Imagine being a player for the San Francisco 49ers, nestled in the comfort of your hotel bed, dreaming of Super Bowl glory, only to be jolted awake by the shrill sound of a fire alarm. That’s precisely what happened to the team in Henderson, Nevada, just days before the biggest game of the year.
The fire alarm at the Hilton Lake Las Vegas Resort and Spa, where the 49ers are staying, went off at approximately 6 a.m. PT, a mere seven minutes before tight end George Kittle’s alarm was set to ring. Kittle, in a bid to escape the noise, retreated to his bathroom and waited out the 18-minute ordeal. Thankfully, it was a false alarm, and no evacuation was necessary, but the incident left some players notably disgruntled.
Kittle, ever the team’s social barometer, conducted an impromptu poll at breakfast to gauge who was the grumpiest in the wake of the disturbance. The winners, or perhaps losers in this case, were running back Christian McCaffrey and defensive end Nick Bosa. Known for their strict adherence to routine, both athletes were ‘not happy’ about the unexpected wake-up call.
McCaffrey, in particular, was skeptical about the nature of the alarm, suggesting it was no mere coincidence. ‘I think there’s no way it’s random,’ he stated, implying that the alarm could have been a deliberate ploy. Bosa, who had immediately reached out to his defensive line teammates, found solace in the fact that the alarm had gone off close to their normal waking hour but shared McCaffrey’s suspicions, recalling a similar disturbance in Philadelphia involving construction noise.
The fire alarm fiasco adds to the list of pre-Super Bowl challenges faced by the 49ers. The team has expressed dissatisfaction with the practice field conditions at UNLV, where the sod laid over an artificial surface is softer than usual. Despite this, head coach Kyle Shanahan has chosen to maintain the team’s practice schedule, focusing on adapting and preparing for the game.
As the 49ers gear up for their final practice on Friday, they remain determined to overcome these hurdles. With a focus on the upcoming clash with the Kansas City Chiefs, the team is set on being as prepared as possible, come what may.
The question now is whether the Chiefs will face a similar early morning disruption before the game. Only time will tell, but one thing is certain: the 49ers’ road to the Super Bowl has been anything but quiet. As they head into the final stretch before the big game, they’ll be hoping the only alarms going off will be those signaling touchdowns on Sunday.
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