Nick Bosa is still not completely over the Super Bowl loss and maybe never will be

Losing Super Bowl LIV moved one of the toughest 49ers players to tears.

Images and videos of Nick Bosa’s raw emotions went viral shortly after the game clock wound down to zero, and he still isn’t fully over the loss.

When the Defensive Rookie of the Year spoke to media via video conference on Wednesday he admitted he still hasn’t re-watched the fourth quarter of the game yet.

“Yeah, I don’t like thinking about that game very much, but I have gone back and watched up until the fourth quarter.” Bosa said. “Was I held? It comes down to opinion. You know, a human being. That’s what refs are, they are human beings. So if they think it’s holding, they think it’s holding.”

But 49ers fans need not worry, Bosa is not wallowing in his feelings. The loss seems to have increased his appetite to hoist the Lombardi trophy in the air with his teammates.

“It’s definitely good motivation,” Bosa said. “First year you get there, and you’re seven minutes away, and a nightmare of a situation happens. So you could bet that we’re going to come back pretty strong this year if we’re able to get 16 games in, and the playoffs.”

Bosa is, of course, referring to the possibility that the NFL schedule could be reduced as a result of COVID-19 restrictions which he hopes does not happen.

On the other hand, one of the benefits of the lengthened off season due to stay-at-home orders was Bosa’s ability to work out with his brother Joey in Florida for six months straight. As a rookie, Bosa spent the 2019 offseason preparing for the NFL Scouting Combine, recovering from a sports hernia injury and traveling around the country for team visits.

“I definitely didn’t get all the benefits of it last year but after six months of training, I think I’ve gotten all of the benefits, and I’m feeling it out here in these workouts and these runs we’re doing,” Bosa said. “I feel like I’m by far in the best shape that I’ve ever been. I don’t look much different because we don’t train to body build, we train to play football, and I think it will show.”

Bosa believes his motivation is matched by his teammates who have been just as energized to get back to work.

“It’s just fun to be around other people, and especially the people that you haven’t seen in a while and you went through a lot with last year,” Bosa said. “Just being around the guys, it’s really just taken a lot of stress out of my mind.

“I’m enjoying it a lot and I’m really excited for the year to come, because I think we have added some great pieces. We’ve obviously lost a couple, but the people we’ve added have come in and impressed me, and I’m just super excited to get going.”