The San Francisco 49ers are the victim of one of the biggest hits that any NFL player can have. The team has lost its star linebacker Fred Warner who dislocated and broke his ankle ending his season, an injury that might have changed the entire identity of the team.
Fred Warner is considered one of the best middle linebackers in the league but already had accumulated 51 tackles in little more than five games. He was more than the numbers; he was the heart and the voice of the defense of the 49ers – the man who had everything about him organized and had everything in place. The loss of him is titanic, just like when Nick Bosa lost his ACL a few years ago.
Jason Garrett, who served as a former NFL head coach, took part in the Football Night in America, thus pointing out that San Francisco will not appear the same without their defensive head coach.
Garrett said that as long as any team could do it, they could. Kyle Shanahan is as good as it is and Robert Saleh the same on the other. However, without Fred Warner in the roster I will tell you what, you are a different team.
Garrett was right in making this point clear, the 49ers may still live but it will not be the same. The change was evident in the loss to Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sundays. The defense of the 49ers appeared to be out of sync following the departure of Warner in the first quarter. During the third quarter, they had narrowed to 2019, but again Baker Mayfield and the Bucs took off, leaving the hole that Fred Warner left open.
Nonetheless, the defeat has not put San Francisco at the very bottom of the NFC West, as it has a 42 record despite the number of key players unavailable to it, such as Brock Purdy, Brandon Aiyuk, Ricky Pearsall, and Bosa.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan and the front office might have to strike on defensive assistance as the trade deadline nears on November 4. The 49ers has lost two of their biggest stars during the same season and it might be too much of a burden on the powerhouse to handle.
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