Thirteen months ago, ahead of Super Bowl 57, Kendricks spoke with NBC Sports Bay Area at Radio Row in Arizona about the 49ers. Having just finished his final season with the Minnesota Vikings, Kendricks had practiced against the Bay Area squad ahead of their preseason match in August 2022.
"Oh, man, they're flying around," Kendricks said of the 49ers defense. "They've got a bunch of great players, obviously, but it's a mindset. Like I said, we practiced against them. It's definitely a mindset."
There was one player who stood out to Kendricks, a leader who sets the tone for the entire 49ers defense—star linebacker Fred Warner.
"Man, obviously you gotta watch my boy Fred, you know what I mean?" Kendricks stated. "He's spastic, you know what I mean? He might jump over somebody. He might knock a lineman down, trip, fall up, get up, make a tackle. It's pretty relentless."
Continuing to discuss Warner, Kendricks commented, "I'm not even going to talk about his play or anything like that. I think it's his attitude, his attitude towards things. I think it's infectious for the whole defense. ... Those guys are just fun to watch."
Now, Kendricks and Warner are teammates as he joins a 49ers team aiming to rebound from a gut-wrenching overtime Super Bowl defeat last month.
Comments
More San Francisco 49ers News
Fred Warner reveals 49ers' focus heading into the bye week
By David Bonilla
Oct 27
The San Francisco 49ers needed Sunday night's win over the Dallas Cowboys to avoid slipping further below .500 and falling in the NFC West standings. Despite a late-game surge by the Cowboys, the 49ers managed to hold on for a 30-24 victory.
San Francisco hopes this win will...
49ers defense improves in key area, poised to benefit from Dre Greenlaw's return
By David Bonilla
Oct 30
According to Pro Football Focus, the San Francisco 49ers defense missed only four tackles in Sunday night's game against the Dallas Cowboys. This marks a substantial improvement, as the defense has previously recorded double-digit missed tackles three times this season and nine...
49ers mailbag: Should SF trade away some players? Will the 49ers add a wide receiver at the trade deadline? How has Ricky Pearsall looked?
By Marc Adams
Oct 30
It's the bye week for the San Francisco 49ers. After a win over the Dallas Cowboys, the 49ers improved to 4-4 and now have a week to rest up and get healthy. They hope to get some injured players back, as well, which should help. Especially since some of those players are...
Will Christian McCaffrey play against the Buccaneers? 49ers GM John Lynch weighs in
By David Bonilla
36 mins
The San Francisco 49ers opened running back Christian McCaffrey's practice window on Monday, raising the possibility he could suit up for Sunday's game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. McCaffrey has been on injured reserve (IR) since September 14 due to bilateral Achilles...
