The San Francisco 49ers opened their Levi's® Stadium locker room doors on Friday afternoon. Here's what we came away with...*
Observations
1. We saw the newest member of the 49ers practice squad, cornerback Chance Casey, in the locker room for the first time. He and San Francisco's seven other p-squad players will travel with the team to New Orleans.
2. Defensive tackle Justin Smith has a black and white photo of him and his son walking off of a football field wearing number 94 jerseys taped next to his locker stall.
- Special teamer Bubba Ventrone handed out deli sandwhiches to teammates as they were packing their bags for their afternoon flight toward the "Big Easy."
- When he came into the locker room from lunch, right guard Alex Boone yelled to everyone within shouting distance, "Pack 'em up; zip 'em up," as the 49ers equipment crew gathered players' bags.
- "I always feel like I'm forgetting something; oh my cleats!" safety Eric Reid said to himself as he was readying to leave.
- Reid said that 6-foot Saints quarterback Drew Brees "plays like he's 6-foot-6." The LSU product also said that he was surprised that Brees knew who he was when they embraced after their teams' game in 2013.
- Rookie outside linebacker Aaron Lynch, who has recorded a sack in two straight games, was overheard beginning a sentence, "If I'm here next year..." Showing his modesty, the impressive pass-rusher also said, "I think I take it a lot more seriously in the NFL than I did in college," when asked about his work ethic. "As far as strides, I feel stronger on the field."
- Another 49ers outside linebacker, Dan Skuta, said that he's not sure if he'll be able to play Sunday after missing practice this week with an ankle injury. Skuta said that staying at a hyperbarics facility in Los Gatos, Calif., allowed him to go from limping on Monday to running around the practice field on Friday. He added, "I wasn't as fast as I usually am."
