The path to the Super Bowl has not been an easy one for the San Francisco 49ers. Several years of mediocrity and frustration changed into one of hope when head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch were brought in, but it took several years of hard work to get this far.
Lynch and Shanahan have pretty much molded a team that seem rooted to the cellar for the foreseeable future into a versatile powerhouse that can win anyway it needs. After relying on the arm of quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo to get them through injuries to the offensive line and defense for half of the season, the team has resumed its regularly scheduled gameplan of punching teams in the mouth both on offense and defense.