MIAMI, Fla. -- The 49ers' journey from Mobile to Miami means something a little different for safeties Jimmie Ward and Jaquiski Tartt.
The 49ers were given the dubious honor of coaching the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala., just one year ago. Now they are in Miami preparing for the biggest challenge of the year in Super Bowl LIV.
Tartt and Ward’s journey from Mobile started much earlier, when both defensive backs played together at Davison High School in Mobile. The two safeties argue like an old married couple at times, but always with a smile and several jokes.
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“He’s from Mobile?” Tartt joked when speaking to NBC Sports Bay Area on Wednesday. “I didn’t know he was from Mobile.”
The two don’t only have geographic similarities. Tartt and Ward both have battled through injuries, finally playing their most games together during the 2019 regular season. Their injuries partly have been a result of their physical play. Both players are known for their hard-hitting style.
“It’s been fun,” Tartt said. “It’s wonderful to be in this position right now. I’m blessed and very humbled to be here. Just going back through both our NFL careers. It could have been so different for us where we could have been injured or cut, or released or whatever the case may be.
“Just to be a part of this team in the Super Bowl, and being from the same city and the same high school, is wonderful.”
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Ward was equally effusive about Tartt and their bond. No words need to be spoken on the field, they always know what the other is doing and thinking. That doesn’t mean that they are quiet during the game, not even close.
“Yeah man, it goes back to high school, that’s my boy,” Ward told NBC Sports Bay Area. “We argue every now and then, but it’s all for a greater cause. We both try to push each other to get better -- iron sharpens iron.
“Just having him on the field is just phenomenal. Just like he understands me and I understand him. The chemistry we have is just off the hook. Nobody can account for that. It’s just having him out there it’s just knowing ... I just trust him, and I feel he does the same.”
Tartt and Ward haven't had much time to reflect on how far they’ve come since their days in Mobile, especially with one more goal to accomplish. Ward knows if they both walk away from Super Bowl LIV victorious, they enjoy some time for reflection.
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“We always got to look ahead,” Ward said. “There’s always a new opponent, there’s always great players that we have to face. We’re finally close to the finish line but it’s all about the finish.
“If we finish, then I’m pretty sure we will soak it in during the offseason. We will have time to reminisce and then talk about the future.”
Programming note: NBC Sports Bay Area feeds your hunger for 49ers Super Bowl coverage with special editions of “49ers Central” all week (8:30 p.m. Thursday, 9:30 p.m. Friday, and 3 p.m. Saturday).
Also tune in at 1 p.m. on Super Bowl Sunday for a two-hour special of "49ers Pregame Live" with Laura Britt, Donte Whitner, Jeff Garcia, Ian Williams, Kelli Johnson, Greg Papa and Grant Liffmann. That same crew will have all the postgame reaction on "49ers Postgame Live," starting immediately after the game.