Fred Warner’s ironman streak of 62 straight games played to begin his career came to an end in Week 13 on Sunday in Seattle. The 49ers linebacker was limited to the sidelines as he dealt with a hamstring injury that caused him to miss the first game of his NFL career.
“It sucked,” Warner told reporters Wednesday. “That’s the best way to put it. It was terrible. I pride myself on being available for this team and the defense. So it sucked being on the sideline and not being able to help them get the win. The streak was good while it lasted.”
Warner expects to play Sunday, said he feels “100 percent” heading into Week 14 against the Cincinnati Bengals. Coach Kyle Shanahan said Warner is a “full-go” for Wednesday’s practice. Warner said he did some lobbying to the training and coaching staff to let him play against the Seahawks, but they ultimately decided against it.
“We all talked about it and we were all on the same page that the risk outweighed the reward,” Warner said. “I coulda went out there and we wouldn’t have known what was going to happen. It was either go out there and risk being out for another four weeks or take one week off and be back for this week. So, happy to be back.”
After signing a five-year, $95 million contract extension with increased expectations this offseason, Warner currently leads the 49ers in tackles (92). While he hasn’t played up to his All-Pro standards of last season, he still is the emotional leader of the defense and perhaps the entire team.
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Warner said he’s looking forward to matching up against Bengals running back Joe Mixon, who he used to compete against in high school football showcases. Mixon ranks second in the NFL with 978 rushing yards and 12 rushing TDs this season, while he also has 26 catches for 192 yards and two more scores.
“You see it still to this day, the ability to catch the ball out of the backfield, the shiftiness,” Warner said. “He’s a bigger back, he’s going to run through tackles. We gotta to make sure we’re on point.”
49ers linebacker Marcell Harris (concussion) is also a “full-go” for Wednesday’s practice after missing last week’s contest.
