As of: February 11, 2024, 3:10 p.m
By: Nico-Marius Schmitz
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Played for San Francisco for five years: Mark Nzeocha.
© Photo: Imago
Mark Nzeocha played for the San Francisco 49ers from 2017 to 2021.
In 2022, Nzeocha played in the Super Bowl with the 49ers - and lost against the Kansas City Chiefs.
In an interview with our newspaper, the 34-year-old talks about cabin clowns, an offensive genius and the key duel in the Super Bowl.
Mark Nzeocha, in pre-season you were flown in with your family to a 49ers game as an honorary player. So the connection is still there?
That was a really intense feeling.
That meant an incredible amount to me.
Sure, I played there for five years and put a lot into this organization, but I wasn't a superstar.
And then to still receive this recognition, I will never forget the warm welcome.
I was able to show my boys where Dad always spent so much time.
Now I'm truly a lifelong 49ers fan.
For a long time it didn't look like the Super Bowl against the Detroit Lions. Didn't that make you nervous?
I just know what the boys are capable of.
When the 49ers do everything they can, they are very difficult to beat.
The quality of the coaches is outstanding.
The right adjustments are usually made at halftime.
The team has now enjoyed two consecutive comeback victories in the playoffs.
They are all cut from the right stuff.
If their backs are against the wall, they can continue to perform.
It's important to carry this momentum into the Super Bowl.
You also played together with many of the current team.
Fred Warner is a really good friend, I'm also in contact with Dre Greenlaw, Nick Bosa and George Kittle.
I've played with many of the boys for years and it bonds us together for life.
George Kittle represents entertainment and performance. It was certainly never boring with him in the dressing room...
What you see in the media about Kittle is definitely completely the truth (laughs).
He's really always so excited.
George is always up for a laugh and makes the whole team loosen up.
Players like that are extremely important.
But he doesn't just fax like a clown in the dressing room, he also destroys things on the field.
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What do you think is the key to the 49ers' Super Bowl success?
The offensive line around Trent Williams will be important.
You have to establish the run early to keep the Chiefs off the field for as long as possible.
When the 49ers' running game works, the entire field suddenly opens up for the star receivers.
Then they will be difficult to stop.
There is a lot of praise for Coach Kyle Shanahan. You have experienced it too.
I was there from day one.
I was already with the 49ers in his first year in 2017.
2017 and 2018 were really tough years.
But you need something like that as a player, and especially as a coach.
The ups and downs shape you.
In the NFL, if you don't perform, you're often kicked out immediately.
The organization has given Shanahan time to develop.
And he has developed incredibly.
Kyle is an offensive genius who develops specific plays for each game.
As a player, I saw how much time he invests in it, how much film material he watches.
Kyle is not a finished product, he is always evolving and learning from every mistake.
On the other hand, Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce are two players who can never be disturbed. You had to experience this first hand in the Super Bowl.
Yes, unfortunately (laughs).
That's really awesome.
The Chiefs were nothing special in the regular season, just average.
But when it comes down to it, it clicks again.
Andy Reid then brings back plays from a few hundred years ago, so as a defense you think: What's going on now?
Kelce and Mahomes are made for these huge moments.
But I think the 49ers defense is also built to stop them this year.
How did you experience the hype surrounding the Super Bowl back then?
When I saw the pictures from the opening night, some feelings came back.
At that moment you realize: Okay, here we go, in a few days you'll be playing in the most important game of the year.
That's an awful feeling.
The week leading up to the Super Bowl is very hectic.
The media hype is huge.
But you have to somehow try to maintain your normal routine.
You have to try to block out all the show.
And then you invest so much to get to the Super Bowl and yet everyone only talks about Taylor Swift.
You can’t be mad at the NFL (laughs).
Taylor Swift brings in so much money, she has all her Swifties behind her who are suddenly all interested in football.
As a football fan, it may not always be the best thing, but the NFL business will flourish.
Interview: Nico-Marius Schmitz