SANTA CLARA -- Mike McGlinchey admitted Super Bowl LIV left a scar, but the 49ers right tackle likes the way his teammates are using the loss as motivation.
The 49ers left Miami in February with a very bitter taste in their mouths after coming within minutes of being last season's Cinderella by completing a worst-to-first turnaround. This week, for the first time after losing to the Kansas City Chiefs at Hard Rock Stadium, the 49ers watched the game film together as a group.
Most of the 49ers’ players have watched the game on their own, but even edge rusher Nick Bosa admitted to not watching the fourth quarter.
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“It sucks,” McGlinchey said Sunday. “Watching that game never feels good, no matter how well you think you played as an individual, or how well you think you played in crucial moments.”
The Notre Dame product said there was a definite tension in the room as soon as the film came on, confirming what Kendrick Bourne and Trent Williams said last week. McGlinchey believes that feeling is a good indicator the team is hyper-focused on the season ahead.
“I think that there was a certain feel, and a hot air that goes into the room when you’re all in [there],” McGlinchey said. “Everybody sits up a little bit more, everybody locks onto the screen little bit more.”
While he said seeing the game again was unpleasant, McGlinchey believes it will help the 49ers move on from the loss. It will also keep him from making the same mistakes a second time, never wanting to experience that feeling again.
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Even in nearly 100-degree heat in the middle of training camp, the 49ers are practicing with noticeable energy and increased intensity. McGlinchey sees that as a benefit from what the team has been through.
No one is feeling sorry for themselves after losing the Super Bowl.
“Football is a game that gives you a lot of scars,” McGlinchey said. “But it’s a matter of how do you come back and use those scars to learn to grow, and ultimately never let them happen again.”