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‘He was getting us turnt’: Kwon Alexander provided hype for Warner, Greenlaw’s career games

By

Jacob Hutchinson

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© Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

For the litany of issues the 49ers had on Monday night—questionable offensive line play, a barely existent run game and a maddening amount of dropped passes, turnovers and injuries—the performance of the Kwon Alexander-less linebacker group did not make the list.

Instead, rookie weak side linebacker Dre Greenlaw and second-year middle linebacker Fred Warner had career games; providing consistency and moments of game-altering brilliance when the 49ers were at their most hapless.

Warner, who hadn’t secured a sack in his entire career, finished with two of them and season-highs in just about every other statistical area. He had 10 tackles, a forced fumble and a pass deflection.

That line of 10 tackles, two sacks and a forced fumble is the first time such a mark had been reached by any NFL players since Chicago Bears defensive tackle Akiem Hicks did it against the 49ers on December 4, 2016. Warner is also the first 49ers linebackers with two sacks in a game since Ahmad Brooks and Aaron Lynch both had a pair against the Seahawks on October 22, 2015.

Alexander provided the pre-game hype—don’t bet on that changing

In a sling, red 49ers sweatshirt and beanie, Alexander rallied the Hot Boyzz along the 49ers’ sideline as team warmups kicked into gear. The compact group of linebackers huddled in a tight circle around their leader as he delivered a war cry a half hour before kickoff.

“He was getting us turnt, man,” Greenlaw told KNBR. “It was good having Kwon out there, just to talk and kind of help you out throughout the game. He’s a vet and puts his input in on what he sees, so seeing him brings you a little confidence. It lets you know that your boy is out there and he’s got your back.”

Greenlaw said Alexander was active on the sidelines, constantly providing him pointers throughout the game. Alexander told KNBR he felt he needed to be there, but being sidelined again after recovering from an ACL tear this offseason is a painful experience.

“Tough bro, tough,” Alexander said. “I love being out there [on the field], but I had to get out there just for the atmosphere. It’s tough not being out there with my brothers when you work so hard and come back from an injury. Just my presence, I just try to have my presence and my energy out there to lead those guys on and just tell them to keep going, don’t take it for granted.”

The five-year veteran expressed pride in the entire linebacking group, and in his rookie counterpart, Greenlaw. While the first-year linebacker has been praised consistently for his work ethic, he was noticeably attached to a tablet in the 49ers locker room more than usual during the week of practice.

“Very impressed,” Alexander said. “He worked his butt off this week, studying and preparing for the Seahawks and everything paid off… I’ve always had faith in Dre since he first got here and he already had the attitude that he wanted to be legendary and it showed off when he put the work in, went out there and just played ball and didn’t think a lot.”

Asked whether he’d continue to be around for defensive meetings and practices, Alexander laughed.

“I’m here, man,” Alexander said. “I ain’t going nowhere.”

Game-saving plays, performances from Warner, Greenlaw

The 49ers’ early, 10-0 first-half lead was washed away by an ugly pair of inside-the-25 fumbles by Jimmy Garoppolo and a drop-turned-interception by Kendrick Bourne, leaving a 21-10 deficit and the 49ers stumbling towards what seemed an inevitable, injury- and error-caused defeat.

Instead, it was a combination of K’Waun Williams, Warner, DeForest Buckner, and a delusional Germain Ifedi who breathed life into the 49ers again.

After Williams forced a sack-fumble on Russell Wilson, the Seahawks’ left tackle Ifedi, discernibly in an attempt to live out his pipe dreams as an NFL running back, tried and failed to turn the ball upfield. Warner met him with one of his now-patented fumble-forcing haymakers (a great view below at the 45-second mark), popping the ball loose and into the path of Buckner, who ran it in for a touchdown. Followed by a successful two-point conversion, it turned a dire, two-possession game back into a contest.

“What the hell is this dude doing?” was the first thought that Buckner said crossed his mind when he saw Ifedi start handling the ball rather than falling on it. He said that he thought he’d forced the fumble and joked that he was “hurt” when he found out it was Warner.

“That was a crazy play,” Warner said after the game. “They tried to run a tight end screen. Dre did a great job sniffing it out, grabbing him. I don’t know how the tackle ended up having the ball in his hands. I was confused at first, but then I saw Buck grab him and I came up and took a shot at it. It popped out, DeFo made a hell of a play, ran it back and gave us some life. Huge play by DeFo.”

That shot of adrenaline was matched only by Greenlaw’s game-saving, and for a moment, potentially game-winning interception of Wilson. It was just the second thrown all year by Wilson, something which Greenlaw said he was unaware of after the game. He had eight tackles of his own, and picked off the potential MVP like a Pro Bowl corner.

According to safety Jaquiski Tartt, Greenlaw had reaffirmed to the rest of the 49ers’ defense the play before his interception that the Seahawks’ charge down the field wasn’t worth anything yet. Put simply: “They’re not in the end zone yet,” Greenlaw said.

On that interception, Greenlaw said his responsibility was the flat and that he “instinctively turned his hips open” when he saw Wilson looking his way. The feeling of ecstasy was short-lived, he said.

“It was unreal at the time, but then, went back into reality, and it’s about trying to win the game,” Greenlaw said. “That’s the goal. So at first, it felt unreal and then I was like, we still haven’t won the game.”

Warner was nothing but complimentary of his new partner at the WILL spot.

“Dre did outstanding,” Warner said.” I thought he had a great game. He was out there communicating, lining up with urgency, making plays. That play where he intercepted the ball was just insane… I honestly couldn’t believe it, it was so, kind of surreal. He’s a great player, very instinctive and it showed.”

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