Has Fred Warner Lost Confidence in Brock Purdy or Steve Wilks?
SANTA CLARA -- Fred Warner is the 49ers' leader and unofficial spokesman. So when they lose three games in a row, you want to know what he has to say about it.
On Sunday after the 49ers lost to the Bengals, reporters asked Warner about his confidence in Brock Purdy and Steve Wilks. Here's what Warner said:
Q: You still have confidence in QB Brock Purdy, even though he struggled in the last couple of games?
WARNER: "You want me to say no? I mean, come on now. The quarterback is always going to receive the brunt of the criticism. But Brock is the least of my worries. Brock is made of the right stuff. Can he protect the ball better? Sure. But he’s the reason why we have a chance to win games in every single game we’re in. The common denominator right now is that I haven’t been able to say in the last three losses that the defense had our best outing and we just happened to lose. We’re not playing good football on our side. That’s the reason why we haven’t won the last three games. That’s got to get figured out and it will get figured out. The Bye will be great for us. People want to say, ‘Oh man, it sucks. We can’t just get the taste out of our mouth after a quick turnaround.’ We had that opportunity this week and we didn’t get it right. I’m going to look at it as it’s a good reset to go into the bye, figure this thing out and get back to playing 49er defense, because right now, we’re not."
Q: Somebody who’s received some criticism is 49ers Defensive Coordinator Steve Wilks. What do you think about the way he’s coordinated? He said he’s kind of learning the defense. Do you think there’s an adjustment still going on?
WARNER: "That’s the least of my worries. Honestly, I think players win games, not coaches. I think he’s done a great job. There’s going to be ebbs and flows in the season, especially with a new defensive coordinator. The offensive side has gone through that as well when we lost [Miami Dolphins Head Coach Mike] Mc Daniel. Even though [Head Coach] Kyle [Shanahan] is the play caller, when you lose a coach, there’s going to be adjustments being made throughout a season. We’ve got to continue to work on that, but at the end of the day, players are going to be the reason why we win games. We’ve got to execute at a higher level."
GRANT'S TAKE: Warner said Purdy and Wilks each are the least of his worries. Which technically means Warner is worried about them. Warner is a leader who wants to project confidence and positivity -- he's like a head coach. But he can't hide his true feelings. And it seems like when he says so-and-so or such-and-such is the least of his worries, that's a nice way of him saying he's worried.
How could you not be worried about Purdy and Wilks? Both guys are in tailspins and neither one might pull out of it. They have this bye week to figure it out.
