49ers coach Kyle Shanahan appears ready to make an executive decision without consulting his veteran players.
After the successes the 49ers experienced with back-to-back victories in the Eastern time zone to open the season, Shanahan said he wants to again have a 10-day road trip when the 49ers play at the Baltimore Ravens on Dec. 1, followed by a game at the New Orleans Saints the following Sunday.
“I think they know how it went, and I think they understand,” Shanahan said Monday upon the team’s return to Santa Clara. “I think everyone has different opinions, and I think no one will argue with the fact that it does make sense.”
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
Now, Shanahan said the pressure is on the 49ers’ travel logistics department of Steve Risser and Michael Slap to piece together the trip's details.
On The 49ers Insider Podcast, several members of the 49ers spoke about the advantage of the team spending the week to practice in Youngstown, Ohio, rather than traveling back to the Bay Area after the Week 1 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
“All week we knew it was going to be a grind,” linebacker Fred Warner said. “We were in a new spot and those practices were tough and we grinded through them. We knew it would pay off in the end on Sunday. And, obviously, the result showed that. We came out firing with our hair on fire.”
The 49ers scored on seven of their first nine possessions in a 41-17 win Sunday and stretched their lead over the Cincinnati Bengals to 41-10 after the first play of the fourth quarter. Running back Raheem Mostert provided a big play early in the game when he blasted into the end zone on a 39-yard catch-and-run to give the 49ers a 14-7 lead. San Francisco came out energized, and Mostert’s speed in splitting the Bengals’ defense was apparent.
San Francisco 49ers
“The first couple of days (in Youngstown) we were trying to get acclimated to the change,” Mostert said. “It helped having the Tampa game because it was hot there. We came to Youngstown and there was more of a cool breeze, that brisk air.
“We had some challenges staying on the east coast, but we got through it. As you could see, that was the result.”
49ers cornerback Richard Sherman afterward admitted the decision to cut down on the back-and-forth travel was beneficial. But he said there were family issues that must be considered before the 49ers commit to another extended road trip later in the season.
“Obviously, we won this game and had a successful trip, so I’m sure we’ll take that into account,” Sherman said. “But I’m sure they’ll take what our wives have to say, and what his (Shanahan’s) wife has to say, and what the kids have to say.”
[RELATED: Why Riddick says 49ers are best fit for star CB Ramsey]
Sherman joked that the traveling party might be bigger next time because the wives and children of the players and coaches might want to be included, too.
“We might be taking a bigger trip with a bigger group of people, because it would be another 10 days without the family in the middle of December or November -- whenever it is,” he said.