Deebo Samuel got a chance to enjoy Halloween with his family, taking his son Tyshun trick-or-treating. For the San Francisco 49ers wide receiver, the bye week came at the perfect time, offering a much-needed break as the 4-4 team heads into the second half of the season.
Now back at practice and preparing for Sunday's matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Samuel is enthusiastic about the return of two key offensive players—running back Christian McCaffrey and wide receiver Jauan Jennings—and the lift they might provide.
"Got Christian back, got JJ back," Samuel shared with reporters on Wednesday. "Two of our main guys that we needed to come back, and it's all hands on deck right now."
When asked how the Week 9 bye has benefited the team, Samuel noted, "I only think it can help because you open up the window for Christian to come back. Jauan came back, and just to get a break, just to give our body a break ... So it's a perfect time for our bye week, and the second half of the season, if you go down and look for the past five, six years, we've got a really good record coming off the bye week."
Samuel believes the time off provided players with a mental and physical reset, giving them a chance to recharge for the challenges of the second half of the season.
Linebacker Fred Warner echoed that sentiment, saying he feels rejuvenated and ready to attack a week of prep work.
"The bye week's a great time for reflection and getting the body where it needs to be," Warner said on Wednesday. "Still staying active, but we feel great."
Reflecting on the team's performance so far, Warner acknowledged that the first half of the season didn't go as planned, but they're now focused on finishing strong and making a playoff push.
"We're a 4-4 football team right now, and we have nine games to see how we want to be the rest of the season," Warner stated.
When asked about areas of improvement for the defense, Warner highlighted, "Just execution, communication, the small things that usually mean a lot in the heat of battle. And that's something that we're going to continue to work on this week and going forward."
