By Nikki Jhabvala, The Washington Post
LAS VEGAS — The San Francisco 49ers' final practice before Super Bowl LVIII was a 68-minute run Friday that focused on red zone work.
The clouds began rolling in as the team wrapped up practice shortly after 3 p.m., making for a cold and raucous session at UNLV's Fertitta Football Complex amid the roar of planes taking off from Harry Reid International Airport less than a mile away.
For any other team, the noise might be a distraction. For the 49ers, whose facility is located in Santa Clara, Calif., near San Jose International Airport, things are looking a little normal in a chaotic week.
The team appeared focused while executing the game plan for the second time, and ended the week in good health. Every player on the active roster was a full participant on Friday and the team did not list anyone on its injury report for Sunday's game.
“The players have worked hard over those two weeks,” coach Kyle Shanahan said. “The guys who got beat up, they did everything they could to be healthy for this game. It's the first time everyone's been full and healthy. It's the right game to play this way.”
After a short warm-up and some positional drills, the 49ers went into 7-on-7 red zone periods and then full 11-on-11 action. The team went 11 periods before quickly gathering and changing for a Super Bowl team photo. Fans and UNLV students crowded into the adjacent parking lot as players emerged in their white jerseys and gold pants to take their places in the stands, which were positioned to have the Sphere in the background.
Shanahan stressed to his players the need to maintain focus on the game and eliminate distractions, tasks that he believes they handled well during the training week.
“I think the guys did a really good job,” he added. “Just the experience of being here before, some of the things we've been through, some of the leaders we have. We've got a team that's very football-oriented and really good in these situations.”
The players and coaches were scheduled to spend most of Friday evening with their families at a team barbecue. They will then meet early Saturday to review tape of Friday's practice and get familiar with their openings and positions. The players will get a few hours of rest before the final team meeting on Saturday evening.
Although the game plan is in place and the mental and physical preparation for Sunday's game is complete, the work for Shanahan will continue.
“I always make contingency plans and be ready to tell them if things go a certain way,” he said. “But there's a lot of things you want to put in their heads. We're done with that. They're just waiting to see what we open up and I'll look into that. But any new plays, I won't tell them until we have to do that.”
The 49ers' final round is scheduled for Saturday afternoon.
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