Mark Nzeocha is in the NFC Championship Game with the San Francisco 49ers and will play the Los Angeles Rams for the Super Bowl on Sunday night. Yet he was already worried it would never come to this.

Munich/San Francisco – Special teams players rarely get a look-in. But when they are on TV, everyone knows they had a good action or made a gross blunder. In the case of Mark Nzeocha, the latter was the case in the playoff game at the Dallas Cowboys.

The linebacker rushed into punter Bryan Anger on an attempted punt block, causing a first down by the opposition. Despite the win against the Cowboys, Nzeocha feared for his job in the aftermath. “I panicked that they might kick me out,” the German 49ers pro said on Football Bromance.

Nzeocha explained his job on the play. “We had called a punt rush. My job was to rush in the A-gap and I pushed the long snapper aside pretty easily. Then I had a lot of speed and got a slight push from a teammate and flew into the punter. I was sure that I would block the punt. But it all happened very quickly and I lost control. I really didn’t feel good after that. “

Nzeocha remains starter on special teams

It didn’t come to that in the end, Nzeocha was also an integral part of the special teams in the win at the Green Bay Packers. That wouldn’t change in the NFC Championship Game on Sunday night. Speaking to Kasim Edebali and Patriots fullback Jakob Johnson, Nzeocha explained how he prepares for the game.

“Relatively similar to how we prepare before other games. We played on Saturday, we had Sunday off. Monday we analysed the Packers tape and Tuesday we’re off. Then from Wednesday, practice really starts.” The days off are no coincidence, Nzeocha reveals. “Kyle Shanahan is very big on resting after a game. He pushed back meetings and told us to sleep at least 8 hours every night. He’s a players coach.”

Against the Rams, Nzeocha will be going for his second Super Bowl appearance. Nzeocha is aware that the game could be close and that overtime is not out of the question. The 49ers pro then commented on the overtime rule, which has been hotly debated since the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills game.

Nzeocha wants new overtime rules

“Something has to be changed. It’s blatant how much power there is in a coin toss. If the Bills had won the coin toss, they probably would have won the game. I think everyone saw that this can’t go on. The team owners have to come together in the offseason.”

If the 49ers reach their second Super Bowl in three years against the Rams, it would be a big achievement for Nzeocha, too. After all, he’s only been back with the team for four weeks.

“It’s rad. The last time we saw each other, I was kind of retired. Now I’m in the NFC Championship Game. “