Programming note: Watch Greg Papa's full "Game Plan" interview with John Lynch at 9 p.m. PT Friday on NBC Sports Bay Area.
The 49ers usually find an extra gear after their bye week, and there is good reason for that.
San Francisco president of football operations/general manager John Lynch revealed the 49ers have a motto that encapsulates their post-bye week success.
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In the latest edition of NBC Sports Bay Area’s “Game Plan,” Lynch told Greg Papa what it is.
“We got guys who are made of the right stuff,” Lynch told Papa. “We have an acronym around here -- WIT -- ‘What It Takes,’ what it takes to win championships, and we have those types of players. It has boded well for us in the past, and we got to make sure that it bodes well for us going forward this season.”
What. It. Takes.
The 49ers are a second-half team. Over the team's last two campaigns, San Francisco is 16-2 in games occurring after bye weeks.
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Lynch believes the 49ers have had the injury bug wane in the second half of the season. But he also cited San Francisco’s DNA and ability to do “what it takes” to find success and ultimately extend the season.
“I think it’s all of the above; I really do,” Lynch told Papa. “I spoke earlier about our culture -- where we improved during the course of the season because of the way we work. I think we find our identity. But our identity every year-- unfortunately, over the past few years, we’ve had a lot of injuries and a lot of them seem to happen early.
“Last year, we were pretty clean with injuries. But I think we’re in a better spot now. We’ll get some players back, and I think there’s just a culture of always improving and we start to figure out who we are.”
The 49ers’ culture is everything.
Just last season, San Francisco started an underwhelming 5-3. The 49ers ended up reaching Super Bowl LVIII; obviously, a win is desired, but being one of the last two teams standing speaks volumes about the grit and focus Lynch echoed.
There still is a lot of football to be played for the Bay’s team. San Francisco should be in good shape if it continues to follow the “WIT” motto.