Images of success show 49ers their time is now

SANTA CLARA - Front and center in the L-shaped hallway outside the 49ers meeting rooms is an action photo of Justin Smith throwing a left hook that would make Sugar Ray Leonard proud.

You may have seen this picture before.

It's the picture of Smith catching Jeremy Maclin from behind and punching the ball out of his left arm to seal the victory over the Eagles back in Week 4.

The Niners version of the picture is big and sharp and vivid. You can see Smith's eyes locked onto the ball, the tape wrapped around the fingers of his fist like a fighter's fist, the point of contact between the fist and the ball, the unenlightened look on Mac-lin's face - gazing forward, still oblivious to the arrival of Smith's left hand.

Jim Harbaugh found the photo in a Philadelphia newspaper, special-ordered a copy of it, blew it up and mounted it in the L-shaped hallway. The walls of the hallway are filled with nearly 50 2-by-3 foot visual testaments to the magical moments of this magical season.

There's one of an amazed Ted Ginn Jr. kneeling and smiling in the end zone after his second special-teams touchdown return in the fourth quarter against the Seahawks back in Week 1.

There's another one of Aldon Smith sacking Ben Roethlisberger on a Monday night. Two famous versions of this picture exist - one of Smith first hitting Roethlisberger and lifting him off his feet, the other of Smith driving Roethlisberger onto his back. The Niners mounted the second one - the moment of greatest pain.

These pictures are not displayed publicly.

Only players, coaches and other football-related personnel are allowed to enter the L-shaped hallway and experience the private gallery, the 49ers' Holy of Holies. For media to be allowed in is unheard of. It's like being granted access to the Ark of the Covenant. The 49ers graciously gave The Press Democrat a private viewing.

Here's more of what the hallway looks like. Over the doorway of each position group's meeting room is a smaller picture - about a foot by a foot and a half - which captures an inspirational play by a member of that group.

Over the doorway of the offensive line's room, you see Joe Staley and Mike Iupati - the left tackle and the left guard - taking identical first steps after the snap of the ball. Their movements are completely in unison like choreographed dancers in a chorus line, and their technique is perfect.

And over the doorway of the defensive line's room, is another Justin Smith picture - this time he's diving forward, he's a couple feet off the ground and he's horizontal, a man flying.

The team's big meeting room - an auditorium - also is a picture gallery.

After a win, Harbaugh picks, prints and mounts roughly 15 of his favorite pictures from that game, and he leaves them in the team meeting room all week, a visual memory of success.

This week, the room featured visuals from the victory over the Saints. Pictures of the offense went on the left, defense on the right and special teams on the back wall.

By now, Harbaugh probably has taken them down and mounted a few favorites in the L-shaped hallway. They're history. It's Giants time. If the Niners beat them this evening, Harbaugh will have 15 new pictures in the team meeting room by Monday.

And if they keep winning, he's going to have to start hanging pictures from the ceilings.

"Who's got it better than us?" team president Jed York asked rhetorically on a conference call Wednesday. "That's the mentality that Jim brings. He loves and embraces the history of the 49ers. You've got the pictures of the Super Bowl teams. You've got a big picture of The Catch when you walk up the stairs to the business office. You've got the 10-year wall. You've got all the award winners on plaques.

"But what Jim has been able to do is really put up pictures of big plays from all of our wins (this season) and make it so the guys feel like they're actually a part of the tradition. It's a different feeling. It's not Joe Montana. It's not Steve Young. It's not Jerry Rice. And that's OK. We don't have to be that and nobody's trying to be that. We're just trying to be the San Francisco 49ers - who we are right now - and let everyone have their own personality."

The 49ers pay homage to their past but they're leaving it behind. Now they're creating a new winning tradition in their own image.

"There has been great history, but the tradition was lost," defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said on Wednesday. "You can't go nine years without a winning season and think you have tradition. We've restored that."

At last, the tradition has been rediscovered. The proof is hanging on the walls, right there in the L-shaped Holy of Holies.

Grant Cohn is the author of

The Press Democrat's

Inside the 49ers blog. Read it at 49ers.pressdemocrat.com.