Nick Bosa appeared crestfallen as he sat on the bench in the closing seconds of the 49ers’ Super Bowl LIV loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Miami.
It would have been the perfect end to a storybook first season in the NFL. The league’s Rookie of the Year came agonizingly close to celebrating a championship just miles from where he grew up in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
“Just like any loss, it stings for a while then you eventually get over it and realize that life goes on and you’ll get another crack at it,” Bosa said on a video call Wednesday morning.
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“But when it’s that close it makes it even harder.”
Bosa said he got through the bitter disappointment by getting back to work to prepare for his second NFL season. He will be looking to improve on a season in which he registered 13 sacks in 19 games, including four sacks in the postseason.
“It’s pretty simple to get your mind off something when you can go out and train your butt off and prepare yourself,” Bosa said. “Obviously, it’s been a little tough with what’s going on in the world.
"But we have a pretty good set up down here where we’re still able to get our work in.”
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Bosa is back in Fort Lauderdale, where he and his brother, Joey Bosa of the Los Angeles Chargers, have done to their best to remain on a strict workout regimen.
They wake up around 6 a.m. and head to a nearby park for conditioning.
“We finish running by 8:30, try to get off before the park rangers show up,” Bosa said.
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After breakfast, he and his brother move their training to a gym owned by his father, John, to lift until around 2 p.m. He and his brother have even hired a chef to ensure that they continue to eat well.
“Obviously, we’re not able to get out too much,” Bosa said. “Honestly, my body is feeling unbelievable at this point.”