Going from playing at 1PM on the West Coast to playing at 1PM on the East Coast, is a big deal, players have to wake up at 7am their time to play. Hence the reason teams come out flat, like the 9ers did last week, but this week they have the whole week to get adjusted, because they didn't come back to SF.
The 49ers (2-1) are practicing this week at Youngstown State to avoid a return trip to the West Coast before facing the New York Jets on Sunday. It’s another destination training camp of sorts — just like last season. It even came at the same time in late September, with the 49ers then atop the NFC West at 2-1.
“We got very close and that’s kind of where we got into our groove last season,” left tackle Joe Staley said.
The plan seemed to work after that 2011 stay in eastern Ohio: San Francisco rallied from a 20-0 deficit to stun the Eagles 24-23 in Philadelphia a week after a win in Cincinnati.
After the thriller in Philly, Harbaugh said: “Thanks Youngstown, you’ve been good to us. That’s as good a win as I can ever remember being a part of.”
Harbaugh, for one, felt his body clock became acclimated to East Coast time. He won’t speak for his players.
“We felt like it was a good thing then,” he said Monday in Ohio. “(You) take out the air travel somewhere in the neighborhood of eight hours of flight time in what would be a five-day period. That’s one of the biggest ones. Also the ability to be here as a team in a unique way during the season, the advantages that the town provides. The facilities at Youngstown State University are excellent.”
Going from playing at 1PM on the West Coast to playing at 1PM on the East Coast, is a big deal, players have to wake up at 7am their time to play. Hence the reason teams come out flat, like the 9ers did last week, but this week they have the whole week to get adjusted, because they didn't come back to SF.
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