Tag: fred warner

Gimme Him: One player Commanders would steal from 49ers

The 49ers are loaded, but a familiar face would dramatically improve Washington’s roster.

The Washington Commanders (4-11) host the San Francisco 49ers (11-4) Sunday in a battle of NFC teams going in opposite directions. The 49ers are the NFC’s best team and are looking to secure home-field advantage in the playoffs, while the Commanders are heading toward a new regime and climbing up the 2024 NFL draft board.

The 49ers have arguably the best roster in the NFL. San Francisco is loaded on both sides of the ball and is particularly strong in the trenches. Two former Washington first-round picks play on the offensive and defensive line for the 49ers.

As we continue previewing the Week 17 game between the Commanders and the 49ers, it’s time for Washington to hypothetically steal one player from San Francisco.

Several options would dramatically improve the Commanders’ roster. Defensive end Nick Bosa, linebacker Fred Warner, running back Christian McCaffrey and wide receiver Deebo Samuel are just some of San Francisco’s stars who are among the best — if not the best — at their respective positions.

But for this exercise, we are reaching back into Washington’s past and choosing left tackle Trent Williams.

Williams, 35, is in his fourth season with the 49ers after 10 seasons with Washington. Head coach Ron Rivera traded Williams during the 2020 NFL draft, and all Williams has done since is make three more Pro Bowls and twice was named first-team All-Pro.

While Charles Leno Jr. is a solid left tackle, Williams could move him over to right tackle if he were back with Washington, giving the Commanders a terrific offensive tackle duo.

Williams remains an elite player at a premium position and is a future Hall of Famer who doesn’t look to be slowing down anytime soon. The Commanders could certainly use Williams after quarterback Sam Howell was sacked 60 times this season.

The Commanders and 49ers have played twice since Williams landed with San Francisco. However, this is Williams’ first trip back to FedEx Field. He was named one of Washington’s 90 greatest players in franchise history last year.

49ers promised Christmas present for defender who got DK Metcalf to ‘lose his mind’

The gap between these two teams is not only wide – it also goes much deeper than what’s happening on the field.

For some reason, this latest loss to the 49ers stings worse than the previous four. Maybe it’s because the Seahawks seem to be totally overmatched against their most-bitter rivals, who look like the best team in the NFL right now by a massive margin. The gap between these two teams is not only wide – it also goes much deeper than what’s happening on the field.

According to a report by Mike Silver at the San Francisco Chronicle, last week 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan showed his players several different clips of DK Metcalf throwing tantrums during games – and made a plan to get Metcalf to lose his cool again. He even promised a holiday gift for the player who got Metcalf to blow his stack.

“We will get ’14’ to lose his mind… Christmas present for whoever gets him.”

DK deserves the lion’s share of the blame, even if he was provoked by Fred Warner by getting shoved in the back of the head. Metcalf’s anger can be put to good use, but more often than not it’s hurting the Seahawks more than it’s helping them.

However, this is yet another example of Pete Carroll getting outcoached by one of his division rivals. This year Carroll went 0-4 against Shanahan and Sean McVay – both of whom seem to be out of his league. That’s a huge long-term problem and either Carroll needs to figure out a solution or the organization needs to find a head coach who can.

More Seahawks Wire stories

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DK Metcalf completely lost his composure and got ejected for a scuffle with the 49ers’ Fred Warner

DK Metcalf is furious about the Seahawks’ collapse.

The Seattle Seahawks began the 2023 season looking like one of the NFL’s chic teams. They were 6-3, riding high with a bevy of playmakers and an opportunistic defense tilting the field every Sunday. Now? They are living proof that sometimes the NFL stands for “Not For Long.”

Entering Sunday’s matchup with the San Francisco 49ers, Seattle had lost four of its last five games. It fell entirely out of the NFC playoff picture. And with further struggles against San Francisco in another defeat, the Seahawks officially fell below .500 for the first time since … Week 1. Folks, in case it isn’t clear: that’s very bad.

Naturally, this reality did not sit well with DK Metcalf.

As the Seahawks tried to rally in the Bay Area, backup quarterback Drew Lock launched an awful interception that never really had a chance of reaching his playmaker downfield. It’s probably one he shouldn’t have thrown in the first place:

In response, Metcalf didn’t handle the situation in a cool-headed manner. As he set himself up on the bench, the star receiver ironically used his helmet to smash his helmet warmer. Oh, man:

Later, after Lock threw another pick, Metcalf lost his cool altogether. Instead of just tackling the 49ers’ Fred Warner, Metcalf took full grasp of the linebacker and threw him. Even though Warner did take a cheap shot at Metcalf after the play, the receiver would be rightfully ejected for these antics:

It’s understandable that Metcalf feels frustrated about the Seahawks’ play. Their season seemed so promising only a month ago. But he’s also one of the team’s best players and leaders expected to provide a better example. Losing his composure as Seattle’s season spirals down the drain is an awful look.

Seattle’s season isn’t over, though it feels quite bleak. A cooler-headed Metcalf will be needed to salvage something meaningful down the stretch.

Watch: Fred Warner makes acrobatic play on INT vs. Seahawks QB Drew Lock

To help seal the 49ers’ win over the Seahawks, Fred Warner came up with an acrobatic interception down field from Drew Lock.

With a pair of touchdown passes on the board from Brock Purdy, the San Francisco 49ers defense took over to close out the Seattle Seahawks in Week 14 on Sunday.

Behind a fiery pass rush attack from Randy Gregory and Nick Bosa, Seahawks quarterback Drew Lock was under pressure. With Bosa and the 49ers’ pass rush lurking, Lock heaved a ball deep down the field toward DK Metcalf.

With the ball fluttering through the air, Fred Warner leaped through the air for an acrobatic interception. After Warner came up with the interception, he tossed the ball to Dre Greenlaw while Metcalf attempted to tackle him.

Via @NFL on Twitter:

While Greenlaw wasn’t able to do much to advance the ball downfield, tempers flared between Metcalf and Deommodore Lenoir, causing an ejection for both players.

This post originally appeared on Niners Wire! Follow us on Facebook and Twitter! 

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4-Down Territory: Best/Worst NFL teams, next coach fired, Worst of the Week

The NFL’s best and worst teams, the next head coach fired, and the Worst of the Week for Week 13. It’s time for “4-Down Territory!”

With 13 weeks of actual football in the books for the 2023 NFL season, and the Thanksgiving slate behind us, it’s time for Doug Farrar of Touchdown Wire, and Kyle Madson of Niners Wire, to come to the table with their own unique brand of analysis in “4-Down Territory.”

This week, the guys have some serious questions to answer:

  1. Which team is the NFL’s best right now?
  2. And which team is the NFL’s worst?
  3. Which head coach will be the next one fired?
  4. What was the Worst of the Week?

You can watch this week’s “4-Down Territory” right here:

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You can also listen and subscribe to the “4-Down Territory” podcast on Spotify…

…and on Apple Podcasts.

Watch: Nick Bosa, Fred Warner force fumble vs. Bucs’ Baker Mayfield

Nick Bosa and Fred Warner got to Bake Mayfield to stop the Bucs’ offense and force a fumble.

Since their time in college at Ohio State and Oklahoma, San Francisco 49ers edge rusher Nick Bosa and Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield have had a brewing rivalry.

In their battle on Sunday, Bosa got the first word.

With the Buccaneers threatening, Bosa linked up with Fred Warner for a sack and forced fumble. On his birthday, Warner recovered the fumble to give the football back to Brock Purdy and the 49ers’ offense.

Via @49ers on Twitter:

This post originally appeared on Niners Wire! Follow us on Facebook and Twitter! 

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49ers players say plan was to ‘confuse’ Trevor Lawrence

The 49ers said they accomplished their goal of confusing Trevor Lawrence and making him hold on to the ball too long.

Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence described his performance Sunday as “one of the worst games” he’s ever played and “really, really bad.” The San Francisco 49ers say their defensive game plan is the reason.

Lawrence completed 58.6 percent of his passes on the day for 185 yards with no touchdowns, two interceptions, and a fumble. His 48.8 passer rating on the day was the lowest he’s recorded since his rookie season.

“The guys on the back end were disguising things. We were mixing it up,” 49ers defensive lineman Arik Armstead said. “Guys being sticky in coverage allowed us the extra hitch, and confusing him, and once we confused him, he was looking to scramble, and our job was to keep him in the pocket and get him down.”

“Our back end did an unreal job mixing things up and kind of confusing Trevor,” 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa added. “I think we got more [opportunities] than we’ve had all year, by far.”

The 49ers defensive line finished with five sacks, tied for the most Lawrence has ever been sacked in a game.

We got a lot of pressure up front to make his life difficult,” 49ers linebacker Fred Warner said. “In the back end, using our disguises and being sticky in coverage, I think that’s kind of what made it a little difficult for Lawrence.”

In his postgame press conference, Lawrence acknowledged that the 49ers had “some exotic looks” on defense, but said that the Jaguars “had some answers for it.” The quarterback said most of the issue was the hole the team dug for itself early.

“We played the whole game from behind, so it changes your whole plan at that point,” Lawrence said. “When you get into the third quarter and you’re down that much because you haven’t got anything going, we’ve had so many three-and-outs, second-and-longs, third-and-longs, you don’t get to play the game the way you want to because it’s not the same circumstances.”

The 31-point loss is the most lopsided for the Jaguars since hiring Doug Pederson before the 2022 season.

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Fred Warner on adjustment with DC Steve Wilks on sideline

Fred Warner talked about how Steve Wilks’ move to the sideline went.

The 49ers defense responded well to defensive coordinator Steve Wilks’ move from the booth to the sideline. In his first game on the field instead up up in the coach’s box, San Francisco’s defense allowed only 221 yards and three points in perhaps their best performance of the season.

Team captain and defensive signal caller Fred Warner in his postgame press conference talked about the adjustment from the coach.

“It was good. It was good having him down there,” Warner said. “The communication was flawless, and yeah, it was good having him down there.”

Communication was a big key in Wilks’ decision to get out of the booth and onto the field. When he’s upstairs he has to relay play calls to a coach on the sideline who then relays the plays to Warner.  Then there’s the issue of direct communication between players and the DC.

Those issues would seem to make some of the team’s defensive woes make sense. There have been a lack of in-game adjustments and some struggles specifically with players being in the wrong spots.

Warner said the improved communication was helpful.

“I think it was pretty similar honestly,” Warner said. “I think the thing was just kinda like us just going into it we wanted to make sure the communication was good in terms of the microphone and him getting the calls to me and I thought he did a great job.”

There were other things the 49ers defense needed to do well Sunday. It was better in coverage and better at getting to the quarterback, but those were likely things fixed over the bye and not a matter of where Wilks called plays.

If the improved communication was helpful, then it’s likely the sideline move will be a permanent one for Wilks.

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5 49ers players who could cause problems for the Jaguars in Week 10

Here are five 49ers players who could cause problems for the Jaguars in Week 10:

The Jacksonville Jaguars and San Francisco 49ers couldn’t be going in more opposite directions.

The Jaguars are on a five-game win streak after starting 1-3. The 49ers lost three straight games before the bye week after starting 5-0.

Both teams were expected to be top teams in the league, but now they meet in very different situations. The 49ers are trying to prove they’re still a top-tier team, while Jacksonville is trying to cement itself as an AFC powerhouse.

Here are five 49ers players who could cause problems for the Jaguars in Week 10:

Anatomy of a Play: How on earth did Joe Burrow DO that?

Joe Burrow had one of the 2023 NFL season’s most amazing plays against the 49ers, and here’s how it all happened.

When Tom Brady retired after the 2022 season, it was a good bump for Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow. Because while Brady is the best in-pocket mover in pro football history (I will brook no argument), Burrow had become a close second, and he is absolutely now the best in the NFL at moving around the small boxing ring known as the pocket without leaving it, and making dynamic throws. Burrow had a rough start to the 2023 season as he recovered from a calf strain, but against the San Francisco 49ers in a 31-17 Week 8 win, Burrow made a play in which no defense would have been able to contain him… because San Francisco’s defense certainly tried.

With 11:29 left in the first quarter of the game, Cincinnati had  third-and-10 at its own 31-yard line, The 49ers had an overload look to the defensive right side in a concept they frequently use — three defensive lineman to the overload side, and linebacker Fred Warner as a standup three-tech to the other side. This time, instead of rushing, Warner dropped into the hook/curl area, as edge-rusher Nick Bosa crossed over tackle Javon Hargrave, and tackle Arik Armstead crossed the face of center Ted Karras.

As edge-rusher Randy Gregory collapsed the pocket to the other side, Burrow was in trouble all over the place. Most quarterbacks would have either taken a sack, thrown an errant duck, or moves outside the pocket.

But most quarterbacks aren’t Joe Burrow in the pocket. Somehow, Burrow escaped all that anarchy and fired an accurate pass to Tee Higgins for a first down.

Our buddy Joe Goodberry, a longtime Bengals expert, broke down what happened quite brilliantly:

From the overhead angle, you can see how the original routes broke down, and how Higgins used scramble rules to get free from cornerback Charvarius Ward. This play lasted so long that Warner, who dropped eight yards into coverage, nearly sacked Burrow just outside the pocket.

“I don’t use that word unbelievable anymore really, to be honest with you,” head coach Zac Taylor said after the game,. when asked about Burrow’s top-notch escapability. “But that first one, I mean, I’m joking because that’s just kind of what you come to expect and it’s just a great job. I’m sure he’s feeling pretty good. I’m sure he is going to be pretty sore, but just a good job with him never quitting on a play, keeping it alive. Again, I’ve learned just to keep my mouth shut, not say anything, and not think anything negative while he’s back there in the pocket moving around. You’ve just learned a lesson year four here. But again, that was a big play and he did a good job with his feet. He did a good job. There’s two men running through. That’s the best play you can get.”

“Yeah, it’s tough to break those down,” Burrow said. “They just kind of happen. Really, that was athleticism, acceleration, explosiveness, and those were really a big focus of mine in the offseason. I just haven’t really been able to show that too much, so it was nice to have that hard work pay off.”

It was nice for the Bengals in their quest to beat one of the NFL’s defenses, that’s for sure.