By 11 a.m., the team had wrapped up their final pre-trip news conference and the buses were ready to take them to the airport for their trip to North Carolina -- but not before they took part in a travel day ritual.
The Niners are hungry for another playoff win, but what do you feed these mammoth men to satisfy the other hunger in their belly? "These are called 'The Chris Combo.' It's our secret sandwich. We don't tell people what's in it. It's actually not even on the menu," Chris Bertucelli explained Friday.
Chris Bertucelli's La Villa Delicatessen in Willow Glen is popular with the Bay Area professional sports teams. His sandwiches are so good, the 49ers order them every time they travel for a game. On Friday, the coaches and players requested 65 sandwiches for the road.
"You're always fingers-crossed, hoping that they will be the lucky sandwich for you. You don't want to be the bad luck sandwich," Bertucelli said.
49ers fans also fuel up at Vernon Davis' Jamba Juice in the Rivermark Plaza in Santa Clara. They're planning on a big party this weekend. "Super excited. I'm going to have people over at the house. I just want to say good luck to the Niners," Rose Carter said.
"Cam Newton and Colin Kaepernick together are just going to be... It's going to be an electric game," Jeff Pappas said.
The sandwiches have been delivered. The game starts at 10:05 a.m. Sunday. Most Las Vegas sports books have the 49ers favored by just one point.
