SANTA CLARA, Calif. — They knew it long before we did.
As far back as training camp.
As early as OTAs.
There was something special here.
Something different.
Something that potentially could shock the world.
“They don’t understand,” Richard Sherman explained to Yahoo Sports. “But we understand what we have.”
Long before anyone believed in their dominance, the San Francisco 49ers quietly set their sights on the Super Bowl. Back in the summer. Back when few even gave them a fighting chance in their own division. So on Sunday night, in the aftermath of their most commanding performance of the season against a longtime foe — and against one of the game’s greatest quarterbacks — there was no bombastic trash talk or raucous postgame celebrations.