The San Francisco 49ers‘ decision to reunite Fred Warner and Dre Greelaw proved dividends in the 27-7 win over the Los Angeles Rams in Week 1 in Australia. San Francisco’s defense gave the Rams’ offense fits during the game, and both linebackers were in the middle of it.
Warner recorded 11 tackles and one forced fumble in the game, while Greenlaw recorded six tackles. Overall, the Niners defense kept Matthew Stafford in check, limiting him to 155 passing yards, zero touchdowns, one interception, and a passer rating of 61.2.
After the 49ers’ win over the Rams, FS1’s Colin Cowherd shared his thoughts on the game and put the spotlight on the linebacker duo.
“Fred Warner was all over the field,” Cowherd said in a Sept. 10 video on his YouTube channel. “How good is he? Warner had [11] tackles. Dre Greenlaw had [six]. Those guys are something else. Linebacker is one of those positions that you can be effective as a rookie. There have been a lot of great players.
“Ray Lewis as a rookie was very effective, but when you watch Warner and Greenlaw and just think about all the Niners practices they’ve been at, think of all the Shanahan play calling and play design they faced. Man, when I watch Greenlaw and Warner, you are talking about two guys who are so instinctive.”
Colin Cowherd on Instincts of Fred Warner, Dre Greenlaw
Moreover, Cowherd focused on the instincts those two play on, especially when facing an opponent they know inside and out, like the Rams.
“They just sniff out plays,” Cowherd added. “I don’t care how talented a rookie linebacker is, think about how many Niners practices Fred Warner has been at. Warner is a super smart guy anyway, but when I watch Fred Warner, you’re talking about a guy that sniffs the play out. He is planting his foot a third of a second after the ball is snapped. Again, they play the Rams regularly. The Rams didn’t bring a lot of tricks into this game.”
Along with their ability to sniff out plays, both players have the chemistry many teams would want in a linebacker duo. Even after spending a season apart, they picked up where they left off, and this reunion is off on the right foot.
George Kittle Issues Praise for 49ers Defensive Showing
While Cowherd is giving Warner and Greenlaw their flowers for how the duo performed against the Rams, veteran tight end George Kittle praised the entire defense for their showing.
“How good are Nick Bosa and Fred Warner? Wow,” Kittle told ESPN after the win. “The secondary came to play today. I know there were a couple of PI calls, but I thought our secondary played great. The linebackers and our D-line really stepped up, especially because we had two injuries in the last week.
“So proud of this team. We embraced going to Australia—a 15-hour flight. We’re here the whole week. It was a grind, but we did it. I’m just proud of this team, and I think the plan that head coach [Kyle] Shanahan and [strength and conditioning coach] Dustin Perry gave us, we executed it the right way.”
The Niners will savor this win and turn the page to Week 2 when they host the Miami Dolphins on Sept. 20 at Levi’s Stadium as the team looks to start 2-0 on the season.
49ers’ Fred Warner, Dre Greenlaw Get Strong Words After Beating Rams