You’d think Fred Warner would be in a glorious mood coming off arguably the 49ers’ biggest win of the season (they annihilated the Rams, dominating their division rival in impressive fashion Monday night), but the All-Pro linebacker struck a decidedly somber tone in his comments to local media Wednesday, lamenting what has been a frustrating season for the 24-year-old.
“I can be better,” said Warner, the recipient of a record-setting, five-year, $95-million extension this offseason. “Last year I was playing at a high level, obviously All-Pro, Pro Bowl. Am I doing that right this second? I wouldn’t say so. I’d say we have eight games left that I could prove that.”
Warner may want to cut himself some slack. Even in what Warner would consider a down year, he still holds PFF’s ninth-highest grade (70.2) among linebackers. Of course, he was No. 1 in that metric a season ago, registering career-highs in tackles (125), fumble recoveries (two) and interceptions (two) while becoming, for a time (he would later be surpassed by Colts stud Darius Leonard), the highest-paid off-ball linebacker in NFL history.
“It’s one of the most frustrating things in the world,” Warner said of his regression. “You think that you’re putting in more work, you’re being more detailed in what you do, but for some reason, the results just don’t show up. That’s just what it’s been.”
Warner admitted there’s been a mental component to his struggles, acknowledging that his contract added a new layer of pressure. “It was a little piece of it, in the back of my mind. Like, ‘Okay, I have to show up. I have to show out more. I have to do more. I have to do this. I have to do that,’” said Warner of his imposter syndrome. “It probably hindered me a little bit, but I’m past it. I’m just looking to get better as a player. That’s it.”
For most players, the pressure comes before getting paid.
But Warner, it seems, experienced the opposite phenomenon, consumed by an obsessive need to prove himself worthy of his monster contract. Warner’s drive to succeed at all costs is admirable, but it’s important, especially in a sport with as many ebbs and flows as football, to never get too high or too low. The bar has certainly been raised for Warner, but there’s no reason to blame himself for San Francisco’s sluggish 4-5 start. And, as Warner alluded to in Wednesday’s soliloquy, there’s still plenty of football left to be played.
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