injury last season. This has been a pretty consistent response from Smith throughout the offseason as he looks to get ready for the 2013 season.
The 49ers are at least giving off the right impression when it comes to moving past last year's Super Bowl defeat. Only one team has lost the Super Bowl one year, and gone on to win it the following year. The 49ers have the talent to return for a crack at the Lombardi Trophy, but it is going to be quite the challenge. Of course, the team faced a tough challenge getting over the previous year's brutal last second NFC Championship game defeat to the New York Giants.
They seem to have the proper mindset to get over these kinds of losses, but we'll see how they start off the coming season. I do not anticipate any sort of Super Bowl hangover, given the way this team carries itself, but until we see them on the field in real action, we're left holding our breath to a certain degree.