He throws batting practice, coaches third base, chats with parents while scribbling the lineup onto a notepad, empties trash cans and locks the gates.

The son of Oakland A’s and San Francisco Giants star pitcher Vida Blue grew up around America’s pastime, and he’s all-in as a first-year softball head coach for the Hayward school’s program.

“I love being on the field,” Blue said. “Sunflower seeds, chewing gum and hitting some balls around during batting practice.”

To many, Derrick Blue, 54, is the son of the late Bay Area baseball legend and forever the kid who spent part of his childhood wandering the Coliseum’s clubhouse and expansive foul territory.

To Mt. Eden senior Andrea Toledo and the rest of the Monarchs, he’s just “Blue,” their upbeat former assistant coach and the obvious choice to succeed longtime leader Nick Sanchez when the 69-year-old retired in December.

“I was thrilled when I heard that he was going to become our head coach,” Toledo said. “I wouldn’t necessarily say he’s laid back, because he pushes us to be the best we can.”

Blue described himself as a so-so ballplayer, and chuckled as he recalled the memory of his fifth-grade baseball coach in Alameda telling him, “I can’t wait to see you coach.”

Vida agreed with that prediction.

When Derrick moved back to the East Bay from Sacramento a few years ago and was mulling over whether or not to get back into coaching, the elder Blue was his biggest supporter.

Derrick, who works as a transportation analyst for the state, had coached softball in different East Bay rec leagues and then at San Leandro High when Sanchez asked him to join the Mt. Eden staff.

“I remember he was like, ‘Do you like coaching?’ And I would be like, ‘Yeah, I do,’” Blue remembered.

“Do it, and do it the best that you can,” Vida told his son.

Derrick threw himself into his role as an assistant at Mt. Eden, but had to take a step back last spring with his father’s health ailing. Vida Blue died on May 6 after a long battle with cancer.

After Derrick gave so much time and energy to the team, the Monarchs were there for the grieving coach when he needed them the most.

“We wanted to be a support system for him,” Toledo said. “We just wanted to be sort of a community that he could come back to and count on.”

Blue vividly remembered the day he returned to the team.

He said the players stopped what they were doing when they saw him standing by the fence, ran up to the man and then embraced him in a team group hug.

“That was probably the closest moment I came to crying, because they wore these blue wristbands for me,” Blue said. “That really got to my heart.”

He had a short but poignant message for the teenagers after that.

“Make sure you hug your parents tonight.”

Blue said his father had become his “best friend” over the last 15 years, the two sharing an obsession with both LSU football and Major League Baseball.

“We’d go to dinner a couple times a month, and I remember the last time we went to dinner, I had to go to the bathroom, and he says, ‘I’m paying for dinner, man. You don’t have to hide,’” Blue said. “He always had that sense of humor, and I’ll miss that.”

Though Vida played on both sides of the Bay, where the former MVP and Cy Young winner’s allegiance lay was clear during their conversations.

“I remember he would text or call me when he was out golfing asking, ‘Did we win?’ And I knew who he meant,” Blue remembered. “‘Did we win’ meant ‘Did the A’s win?’”

Blue said he hopes the A’s will stay in Oakland, but that he understands the chances of that are slim. He added that he will represent his father regardless of where his favorite team ends up.

“My dad and I did discuss this,” Blue said. “It is a business. Unfortunately, whether you believe that the A’s did enough to build a fanbase, or the fanbase didn’t do enough to support them, it is a business.”

As the younger Blue noted, Vida wholeheartedly supported his son as both a young baseball player and later as a softball coach. However, he did so from afar and was only able to watch a small portion of one of Derrick’s games as a player.

Fans mobbed the ace pitcher shortly after he arrived at an Alameda diamond back in the 1980s.

While holding a bag with the McDonald’s fast food he and his son were going to eat after the game, Vida Blue had to leave after just a few minutes while his son watched from the field.

By the time Derrick became an assistant at Mt. Eden, his father’s poor health prevented him from attending any games.

“One of those things I wish he had the opportunity to do was to watch me coach, and say a few things to the girls,” Blue said. “He loved softball.”

Derrick’s similar love of the sport is obvious when he coaches and was one of the reasons Sanchez felt comfortable stepping away at the end of 2023.

“He has that energy and that sweet disposition that kids love,” Sanchez said. “He’ll be a good coach. I’m proud of him. He’ll ask me for advice from time to time, and I’ll give it to him because I want Derrick to do well.”

One of Blue’s goals as head coach is to continue Sanchez’s mission of instilling a sense of pride in the Mt. Eden program.

Blue and the players put up blue and gold Mt. Eden banners around the recently repainted softball field. The outfield is still uneven, and the fence is bent out of shape, but the coach said the facility is in far better condition than it was a few years ago.

“When I first got this job, I wanted to make this look like the other schools,” Blue said. “Let’s put some paint on this thing and make it playable. The girls take pride in it.”

Mt. Eden consistently shows why it’s one of the best teams in the West Alameda County Conference Shoreline Division when it takes the field.

The Monarchs haven’t had a losing season since 2014, and Blue said that making it back to the North Coast Section playoffs is all he wants.

With talented players such as Toledo, Annelise Burgos and Jasmine Cruz on the roster, that’s well within the realm of possibility.

“My biggest goal is to get us a NCS game, because I want them to be able to line up on the baseline and hear their name being called out,” Blue said.

And nobody should be surprised if that happens.

After all, winning in the East Bay runs in the family.

“Pat the Bat” is back with the Giants for the latest chapter in his charmed Bay Area baseball life.

Pat Burrell joined new manager Bob Melvin’s coaching staff as a hitting instructor, 29 years after helping San Jose’s Bellarmine High win the West Catholic Athletic League title, 14 years after helping spark the Giants’ breakthrough World Series run, and four years after he got his coaching start as a roving hitting instructor in the team’s minor league ranks.

“I got a chance to resurrect my career here,” said Burrell.  “So this organization holds a special place in my heart.”

The Giants were Burrell’s final stop on a pro career that began with him as the top pick in the 1998 draft after being a three-time All-American at the University of Miami. The Giants signed the then-33-year-old outfielder after he had been released by Tampa Bay early in 2010, and he played a vital role in helping bring home the first World Series title in the franchise’s San Francisco history.

And to think, Burrell, now 47, started out as an unknown transfer from San Lorenzo Valley trying to make his mark on the Bellarmine team.

After dominating on the JV team as a sophomore in 1993, it became clear to Bells coach Gary Cunningham that the 6-foot-4 teenager with the strength to hit moonballs was a special talent.

“Obviously, he had great natural ability, and I’m not gonna go and change anything,” Cunningham said, before chuckling and adding, “As I say to people, “Hey, I didn’t screw him up, because he got to the major leagues.”

By the time Burrell became an established part of the Bellarmine lineup, coaches around the WCAL took drastic measures to deal with him.

“By the time he was a senior, he would get walked every time,” former Archbishop Mitty coach Bill Hutton recalled. “He’d get the Barry Bonds treatment.”

Cunningham got creative in response: he started batting the hulking slugger leadoff, since no team would dare walk the game’s first batter.

“Yeah, Gary was a bit ahead on the analytics there,” Burrell recalled.

“He stood out. He hit the ball further than anybody,” Hutton remembered, while adding that Burrell was far from a one-man band on those great mid-90’s Bells. “He just looked like a pro.”

Burrell spent 12 seasons in the majors, hitting 292 home runs, mostly with the Phillies. He won two World Series rings, including with the Phillies in 2008 when he hit  33 home runs.

After retiring with the Giants following the 2011 season, Burrell stayed involved in the game as a media personality, assistant coach at Bellarmine and a part-time hitting instructor.

“You just try everything you can, and sometimes you get opportunities like I have had here,” said Burrell, who lives in Portola Valley.

Burrell said his experience in the limelight as a top prospect was a different world from what the Giants’ young players have to deal with.

“In our generation, when you were a prospect, there was some media attention, but nothing like today,”  Burrell said. “Nothing like what Marco Luciano is going through.”

The job for Burrell as a hitting-instructor will be to unlock the slugging potential of those youngsters. But the 12-year MLB veteran said his job is as much about the mental side of the game than it is about hitting mechanics.

“We want to get our guys ready for that night’s game. Who they’re facing, possible matchups down the road in the bullpen. Certainly there’s guys who have pinch-hit roles that might come in late in the game,” Burrell said. “We want to make sure they feel good and confident going into the game.”

Since Burrell has been in the Giants system for years, he already has a rapport with most of the Giants top prospects.

“I met him in 2020, and he’s been someone I can always reach out to,” second-year infielder Casey Schmitt said.

Cunningham, Burrell’s Bellarmine coach, says his star pupil has all the makings to be a success as a coach, just as he was as a player.

“He has a passion for the game,” Cunningham said. “He wasn’t one of those guys asking “When is practice going to be over, because I want to go do something.” He loved to practice and play, and that showed in his career.”

Now Burrell is ready to pen another successful chapter to his Bay Area story.

“I’ve found my home here working with players,” Burrell said.

In the team’s first, albeit preseason, game at the Coliseum of the year, the A’s were defeated by the San Francisco Giants 4-1 in the first of a two-game series between the Bay Area rivals. 

Abraham Toro’s RBI single drove in Butler and elicited the closest thing to a roar the Oakland portion of the reported 7,850 fans could muster during what could be the first home game of the team’s last season in Oakland. 

“I feel like I did pretty well, but there’s always room for improvement,” Butler said. “We’ve still got to take better at-bats and have better routes (to balls) in the outfield, but you know, that’s what spring training is for.”

Promising second-baseman Zack Gelof was 0-1 and drew a walk, while 2023 All-Star Brent Rooker struck out in two of his three at-bats. 

Second-year righthander Mason Miller lit up the radar gun in the top of the ninth. The 25-year-old struck out the side using a fastball that touched 101 MPH.

The A’s dropped to 13-14 in spring training, while the Giants improved to 14-11.

The high-spending Giants are in many ways the anthesis of the A’s, and it was one of their high-profile additions that perplexed Oakland’s overmatched bunch of youngsters and low-cost veterans. 

Ex-Cardinal Jordan Hicks, the recent recipient of a four-year, $44 million contract, struck out 10 A’s in five innings of hitless work. 

JP Sears had a tougher time, allowing two home runs to Giants catcher Tom Murphy in 3.2 innings. The 28-year-old also walked and struck out three while throwing 70 pitches. 

“I’m not super-thrilled with the results, but I feel good about my body and my workload, and how I feel going into Saturday,” Sears told media.

Sears didn’t have his best stuff on Monday, but said he has both high standards and what he considered achievable goals going into the regular season. 

“I’m going to keep it simple, which is trying to get to 30 starts and make it into the sixth or seventh inning every game,” Sears said. 

After an Austin Slater sacrifice fly and Wilmer Flores belted a home run off A’s reliever Michael Kelly, the offense stayed dormant until Hicks exited in at the end of the sixth. 

Oakland will take the trip across the Bay Bridge to Oracle Park for the San Francisco portion of the home-and-home series. The A’s, focused on health, should trot out a much different lineup for the preseason finale. 

“The goal of every team is to get out of spring training healthy, and we’ve got a group that we feel confident in,” manager Mark Kotsay said. “We’ve sustained some injuries in the last week and a half. So I’ll get in there tonight and look it over.”

But none generate the kind of buzz that Mason Miller’s right arm does in his second season in the major leagues.

After striking out the side in dominating fashion in Oakland’s 4-1 loss to the Giants Monday night, Miller has now struck out 14 batters in just 7.2 innings over eight spring training games.

Take 34 Seconds out of your day…

To see how ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTING Mason Miller's Stuff is. pic.twitter.com/7fUyooVRg9

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) March 26, 2024

“He’s got electric stuff, fastball, slider, all of that,” A’s catcher Shea Langeliers said before the A’s took on the Giants on Monday. “It’s just another year for him, and now he understands how it works.”

Miller will start the season as a relief pitcher.

His role in the bullpen, whether it be long reliever, setup man or closer, has not been defined yet.

Given Miller’s injury history, manager Mark Kotsay is wary of overworking the gifted prospect.

“We’re going to find out about the durability aspect of it once the season gets going,” Kotsay said. “We have to be conscious of the workload with Mason, but again, the stuff is there and I’m excited about giving him that chance.”

Miller referred to spring training as a “clean slate,” a fresh start after last year’s topsy-turvy professional debut.

The 6-foot-5 fireballer, with a fastball that touches 102 MPH, parlayed a strong showing in the 2022 Arizona Fall League into a promotion to Double-A to begin 2023.

Miller pitched one game in Double-A before getting the call-up to Triple-A Las Vegas. His stay at the highest level of the minor leagues also lasted all of one game, after which the A’s called him up to to Oakland.

The Gardner-Webb alum started six games for Oakland before an elbow injury sidelined Miller from May 7 until September. He pitched out of the bullpen in four games during the season’s final month.

“It’s been a mental battle for sure,” Miller said. “A lot of highs, a lot of lows.”

Miller said he’s already benefiting from the A’s decision to load up on veteran arms.

Former All-Star Paul Blackburn is back for his eighth season with the team, and former San Francisco Giants Ross Stripling and Alex Wood are 30-something year-olds who bring a wealth of experience with them from across the Bay.

“Paul, being here last year, has been great,” Miller said. “And getting to know Stripling and Woody through spring training has been awesome. They’re approachable guys, and they want to be there for us as much as we want to be there for them.”

Regardless of what his final role is, the 25-year-old said he’s better-prepared for major league life than he was last year.

“It’s exciting being a part of this group and obviously be in a role where I kind of have a better idea of what the year is going to look like than last year,” Miller said. “I feel great.”

Notebook

• Kotsay said Aledmys Diaz can do ‘limited baseball activity’ but that he is still not able to run after injuring his calf.  Kotsay noted “Calves are funny, and generally they take a little bit longer.”
• A’s fans will have to wait a while to see outfielder Miguel Andújar. The offseason addition will have surgery to repair a torn meniscus on Wednesday. “I think there was a lot of excitement about getting him on this roster and impacting the club,”  Kotsay said.
• Darell Hernaiz, a 22-year-old infielder, has made the opening day roster after a strong spring training in which he hit .313 with six RBIs. He’s the youngest player on an A’s opening day roster since a 22-year-old Brett Anderson in 2010. Hernaiz batted .321/.357/.418 in 131 games split between Double-A and Triple-A in the Oakland system last season.

Since the news became public Monday morning, outraged fans, media personalities and even politicians have come to the defense of Renel Brooks-Moon, a popular former radio host from Oakland who had been behind the microphone at Oracle Park since its doors opened in 2000.

The Brooks-Moon news was panned on social media and talk radio Monday, and even after news leaked that the Giants had agreed to terms with reigning N.L. Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell, her departure still had fans buzzing.

Brooks-Moon has not spoken publicly other than to thank fans on social media for their support, but plenty of voices have come to support her and chide the Giants.

“One thing I don’t like is the timing of the announcements,” said Rod Brooks, a longtime Bay Area sports talk radio and television studio host. “Either a massive coincidence, or it was done that way on purpose.”

Brooks (no relation to Brooks-Moon) added in an interview with the Bay Area News Group on Tuesday: “I think that on Opening Day, she should be the first person to say Blake Snell’s name at the park, she should be the first person to say (Jung Hoo) Lee’s name publicly, she should be the first person to say Bob Melvin’s name publicly.

“The fact that she isn’t, for whatever the reasons are, I just don’t think that those reasons are important enough for her not to be doing that.”

Brooks-Moon’s previous contract, according to reports, was a four-year deal reached before the 2020 season.

The Giants on Monday said they had “extensive discussions” with Brooks-Moon about a contract extension but “mutually and amicably agreed to part ways.”

Plenty of Giants fans on social media thought there was more to the story, though.

Charles Johnson, the majority owner of the Giants, has donated to numerous conservative political candidates over the years, which hasn’t won him any popularity contests in liberal San Francisco. In 2022, Johnson contributed thousands to Herschel Walker’s failed campaign for one of Georgia’s U.S. Senate seats.

In 2021, Brooks-Moon retweeted an article about Johnson’s political donations and wrote, “I’m not turning a blind eye to this, believe me….” Brooks-Moon, who is Black, was also vocal in her support of the Black Lives Matter movement after the police killing of George Floyd in 2020.

When asked Tuesday to comment on the backlash to Brooks-Moon’s departure, the Giants declined. They referred to their Monday news release, which included statements from Brooks-Moon, 65, and team president and CEO Larry Baer.

The team said it would name the announcer’s booth at Oracle Park in Brooks-Moon’s honor and recognize her 24 years of service during a ceremony at a game this season.

“Renel has been the familiar and inspirational voice for generations of players and fans at Oracle Park,” Baer said in a statement. “As an ambassador for the organization and a respected leader, Renel has been a Giant voice in the ballpark and in the community, and will be a Forever Giant.”

Brooks-Moon was the first woman to be a PA announcer for a World Series game. She also was the second female PA announcer in MLB history, following Sherry Davis, who handled the job for the Giants’ final seven seasons at Candlestick Park.

That’s where Brooks-Moon watched games as a little girl, never imagining she would become the voice of their future home.

“Representation matters, and it is my great hope that my time in the booth has inspired little girls, young women and people of color to pursue their dreams even if those dreams seem impossible — because impossible dreams can come true,” Brooks-Moon said in her statement released by the team.

Lou Richie, an Oakland native, social activist and longtime Bishop O’Dowd boys basketball coach, wished that the Giants had found a way to keep Brooks-Moon in the booth.

“It would have been nice if they had figured it out, considering that she’s such a rarity,” Richie said. “It’s like losing Barry Bonds or Mark McGwire, right? You don’t want to trade that player away.”

The Giants didn’t trade away Brooks-Moon. But by not retaining her, they have seemingly made the departing announcer a sympathetic figure.

California state assemblymember Matt Haney, whose district includes Oracle Park, named Brooks-Moon the Woman of the Year on Tuesday.

“She wasn’t just another announcer, Renel was, and is, an icon in the Bay Area,” Haney said in a statement. “You hear her voice and it’s so familiar, you can’t help but associate her identity with the Giants and the Bay Area as a whole.

“I am proud to honor her not only for her trailblazing career as an announcer, but also for using her platform to support charities and community advocacy. She’s been a leader and an inspiration in everything she’s done. Renel opened the door for so many women and for people of color. The broadcasting industry will never be the same.”

Brooks considered the announcer a mentor, not just to him but to many others. He said that “we’ll never know the number” of people she has influenced.

“But I’m sure that number has got some zeroes behind it, and maybe a comma or two in there,” Brooks added.

Reporter Evan Webeck contributed to this story.

Patrick Mahomes threw the winning three-yard touchdown to Mecole Hardman with three seconds left in the extra period. The 49ers got the ball first in overtime and drove the ball to the five-yard line, where Jake Moody made his third field goal of the game.

Receiver Jauan Jennings was involved in both of the 49ers’ touchdowns. He threw a 21-yard touchdown to Christian McCaffrey on a trick play in the second quarter, and then caught a 10-yard pass to give the 49ers the lead midway through the fourth quarter.

Purdy completed 23 of 38 passes for 255 yards and one touchdown. Christian McCaffrey ran 22 times for 80 yards and caught one touchdown.

After the defense held Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs offense in check for the first half, he helped give the Chiefs the lead in the third quarter with a touchdown pass to Marquez Valdez-Scantling.

Kicker Jake Moody made a 53-yard field goal with 1:53 left in the game to give the 49ers a 19-16 lead, and Mahomes and Travis Kelce led the Chiefs on a drive downfield to tie the game and force overtime.

Here is what the 49ers said after the game.

Kyle Shanahan

At media podium

General reaction:

“Those were two real good teams and it went back and forth the whole game. Both teams played their asses off, and in the end, they got it done.”

What are your emotions after the game?

“We all hurt, and no one knows how it feels, and I don’t have a lot of words for it, but obviously we’re hurting and our team is hurting. But that’s how it goes when you put yourself out there. I’m real proud of our guys, and I have no regrets with my team. I thought the guys played so hard today. Not everything was perfect by no means, but if I’m going to lose with a group of guys, it’s going to be with those guys any time. It’ll take some time, but we’ll get over this, and we’ll come back next year ready to go.”

With the way your offensive possession in overtime went, obviously you wanted a touchdown. What went wrong where you guys couldn’t get through there?

“On the third down? It looked like there was a protection bust up the middle. We were going to Jauan, and it looked like Jauan killed them pretty good. But Chris Jones got loose up the middle. I think there was a mistake, and I’m not sure. But he’s a hard guy to block.”

Had you thought about it on fourth down in OT, maybe going for it there instead of the field goal, or was there no hesitation?

“We never thought about it there, fourth and four. Even if we score there, they could still go down and match it. So no there, there was no thought there”

With the new rules for overtime (both teams get the ball), what goes into the decision to take the ball first there?

“It’s just something we talked about there with none of us having a ton of experience with it. But we went through all the analytics and talked with those guys, and we decided it would be better and that we wanted the ball third. If both teams matched adn scored, we wanted to be the team with the chance to go and win. We got that field goal, so we knew we had to hold them to at least a field goal and if we did, we felt it was in our hands after that.”

It looked like your defense was pretty gassed at that point in the game. Did that factor into your decision-making at all, to give them a little bit of a rest?

“No. We decided that before.”

How are Kittle and Dre Greenlaw and the guys who had to come out of the game?

“Greenlaw tore his Achilles, and I’m not sure about George. It was a shoulder thing and he couldn’t go, at the end he was off and on. He was playing through a lot of pain.”

You went out to try to shake Andy’s hand and didn’t. Is that because you saw it would take some time?

“No, we talked on Monday and last year, when we played each other last time, it took 25 minutes to shake his hand last time. So we both talked on Monday, and regardless of who won, I love Andy and am tight with Andy, but we talked and we were both going to do that because it was too hard to get to each other after these Super Bowls.”

How do you think Brock Purdy played? He was moving around, using his legs. Was that an emphasis to get him outside?

“Um, no. I mean we called a couple bootlegs and stuff, which you do that on that. But that’s what Brock does. He scrambles, he makes some plays, and we knew it would be like that. That’s the toughest defense we’ve been against this year, and we knew it going into the game. That’s a good group. The way they mix up the blitzes, and two-shell coverages against the run, and the man coverage they played was tough. That was why they haven’t given up more than 27 this year. We had our chances, and needed to score a couple of touchdowns and didn’t. But I was happy with Brock.”

Kyle, this is three times now, with the Falcons and now with the 49ers, three double-digit leads in the Super Bowl. People will talk about that. Why do you think this keeps happening?

“This is my second game as a head coach, but I think when you go against guys like Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes, you never feel comfortable with a lead. Those are two of the greatest players to ever play this game. That’s why whether you have a lead or are down points, those guys are always in it. You watch them do stuff like that all the time.”

Brock Purdy

General thoughts:

“Shot ourselves in the foot with just penalties and the operations and stuff. So I’ve got to be better in terms of leading the guys and how I handle things in the huddle and telling them what to expect and stuff like that. At the end of the day, I think we have the team, the offense to score touchdowns and I think I failed to put our team in position to do that.”

Problems to start to the second half?

“I’m still trying to figure it out. I’m not going lie. I think first and second down, we’ve just got to be better. You get in these third and longs and it’s tough to convert those kinds of situations. So just got to be better on first and second down. There’s a couple of plays, the defense got the stops like they needed to, and then our first couple plays were just either negative or we’re not moving the ball so it’s as simple as that.”

On the overtime:

“At that moment in overtime it was pretty quick, just, we came down here, let’s get points, take a field goal and then trust our defense to do what they can do. So that’s where our mindset was at. “I think earlier in the game, we needed to score in that moment, and so we were aggressive with it and went for it.”

On the emotions for Kyle:

“I mean, obviously, it sucks, man. You want to win it for that kind of guy. And he’s a great coach. Everybody wants to go to war with that guy. The way he handles himself and carries himself like we all just want to win for him. And obviously the older guys, the vets, Trent Williams, Aric Armstead, all the guys that have been through it, man, you want to win for him. But it starts with Coach man, that’s who I hurt for, and I hurt for all the other guys, our whole team. What we’ve been through the last year hasn’t been easy and for it to go like that, where it’s close at the end, it’s tough. I’m still trying to wrap my mind around it.”

On Mahomes:

“I think he’s one of the best to ever do it, honestly. Makes plays and obviously he’s got a great arm and stuff, but I just feel like the way he moves and his pocket movement and being able to run the ball when his offense needed it. And more than anything, he’s a competitor and like we said going into this game, man like you just don’t want to let him have the ball, because he can obviously do a lot of damage with it. He’s a baller.”

Takeaways?

“The first thing that comes to mind is when you have an opportunity like we did to really put some points up on them and take it, you got to take it. It’s the Super Bowl, you’ve got a good team in the Chiefs on the other side. I think we had opportunities to do that and we all fell short of it. I think that’s what eats at me is I feel like we had we had our opportunities to sort of lap them and get up on them and I think we failed to do that. So moving forward with my career, if you get blessed enough to get this in kind of position again, you have to understand that and not learn the hard way.

On the Chiefs’ defense:

“I feel like they play a little bit more man than we thought. We just didn’t know exactly how they were going to play us and we thought maybe just play zone, two show, like a lot of teams do. But they did a good job I think of stopping the run when they needed to and then man up … they did their job on third down so I think they did a pretty good job of playing man.”

On getting back to the Super Bowl?

“Yes, 100% I mean, that’s the mindset every year I think we have the team to do it. That’s what’s tough about all this, is it’s a long, long season and there’s a lot of stuff that you go through and but at the end of the day, we all have the mindset of being able to do it.”

Christian McCaffrey

On his first-quarter fumble:

“I think that I can’t put the ball on the ground on the first drive. That’s gonna sting, and I put that on me.”

On losing the Super Bowl: 

“I’m still a little numb and angry and going through all of the emotions. I just have to wake up tomorrow, and try again.”

Brock Purdy talked about missed opportunities. Did you feel like you guys had opportunities to score?

“Definitely. One that keeps coming back in my mind is that first drive. I can’t put the ball on the ground.”

Is there anything the Chiefs did that surprised you guys?

“I think it was more about execution.”

You’ve been playing in this league for a long time. How does this heartbreak compare to anything else you’ve experienced in your football life?

“Yeah, it hurts the most. Yup.”

There’s a little bit of confusion surrounding the decision to take offense first in the overtime period … 

“I was just thinking that we had to down there and score.”

Can you talk a little bit about Jauan Jennings? A touchdown pass to you, a touchdown reception himself, the second guy to ever do that in a Super Bowl. Just his talent to do so many different things?

“Yeah, he’s unbelievable, man. He’s extremely gifted, but he plays with so much heart. You see it in the run game, in the way he finishes plays. I’m just lucky I get to play with him.”

There’s a lot of attention on your young quarterback, a lot of spotlight on him. How do you think he held up on the big stage?

“I thought he did great. You go look at the self-inflicted wounds we had, and I think we just beat ourselves.”

Arik Armstead

On losing the Super Bowl.

Ah … sadness. 

How tired do you feel like the defense got? You were on the field a lot.

We gave it all we had. It’s a hard task to chase around Mahomes, so it puts a lot of pressure on you to keep from getting fatigued. But we gave it our all, and I’m proud of our guys. 

Are you surprised that Kyle sent the offense out there to start overtime instead of the defense? Did he check with you guys?

I didn’t even know about the new overtime rules, so it was a surprise to me. I didn’t even really know what was going on in terms of that. They put it on the scoreboard, so everyone was like “Oh, even if they score, we still get a chance to do something.”

Had the staff ever approached you about that this week, to let you know that there is a time when it goes to OT that the rules are different?

I wasn’t aware of it. 

On the disappointment of losing in 2020 versus now. 

The first time around, it being our first Super Bowl I was a part of, it was tough to lose. After, we were all younger. It was a little different feeling. We all had some great years ahead of us and some more opportunities. This time around, I feel like we have some opportunities, but we were just fighting so hard to get it done, and once it’s over, the hardest part is that you have to restart.

Fred Warner

On Greenlaw’s injury:

“He just been dealing with that same Achilles injury for the last few weeks, and so we ran out on the field together and I see him drop down and I knew exactly what happened.”

On the Chiefs last drive:

“We had to find a way to get to get a stop. There’s no perfect call there, we’ve got to execute. We got to find a way to get off and we just couldn’t do it.”

What happened on the final play?

“I’m not sure. I’ve got to see. I’m not sure who was supposed to be on (Hardman).”

On Mahomes:

“He’s a great player man. He’s a gamer. in those situations he knows when to throw it, when to run it. He’s a really great player.”

George Kittle

“You train all season, all offseason, every day you put in for work. You go to OTA’s. It’s a long, long season. It’s a long year, and we’re on week 27. We’ve been playing football since late July. To come up short of achieving our goal and dream, it’s not fun.”

On Greenlaw:

“That’s depressing. To get injured in the Super Bowl, hopefully he hits up Aaron Rodgers and figures out how to heal that quickly. Besides that, Dre’s a heartbeat of our defense, him and Fred in there. I know they feed off each other. And I think (Oren Burks) and (Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles) stepped in. I think they did a really good job, but we lose a guy like Dre, it’s just, it’s tough and he’s just such a fantastic football player. He’s everything that the Niners stand for. So to lose him, it really, really sucks for him.”

Jauan Jennings

On how it felt to throw that pass:

“That feels awesome. It felt like I was back at the University of Tennessee throwing to Josh Dobbs. To make that play, I just think about my quarterback coach from high school. I know he’s so proud right now and man, I thought we were gonna win.”

On the pain he’s feeling:

“How much does it hurt? Man, anybody got a nail he can step on? Probably about that much.”

Jennings, a former quarterback at the University of Tennessee, hauled in a backward pass from Brock Purdy on the first stage of a trick play called by 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan.

The 6-foot-4 wide receiver then tossed a looping ball back across the field to Christian McCaffrey, who ran upfield for a 21-yard touchdown with 4:23 left in the half. 

Jennings became the first wide receiver to throw a touchdown pass in a Super Bowl since former Steelers wideout Antwaan Randle El did so in 2006 in Super Bowl 40. 

Jennings was rated as a four-star quarterback recruit coming out of Blackman High School in Murfreesboro Tennessee, a town 30 minutes outside of Nashville. 

According to stats inputted into MaxPreps, Jennings threw for 2,169 yards and 22 touchdowns as a senior in high school.

Jennings converted to wide receiver at Tennessee, where he caught a game-winning Hail Mary pass against Georgia in 2016. He still ended up throwing two touchdowns for the Vols before being drafted by the 49ers in 2020.

KYLE SHANAHAN IS IN HIS BAG pic.twitter.com/s1GFoFRzf8

— NFL on CBS (@NFLonCBS) February 12, 2024

The previous mark was held by Steve Christie, who made a 54-yard field goal for the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl XXVIII.

Moody has had an up-and-down rookie season after he was drafted in the third round (99th overall) to replace longtime kicker Robbie Gould, who made 87.5 percent of his field goals as a 49er and did not miss in the postseason over his entire career.

Moody missed a potential game-winner against Cleveland, leading to the 49ers’ first loss of the season. He also struggled in the season finale loss to the Rams with a missed field goal and extra point, but still ended up making 21 of 25 field goals in the regular season.

Moody then missed a field goal in the divisional round against Green Bay and in the NFC Championship Game against Detroit.

Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker made Moody’s stay in the record book a short one. He made a 57-yard boot in the third quarter to cut San Francisco’s lead to 10-6.

Jake Moody drills a 55-yard field goal, the longest FG in Super Bowl history.

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: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/dClcEDViWl pic.twitter.com/Vtyv7ToFz1

— NFL (@NFL) February 12, 2024

Standing in Kansas City’s way is the same opponent the team defeated in 2020.

Chiefs fans get to play the “nobody believes in us” card for one more week, since Las Vegas has favored the NFC team over Kansas City for the second consecutive year.

Offensive star: Patrick Mahomes

Quarterback Patrick Mahomes is the greatest passer of his generation, and has carried an offense lacking playmakers to viability. Mahomes threw for 4,183 yards and 27 touchdowns for a 92.6 passer rating, which is a down year by his lofty standards. He has stepped his game up in the playoffs, throwing for four touchdowns and zero interceptions, despite playing one game in minus-30-degree weather and the other two on the road. The two-time MVP and Super Bowl champion can cement himself as Tom Brady’s undisputed heir to the QB throne with a win.

Coach: Andy Reid

Andy Reid went years being known as the coach who couldn’t win the big game. Now, it seems the 65-year-old can do no wrong in the postseason. He is coaching in his fifth Super Bowl, four with the Chiefs and one leading the Philadelphia Eagles. Fourth all-time in regular season wins at 258, Reid has led 16 top-10 scoring offenses in 25 years as a head coach. What would a third Super Bowl ring do for Reid? Just move him into a tie with Joe Gibbs and 49ers legend Bill Walsh for the third-most all-time.

Defensive star: Chris Jones

Defensive lineman Chris Jones is the one constant on the Chiefs’ ever-changing defensive cast throughout the years. The Mississippi State product has been named an All-Pro five of the past six years. Like Bosa, held out to start the season (even missing the first game), but unlike the 49ers star, was not rewarded with a huge contract. That did not affect his level of play. Had 10.5 sacks while splitting time at defensive tackle and edge-rusher, while also tying his career high with 29 quarterback hits.

Top role players

TE Travis Kelce: He became more celebrity than football player during the regular season after his romantic relationship with Taylor Swift became public. After gaining 984 receiving yards – modest by his standards – in the regular season, Kelce has reminded everyone why he is the best tight end in football with 191 yards and three touchdowns in the playoffs.

DE George Karlaftis: The breakout sophomore notched 10.5 sacks and provided a secondary pass-rush threat next to Jones. Karlaftis, a Purdue alum, also had 17 quarterback hits and three passes defensed.

C Creed Humphrey: He earned the second Pro Bowl invite of his three-year career after starting in all 17 games. He will be asked to neutralize defensive tackles Arik Armstead, Javon Hargrave and Javon Kinlaw.

RB Isiah Pacheco: Pacheco might be the NFL’s angriest runner after his choppy, high-stepping style helped him gain 935 yards in the regular season. In the playoffs, the second-year back has rushed for a touchdown in each of the Chiefs’ three games.

WR Rashee Rice: He has been a revelation for Kansas City as a rookie. The SMU product caught 79 passes for 938 yards and a team-high seven touchdowns in the regular season.

CB Trent McDuffie: The St. John Bosco (Bellflower) alum went from a solid rookie to a first-team All-Pro in his second year. A former first-round pick, McDuffie had seven passes defensed, and helped shut down Tyreek Hill, Stefon Diggs and Zay Flowers in the playoffs.

Five keys to victory

Keep Mahomes clean: The 49ers’ pass rush may not be meeting expectations based on its price, but it certainly isn’t bad. If the embattled Chiefs line can keep the 49ers’ four-man pressure packages at bay, Mahomes will have time to pick apart the sometimes-suspect secondary.

Pacheco power: The Chiefs drafted Clyde Edwards-Helaire to be a game-changer on the ground, but there’s no question Pacheco is the No. 1 back. He’s not McCaffrey, but the tackle-breaking ball of energy has what it takes to keep the Niners’ defense honest.

Sure-handed MVS: Few players had as many high-profile drops as receiver Marquez Valdez-Scantling. But after making key catches this postseason, including the game-clincher on third down in Baltimore, has he proven he can make a big catch in the clutch?

Jones vs. Williams: Chris Jones has split time between tackle and end, and it is yet to be seen how much he will match up with Trent Williams. Will the Chiefs allow Williams a chance to neutralize him, or will they have Jones try to pick on a weaker matchup?

Improved defense: Kansas City’s defense, maligned for years, has been an elite unit this season. It has allowed just 16.8 points per game, which was key when the Chiefs’ offense went MIA midseason. That unit will need to keep the good times rolling for one more week against the 49ers’ star-studded offense.

Three fun stats

— Offensive tackle Jawaan Taylor has been the most penalized player in the NFL by a wide margin. His 17 accepted penalties (eight false starts and six holds make up the majority) are five more than second place.

— Despite missing two games, Kelce had 20 more targets than the next-highest Chief. The sure-handed target caught 76.9 percent of balls thrown in his direction, and should be the focus of the 49ers’ defense on critical downs.

— Since throwing an interception in the 2022 AFC title game loss to the Bengals, Mahomes has gone six playoff games, all victories, without throwing a pick. Mahomes has more playoff games with at least three TD passes (eight) than games with an interception (four).

This is the most offensively gifted 49ers team to reach the Super Bowl since the 1994 team won it, and certainly more explosive than the Garoppolo-led unit that Kyle Shanahan coached in 2020. San Francisco was third in the NFL in scoring at 28.9 points per game.

The Niners had to rally from second-half deficits in home playoff games against both Green Bay and Detroit. Fortunately, the Chiefs do not play in the NFC North, which bodes well for San Francisco.

Offensive star: Christian McCaffrey

Running back Christian McCaffrey was so dominant during the regular season (leading the NFL with 2,023 yards and 21 touchdowns from scrimmage) that he got serious MVP buzz in this “running backs don’t matter” era. Such production is nothing new for McCaffrey, who placed second in Heisman Trophy voting in 2015 while at nearby Stanford. The seventh-year pro has been just as good in the postseason, scoring two in each game this year, giving him six in five career playoff games for the 49ers.

Coach: Kyle Shanahan

Kyle Shanahan, a former Saratoga High School student, is in his seventh season with the 49ers. Known as a creative play-caller with a penchant for turning run-of-the-mill quarterbacks into quality passers, Shanahan has proven himself to be one of the elite coaches in the NFL, much like his father, Mike. But the one thing the elder Shanahan has on his son? A Super Bowl ring – he has two as a head coach, actually. A 49ers win would make things a bit more even at the family dinner table.

Defensive star: Nick Bosa

Defensive end Nick Bosa held out for a big contract, was rewarded with a $170 million deal, and has been money for the 49ers down the stretch. The reigning Defensive Player of the Year had two sacks against Detroit in the NFC title game and has nine quarterback hits in two playoff games. His 16 tackles for loss doubled up the next-highest 49er, and he led the team with 10.5 sacks, even as that was considered a “down year” for Bosa.

Top role players

QB Brock Purdy: Calling an MVP candidate at the game’s most important position sounds blasphemous, but that’s how loaded the 49ers are. Threw for 4,280 yards and 31 touchdowns while completing 69 percent of his passes, and led the NFL in quarterback rating (113.0) and yards-per-attempt (9.6).

TE George Kittle: En route to his fifth Pro Bowl and fourth All-Pro selection, Kittle gave Purdy an inviting target over the middle while also serving as a sixth lineman in the running game. His 1,020 receiving yards led all NFL tight ends.

LB Fred Warner: The All-Pro linebacker made it six seasons with triple-digit tackles (132) in as many years, and had a career-high four forced fumbles. The signal-caller of the NFL’s third-stingiest scoring defense (17.5 points allowed per game) is more than just a thumper in the run game. He had a career-high four interceptions.

WR Deebo Samuel: An exciting rookie during the 49ers’ last trip to the Super Bowl, Samuel is now an established do-it-all offensive threat as both a receiver and runner. He caught seven touchdowns and ran for five more while compiling 1,117 yards from scrimmage.

CB Charvarius Ward: The sixth-year veteran earned All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors after he established himself as one of the league’s shutdown corners. His 23 passes defensed led the NFL, and Ward also grabbed a career-high five interceptions.

LT Trent Williams: The 11-time Pro Bowler and three-time All-Pro first-teamer is making his first trip to the game’s biggest stage. The 330-pound blindside blocker was the fourth overall pick in the 2010 draft, and is one of only eight players still active from that class.

Five keys to victory

Pressure Mahomes with discipline: The Chiefs’ future Hall of Fame quarterback can make magic, but even he will struggle under pressure. It will be important to keep him from escaping, though: While nobody will mistake Mahomes for a sprinter, he has proven capable of hurting defenses when scrambling outside the pocket.

Which Chase Young?: The former No. 2 overall pick has not been the game-wrecker many expected when the team traded for him midseason. Aside from a few splashy plays in the run game, he has disappointed as a pass rusher (2.5 sacks). His effort has been inconsistent, so the question is: Which Chase Young is going to show up in Las Vegas?

Hot start: The 49ers rallied from a 17-point halftime deficit against Detroit, and a 21-14 fourth-quarter disadvantage against Green Bay in the divisional round. Attempting a similar comeback against a Kansas City team that knows how to put opponents away is unwise.

Stop Travis Kelce: If there’s any unit equipped to stop Taylor Swift’s boyfriend (191 yards and three TDs in two postseason games), it’s the 49ers. All-Pro linebackers Warner and Dre Greenlaw have to go up against Kittle in practice every day.

Split the uprights: After a solid regular season that saw rookie Jake Moody make 21-25 field goals, he has missed a field goal in each of his last three games. Can the 49ers rely on Moody to make a clutch kick with a championship on the line?

Three fun stats

— By now, every NFL fan knows that Brock Purdy was the last pick in the 2022 draft. Adding to his improbable story, Purdy will become the only seventh-round selection to start a Super Bowl at quarterback when he takes the field Sunday.

— McCaffrey, who led the NFL with 1,459 rushing yards, is the first league-leading rusher to appear in a Super Bowl since Seattle’s Shaun Alexander in 2005. If the 49ers win, McCaffrey would be the first leading rusher to win a Super Bowl since his father Ed’s teammate Terrell Davis did so with the 1998 Denver Broncos.

— Some quarterbacks struggle when the defense brings heavy pressure, but not Purdy. According to USA Today, Purdy has thrown for 15 touchdowns and just two interceptions when attempting passes against five or more pass-rushers.