The 49ers seem reinvigorated this year. As they should.
Their season ended in early January. They had five more weeks to rest this year than they had last year. And they have a ton to prove after missing the playoffs last season.
This week at OTAs, head coach Kyle Shanahan was asked if the vibes are different this year than they were last year.
“I think the way I addressed it the most was in our last meeting in January. I just told the guys, I talked about how the season ended the year before and how when I felt them all come back, I felt guys weren't ready to come back," Shanahan said. "And I understood that. But I told them how I won't really understand it this year. Not that that was right or wrong, but I couldn’t comprehend it, we're off five weeks earlier. We all know how disappointed we are and a lot of us have played a lot of football here. But we're going to have a team that doesn't know what we've done in the past or how you guys have earned a lot of stuff, we need to show them.
"And the first meeting when we get back, I expect our whole team to be here, and it be important to guys. And I thought the coolest thing was everyone being there on the first day. We had every guy show up and I didn't have to call anyone and beg them, which said a lot. They all knew what I said on the last day and I wanted to see if they really meant something to them, not to where I had to call them and remind them and I didn't. And they all showed up and they've all been working and to me that's something I really appreciated and know I got the right guys.”
It's good to see the 49ers are doing everything in their power to get their offseason started on the right foot. Last season's team seemed to fall apart before the season even began.
Now, the 49ers just need Trent Williams and Brandon Aiyuk to show up and be leaders.