Kyle Shanahan has made no secret of the fact he’d rather not have the 49ers face an epic travel game in Week 1 when his team opens the season against the Los Angeles Rams in Melbourne, Australia.
It didn’t come as a big surprise to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, who was in Australia Friday to promote the game and was asked about Shanahan’s concerns.
“Coaches have a focus on winning. That’s their No. 1 job,” Goodell said at a press event at Melbourne Cricket Ground Stadium, the 173-year-old site that will host the game. “His job is to win. His job is to play. I always say our coaches like to play at one o’clock and four o’clock and don’t get in the way of that. So we’re going to make it a great experience for the team.”
At the recently concluded NFL owners meetings, Shanahan went straight to sarcasm when asked about opening in Australia.
“That was our goal, to go 19 hours away,” Shanahan said. “We’re going back in time or into the future. We either gain a day or lose a day, I can’t remember which. “It is what it is. We’ll deal with it.”
While Shanahan conceded it was important to grow the sport globally, he said there was little positive in it for the teams involved. Unlike international games in the United Kingdom, Mexico and Brazil that are usually followed by a week off for the participants, the 49ers will have a Week 2 game following the Australia visit.
“There’s not much benefit to it,” Shanahan said. “Sometimes it’s nice to get a bye after, but this is Week 1.”
The 49ers are expected to travel five to seven days in advance to get adjusted. Kickoff is at 10:35 a.m. in Melbourne on Sept. 11, which translates to 5:35 p.m. PT. The impact on the 49ers, whose Week 2 opponent is still undetermined, could be considerable.
“This game is real,” Goodell said. “This counts, and they’ll have to go on to Week 2 as soon as they leave here.”
The commissioner also had a suggestion for Shanahan regarding jet lag.
“I have an app for him which I’m going to send to him,” Goodell said. “My wife hooked me up with an app and I’ve got to tell you, I feel great. I have not felt any jet lag at all. We’ve been here since Tuesday and I thought it was a relatively easy trip.”
Depending on how long Shanahan coaches the 49ers, he’ll could conceivably be back in Australia someday.
“We always like to say we’re going to play and then we’ll announce, but there’s no question that we’re going to be playing here again,” Goodell said. “Our view is that we’re coming here for the long term. We don’t come as a one-off. This isn’t a circus. This is something that’s an investment in this market and we believe in the long term it will be great for the NFL.”