49ers vs. Rams: How Fred Warner became a master in the way of the fist
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Asked this week about facing an 0-2 Los Angeles Rams team that fell 41-10 to the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, Kyle Shanahan said that the Rams are better than that score indicated and noted that the San Francisco 49ers' outing in Minnesota could have looked nearly as lopsided if not for a couple of variables.
One of those variables: Fred's fist.
The Vikings were a yard and a half from going up 27-7 at the end of the third quarter when, in one motion, Fred Warner lowered his right shoulder into running back Aaron Jones' chest and punched the ball free. The 49ers recovered it, then drove 99 yards for a touchdown that kept the game close.
Warner has three such punchouts in two games and leads the league in forced fumbles. He did the same to New York Jets running back Breece Hall in the opener, winding up and knocking the ball out while still making the tackle. He also used his right cross to jar the ball from Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold just before he ran out of bounds in the fourth quarter Sunday.
Warner's main adversary Sunday, Rams running back Kyren Williams , was solid when it came to ball security last season with three fumbles, two of which were lost, in 12 games. He did, however, lose the ball eight times in his last two seasons at Notre Dame.
Is the Warner Wallop something the 49ers linebacker worked on this offseason? Well, yes. But it's really a move he's been perfecting throughout his career, so much so that he said he no longer thinks about it as it's happening. Warner called it "muscle memory."
"It's kind of like a subconscious thing — when the moment feels right my body knows what to do," he said this week.
Warner has been a dependable, tackling machine since he took over the middle linebacker spot for the 49ers as a rookie in 2018. He's had at least 118 tackles in each of his six seasons so far. In recent seasons, he's added takeaways to his resume.
* Through two games
His fellow linebackers said that punching the ball free isn't as simple as it looks because the target is moving so quickly and because it's easy to botch your primary assignment — making the tackle — while concentrating on striking the ball.
"A lot of guys you'll see punch and miss tackles," Curtis Robinson said. "He'll rarely ever miss tackles."
"With Fred, it's his size, his confidence and his skill, too," Dre Greenlaw said. "I mean, we work at it every day. That's how you become a master at it."
In the 49ers' position rooms, a defensive lineman might be rewarded for gritty game-day performance by being presented with an ax. The receivers get to sign a yellow hardhat whenever they record a knock-down block.
Do the linebackers get anything for a punch-out fumble?
Robinson smiled and shook his head.
"The prize is giving your team a chance to win," he said.
? Here are the 49ers' options ...Matchup to watch
Rams wide receivers vs. the 49ers secondary
Both are in a state of flux. The Rams will be without their top wideouts, Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua . The 49ers, meanwhile, will be working in safety Talanoa Hufanga , who hasn't played a game since Nov. 19, while their top cornerback, Charvarius Ward , was nursing knee and hamstring injuries this week.
Who stands out among the Rams receivers beyond Nucua and Kupp? Safety Ji'Ayir Brown cited Tyler Johnson and Demarcus Robinson , who both started alongside Kupp against the Cardinals.
"Eighteen (Johnson) is pretty good," Brown said. "I think he can handle that role of Kupp, take on that responsibility."
Robinson, meanwhile, is the senior member of the group. The nine-year veteran produced 0.49 EPA per target and 1.3 EPA per reception rates on 39 targets last season, according to TruMedia, elite levels within the small sample. And through two games this season, Robinson's EPA-per-reception rate is even higher at 1.6.
Club connections
Rams quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is back from a suspension for testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug, which means that if Matthew Stafford has to leave Sunday's game for any reason, Garoppolo would face his former team.
It also means that Garoppolo has been operating as the Rams' scout-team quarterback this week, playing the role of Brock Purdy . Purdy, of course, was the 49ers' rookie backup and scout-team quarterback on Dec. 4, 2022, when a Garoppolo foot injury sent him into the game. He's started every contest since, save for last year's meaningless season finale against the Rams.
"It's going to be a little weird," Garoppolo told L.A. reporters of being on the sideline opposite his former squad. "But I'm excited to see a bunch of those guys. It will be fun."
Other familiar faces: Cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon , who is on the Rams' practice squad, and rookie running back Cody Schrader , who is on the 53-man roster. Schrader has been inactive for the two games so far.
Quote of the week
When Donald retired in the offseason, the Rams' current career sacks leader became Michael Hoecht with 10 1/2, a tad less than Donald's franchise-best 111 sacks.
(Top photo: Alika Jenner / )
