San Francisco 49ers linebacker Fred Warner played with his usual high energy in Week 1's victory over the Los Angeles Rams in Melbourne, Australia. That should come as no surprise, as the All-Pro defender is widely regarded as the NFL's top linebacker.
Warner finished with a game-high 11 tackles and earned the highest overall grade of any player in the game from analytics site Pro Football Focus.
Warner may have had even more reason to be excited about returning to the field after being limited to six games last season due to an ankle injury. He also had the opportunity to reunite with his longtime linebacker partner, Dre Greenlaw, whom the 49ers re-signed this past offseason.
"Just like riding a bike," Warner said of playing with Greenlaw again. "It's a dream. It's been a dream since he rejoined our team. It's an unspoken language with me and Dre. We don't really have to say much. We understand both of us are on the same type of time every single time we step out there. We know each one of us is trying to beat each other to the ball every play.
"Dre's an unbelievable player. I'm so happy to have him back."
Greenlaw finished with six tackles in his first game back alongside Warner. Defensive end Nick Bosa also shared his thoughts on having Warner and Greenlaw lined up behind him again.
"It was amazing," Bosa said. "Dre's my favorite teammate I've ever played with on the field, so to have him back, it's awesome ... You just look in his eyes, and it gets you ready to go."
Bosa added, "He just wears his emotions on his sleeve, and you can feel the energy and just the anger. When you play defense, it's fun to be a part of."
Fred Warner evaluates Jaden Dugger
Warner also shared his evaluation of rookie linebacker Jaden Dugger, who played 34 defensive snaps against the Rams and 12 snaps on special teams.
"He's just continued to get better, which is the only thing you can ask of a rookie, really," Warner said. "We put a lot on his plate, being out there as our starting base linebacker when we have three linebackers out there. He truly did play his best ball, using his hands, being physical, making the plays that came to him, being reliable, which is everything you can ask for."
Warner wasn't the only one impressed by Dugger's Week 1 performance. Head coach Kyle Shanahan also praised the rookie's play.
"Dugger, I thought, played real well," Shanahan said on Wednesday. "We got him a lot of playing time during the training camp. A lot of playing time in all three of our preseason games. I thought this was his best game so far, so I was really impressed."
Dugger finished with five tackles in his NFL regular-season debut.
Kyle Shanahan praises his rookies
Dugger was one of several rookies who caught Shanahan's attention in Week 1.
"I thought they all played well, especially losing [DT] Alfred [Collins] early in the week, losing [DE] Sam [Okuayinonu] early in the week, [DT] Gracen [Halton] just coming back from a high ankle, so that was his first week of practice. [DT] James [Thompson Jr.] just coming back from a hamstring. He didn't practice until that Friday, so he got a walk-through in before.
"So, I was really impressed with the young guys on defense just being ready for the game. And same [for the] guys on offense, just with [RB] Kaelon Black, I thought he did well. And [WR De'Zhaun] Stribling, even though he didn't get to play much, he was so prepared for the game. That was real impressive from all the rookies."
Unfortunately, Stribling will miss extended time. He suffered an ankle injury against the Rams and will land on injured reserve. Shanahan revealed that the rookie wide receiver is expected to miss about 10 weeks.
Christian McCaffrey misses the party
Much to his disappointment, Christian McCaffrey didn't get to celebrate with his teammates on the long flight back from Australia after the 49ers' win over the Rams. The star running back explained why on Wednesday.
"I was so excited for the flight, and then I passed out for like 13 hours," McCaffrey shared. "So, when I woke up, there was like an hour and a half left, and I was like, 'Damn, I think I missed the fun part.' But it was good."
Bosa was also among the players who fell asleep pretty quickly after takeoff. But before boarding, he and his teammates had time to reflect on the win.
"We all were talking a big game that we were going to hang out and enjoy it for a few hours," Bosa said. "But we had to wait for the Rams to board [their plane], so we hung out at the airport. Some guys had some beers, maybe. And then we dozed off pretty quick. I slept the majority of it, so it was nice."
Warner managed to stay awake for the early portion of the flight and shared insight into the vibes among his teammates.
"The vibes were up, for sure," Warner said. "They were sleepy vibes, though. We had to earn it. We had to earn it, for sure. It was a long day. But yeah, I think we were all just excited to get back on the flight home with a win, honestly. That was it."
Hopefully, McCaffrey and Bosa have many more reasons to celebrate this season, making up for the missed opportunity after a big Week 1 victory.
Christian McCaffrey loved the 49ers' running back plan
McCaffrey had 10 carries for 68 rushing yards against the Rams. His backup, rookie Kaelon Black, had a game-high 14 carries for 65 rushing yards. That split was unexpected, especially since McCaffrey led the NFL last season in touches with 413.
McCaffrey's cramps during the game contributed to Black getting more reps. Still, the 49ers' plan to split the carries was welcome, and McCaffrey understands the importance of having a reliable player who can take some of the burden off your shoulders.
"I think when it comes to the run game, when you can keep backs fresh, it's a good change of pace for defenses," McCaffrey said. "And it can help keep the run game going. It doesn't really eliminate people's touches, especially if you're running the ball well.
"I look at some of the duos, even last year with [Former Falcons RB duo] Bijan [Robinson] and Tyler Allgeier, and [Former Lions RB duo Jahmyr] Gibbs and [David] Montgomery, I think it was such a good way to keep people fresh, take them out, put them in plays that you really need them.
"He's (Black) good enough to do that. So I think that's the benefit, and really, it helps everybody."
Shanahan admitted that he was surprised Black finished with more carries than McCaffrey but believes the rotation worked out well.
"That was just kind of how the game went," Shanahan said of Black's carry count. "Has a lot to do with probably me starting out the game [with] like three runs in the first 17 plays. But love taking some off Christian, and love the fact that Kaelon was prepared for everything, the run game and the pass game, and allowed us to be able to do that."
Shanahan said Black established himself as the 49ers' RB2 during training camp and looked more than prepared during the week leading up to the game.
"He showed during the week how attentive he was, how much he knew, how much he was studying, whether he got to rep or not," Shanahan added. "And when you do that, even though there are certain things you definitely want to keep Christian in on, that just makes it a lot easier for [running backs coach] Bobby [Turner] to sub him. He doesn't always know what play I'm going to call and stuff, and when you're confident that the backup knows what he's doing and can do it, it makes it easier on the position coaches."
Renardo Green earns praise from Kyle Shanahan
Cornerback Renardo Green tallied his second career interception in last week's game against the Rams, showing that he could be poised for a breakout third NFL season.
Shanahan said Green showed up for the first phase of the offseason in remarkable shape and looked ready to make a leap.
"He had an awesome phase one, two, and three," Shanahan said. "Then you get away for 40 days, and hoping they'll come back the same, and he came back to training camp the exact same way. You could tell he'd been working all year and really locked in to getting better at everything."
Green's interception was one of several encouraging defensive moments for the 49ers in their season-opening victory. With Warner and Greenlaw reunited, and several young players contributing, San Francisco's defense made a strong early statement heading into Week 2.
Mentioned in this article: Kaelon Black, Nick Bosa, Alfred Collins, Jaden Dugger, Renardo Green, Dre Greenlaw, Gracen Halton, Christian McCaffrey, Sam Okuayinonu, De'Zhaun Stribling, James Thompson, Fred Warner
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