DL Nick Bosa

DL Nick Bosa

Press Conference – January 23, 2020

San Francisco 49ers

Can you tell us about your leg workouts?

“They’re pretty normal. That front squat, RDL, step-ups. I focus on technique, squat pretty deep. That’s about it.”

Always had such powerful legs or something you developed?

“I definitely developed them. But I think I get them from my dad.”

You talked about this a little bit on Sunday, but has it sunk in now, the part of the world you’re returning to? To be in the Super Bowl, I mean, that’s pretty special.

“Yeah, it definitely is special. Trying to block out all the distractions right now, though, and enjoy that when it’s time to enjoy that.”

Your brother plays the Chiefs twice a year. Has he given you tips, advice on how to attack those tackles?

“Yeah, definitely. We’re going to be talking. He has pretty good input on these guys. He’s going to give me everything that he could give me and it’s up to me to go use it.”

How important is it for you guys to pass rush as a collective unit? I know often it’s looked at from the outside as just being able to beat the guy in front of you, but how focused are you guys on that chemistry and timing and those different games?

“Yeah, we’re back playing a mobile quarterback and one who could throw better than any we’ve faced. One of the biggest things is trying to keep him in the pocket and not let him escape when he wants to escape and make him uncomfortable.”

With how fast those guys are and how explosive they want to be, obviously it’s got to be a focus for you guys to try to get Mahomes?

“No doubt.”

How important will it be for you guys to get after Mahomes?

“It will be a pretty big factor in the game.”

Do you see a similarity between him and Seattle Seahawks QB Russell Wilson and just escapability and his arm?

“Yes, very similar with extending plays and play breakdowns that turn into long touchdowns. You watch Tennessee, second half they didn’t get much of a rush. And you saw what happens. That’s definitely a big focus.”

Do you think that you’ve gotten better against that type of quarterback? It’s been a progression of mobile quarterbacks that you’ve faced. Is there a progress there in how you are attacking them?

“Yeah, I think we’ve gotten better this year as we’ve played. We’ve faced just about everything you can face. Obviously, this will be a little bit different challenge, but I trust everybody around me.”

Along those lines, defensive coordinator Robert Saleh talked about how important it is to rotate you guys so that you stay fresh. How important do you see that, all eight of you guys up front?

“Yeah, I mean, like we’ve been trying to do all year, we lost a couple of guys in the middle of the year so it became a little harder. But we’ve got to keep the same mindset, stay as fresh as we can, so when it comes down to crunch time, we can rush.

How about the way that Robert Saleh prepares you guys? What stands out to you guys about the way Robert Saleh prepares you guys?

“I think he just lays out the plan really well. From the start of the week to today, he tells you exactly what we need to do to beat them and it’s usually pretty accurate. So, he gives us our three keys and he gets, usually, gets the D-line out of the room so we can go do our thing with [defensive line coach] Kris [Kocurek]. But he keeps us really in sync between units: D-line, linebackers, defensive backs are all in sync. We all know where each of us fits, so there’s no confusion. He makes everything pretty clear for us.”

You’re from the Florida area. What does it mean to be playing in such a big game so close to home?

“I think I just got that question, but it’s really awesome. To be in my hometown, I went to a lot of Dolphins games, my dad played for the Dolphins. To be back in that stadium, played a few high school games in there. It’s obviously a pretty big moment for us.”

To have somebody like your brother, who not only plays the sport but plays your exact position and you guys can speak the same language and understand exactly what he’s going through, how much of a resource has that been and how much will it be as you guys carry on through your careers?

“Yeah, season gets a little busy, but I feel like this offseason we’re definitely going to have a lot of conversations while we train about just things that I’ve learned this year from playing and things that he’s learned, obviously. But, we play a pretty similar position, pretty similar scheme. So, there’s going to be a lot of back and forth with that for sure.”