The 49ers have been extremely close to winning a sixth Super Bowl in recent seasons, but is there a chance San Francisco eventually can get over the hump? Star linebacker Fred Warner believes it's only a matter of time -- and understands how the 49ers can get it done.
"It’s not a matter of 'if' in my mind; it’s a matter of 'when' when we do go win one," Warner stated Wednesday on NFL Network (h/t SI.com). “I think the key is to continue to find guys who are finishers. You want to bring in cats who can finish. The guys who are here, you want to have an introspective look at yourself and be like, ‘How can I be better for this team?’
"I’ve looked at myself, even when I had a terrific year last year, how can I be better for that time to where I punch a ball out, force an interception? I don’t know, just help finish the game for my team.”
San Francisco succumbed to the Kansas City Chiefs in overtime of Super Bowl LVIII on Feb. 11, little over four years after Patrick Mahomes & Co. upset the 49ers in Super Bowl LIV. And in 2013, the Vince Lombardi Trophy slipped out of their hands against the Baltimore Ravens in Super Bowl XLVII.
That's a lot of heartache in the 21st century, and it doesn't include the team's other postseason losses in recent years. But Warner knows that general manager John Lynch and coach Kyle Shanahan must follow the same attitude they've had since assuming the leadership in 2017 -- creating a championship squad brick by brick.
Warner is an example of that, picked by the 49ers in 2018 and now serves as the franchise embodiment of a leader both on and off the field. And with the rest of San Francisco's star-studded roster, along with guys added in via the draft, trades and NFL free agency, All-Pro Fred is right.
Warner is an example of that, picked by the 49ers in 2018 and now serves as the franchise embodiment of a leader both on and off the field. And with the rest of San Francisco's star-studded roster, along with guys added in via the draft, trades and NFL free agency, All-Pro Fred is right.
The 49ers' Super Bowl aspirations remain very much alive as they enter the 2024 NFL season.