49ers look for more East Coast success with another extended stay

SANTA CLARA — The 49ers will be living the resort life next week after facing the Carolina Panthers Sunday, something that’s become a successful tradition under coach Kyle Shanahan.

Rather than return home with a cross-country flight and begin preparations for another road assignment against the Atlanta Falcons, they’ll bunk at The Greenbrier, a resort in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, that dates back to 1778.

It removes the long flight home and allows Shanahan and his staff to practice at a facility with two football fields and replicate a home schedule without the drag of jet lag. It also creates a little bonding time for a 2-2 team that is looking to sweep a pair of NFC South opponents before returning to Levi’s Stadium for an Oct. 23 showdown against the Kansas City Chiefs.

The Press Democrat’s Inside the 49ers blog

“You’re not sleeping in your own bed, but our organization does such an incredible job of making sure we’re taken care of that it’s really the only change,” right tackle Mike McGlinchey said. “Where you eat your meals, where you’re sleeping. That’s all that’s different. The schedule stays the same, the process stays the same and all the resources that we have you take with you.”

This is the fourth time since Shanahan was hired in 2017 that the 49ers have practiced off-site to stay sharp without a time zone-induced listlessness, and the results have been impressive — with the 49ers going 7-1 in those games.

In 2019, the 49ers opened the season with a 31-17 road win at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, then flew to Youngstown, Ohio, to prepare to face the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 2.

The 49ers practiced at Youngstown State’s Stambaugh Stadium soccer field and outdoor track, had access to the weight room and held three days of practice. Youngstown happens to be where the DeBartolo-York family is from.

The result? The 49ers beat the Bengals 41-17, had 571 yards of total offense and opened a season with back-to-back wins on the road for the first time in 30 years.

In Week 13, the 49ers lost to the Baltimore Ravens 20-17 on the road, then held a week of practice at IMG Academy at Bradenton, Florida.

After a short flight to New Orleans, the 49ers beat the Saints 48-46 at the Superdome for one of their biggest victories in a 13-3 season that ended with an NFC championship and Super Bowl berth.

In 2020, with back-to-back games against the New York Jets and New York Giants in New Jersey, the 49ers made their first visit to The Greenbrier in between. They beat the Jets 31-13 (but lost Nick Bosa and Arik Armstead to season-ending knee injuries), then beat the Giants 36-9.

Last season, the 49ers were back at The Greenbrier again after running up a big lead on the Detroit Lions and holding on for a 41-33 road victory to open the season. Then it was on to Philadelphia, with the 49ers prevailing 17-11 at Lincoln Financial Field.

It’s noteworthy that all four times, the 49ers won the second game — after spending a week away from their home base.

Shanahan is fond of saying there is no home-field advantage like the one in football because crowd noise can affect a team’s jump off the snap. But there are some perks to road games as well, and they’re only enhanced without a return trip before doubling back to the East Coast again.

“The distractions are a little less there,” Shanahan said Wednesday. “The people aren’t there, even in your own house, you’re kind of locked in a room and I think it just helps guys focus a little bit more. I don’t know if it’s a coincidence, but the numbers have definitely been a lot better.”

With opponents predetermined every year but not yet put in order, it’s not unusual for West Coast teams such as the 49ers and Raiders to request back-to-back games with the NFL in Eastern locales.

Shanahan, who had worked in Washington as the offensive coordinator, immediately realized in 2017 — his first year with the 49ers — that going west to east was more of a strain than the other way around.

“Halfway through that year I realized how big of a difference it is, West Coast to East Coast,” Shanahan said.

Center Jake Brendel said the less time on a plane the better.

“Obviously you’re away from your family, but you get time to focus on the next game and make sure you’re not getting inflamed or any adverse effects from the plane ride.”

Defensive end Nick Bosa told KNBR he tolerates the road trip more than he celebrates it.

“It’s not my favorite thing to do, but it’s something Kyle likes to do,” Bosa said. “It’s a good facility. We’ve got our own spot, the food is a little sparse. It’s definitely a team bonding experience. Everybody needs to experience one Greenbrier stay. Only one.”

While the week on the road has proved beneficial four times for the second game, the 49ers’ return home will be need to addressed.

In each of the 49ers’ four road trips, the first game back at Levi’s was a loss — 30-28 to Green Bay last season, 25-20 to Philadelphia in 2020, and two of the 49ers’ three losses in 2019 — 24-20 to Pittsburgh and 29-22 to Atlanta.