Shanahan's comical advice to 49ers for Thanksgiving break originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
SANTA CLARA -- With a short week ahead, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan gave his team some advice to follow during their Thanksgiving day off.
After returning from a week of travel to Colorado Springs and Mexico City, Shanahan understands his players' need to enjoy their day off on Thursday.
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But he also encouraged them to stay focused on the task at hand -- the New Orleans Saints, who come to Levi's Stadium on Sunday for a 1:25 p.m. PT kickoff.
“A lot of those guys have family members at home who are on their vacation,” Shanahan said Wednesday. “I have to remind some of these young guys that it's their vacation. This is your job, so don't feel guilty when you don't hang out with your uncle late at night.”
Shanahan shared that the team arrived back in the Bay Area around 6:15 a.m. Tuesday after their win over the Arizona Cardinals at Estadio Azteca on Monday night. The head coach gave the team Tuesday off and pushed back Wednesday’s schedule to help their bodies recover from the time away.
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“I think what helps is the tape,” Shanahan said. “New Orleans is a very good team. I don't have to make that up. You just have to turn the tape on and watch it, but it was a lot of energy last week, you have to be aware of that.
“You always have to throw in, which we do every year, the deal with Thanksgiving, which doesn't change up much.”
While potentially sounding over protective, Shanahan’s approach to the day off was lighthearted -- basically, don’t hang out with your drunk uncle.
“You can hang out with him on Sunday night,” Shanahan said with a smile. “He's just chilling, doesn't have stuff to do, but you don't come to his job and yell at him to come home early and hang out with you. I think we have a mature group. They understand the deal, but we are working to get our bodies back.”
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While his players recover, Shanahan will spend the morning working before getting his hands on his two Thanksgiving-meal favorites: his wife’s green bean casserole and his mom’s noodle dish.
“Have to get both of them,” Shanahan said, smiling.
