Injuries can change the destiny of any NFL game.
Star 49ers linebacker Fred Warner is of the idea that Dre Greenlaw, if it weren't for his unfortunate torn left Achilles, could have been Super Bowl LVIII MVP.
“Obviously what happened to him in the Super Bowl was hard to wrap your mind around, really,” Warner told 95.7 The Game's "Willard and Dibs" on Monday.
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“It was so sad to see him go down at that moment. He was having, I think, a career game. You could tell that he was possibly going to be the Super Bowl MVP the way he was playing.”
A fundamental piece to the 49ers' defense, Greenlaw suffered the Achilles injury during the second quarter of San Francisco’s Super Bowl LVIII loss to the Kansas City Chiefs at Allegiant Stadium.
And while the timetable for the 26-year-old’s eventual return remains unclear, Warner – half of the elite linebacker tandem – is confident in his partner’s rehab process.
“So for him to go down, that was tough for me,” Warner added. “That was tough for our team.
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“But he’s as good as he can be. He’s on track. Obviously, on track to get back and recover. He’s really good with his energy, so he’s doing really well.”
Five months into his recovery, it is known that Greenlaw is out of his boot and working towards gaining strength and mobility.
In the meantime, Warner is certain that San Francisco’s linebacker core, including free-agent signing De’Vondre Campbell, will do well filling in for Greenlaw and is capable of causing nightmares for opposing offenses all season long.
“I’m really excited about our linebacking group,” Warner concluded. “Obviously, Dre is going to have to take his time with recovery. But the guys that we have coming in in his spot, I think we got a lot of young talent. We obviously signed De'Vondre Campbell in the offseason, which is a great addition for us.
"So, I’m excited for us.”