WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. — The 49ers linebacker duo of Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw is at the top of their games.
Warner and Greenlaw believe they are the best pair of linebackers in the NFL.
Did anyone mention the names Patrick Willis and NaVorro Bowman?
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OK, that’s where Warner draws the line. Let’s not get too carried away, he said.
“I wouldn’t go so bold to say that me and him are Pat and NaVorro,” Warner said Wednesday at the Greenbrier Resort. “That’s a pretty big statement.”
Willis and Bowman easily formed the best pair of linebackers during the 2010s. Willis was an NFL All-Decade selection and Bowman was chosen as an All-Pro four times. Warner said the more applicable comparison for him and Greenlaw is to stack them against their peers.
“Do we believe we’re the best tandem? Of course,” Warner said. “We said that before the season even started, that we have the best group in the league. So our job every week is to continue to get better, continue to play with our hair on fire and show up every game.”
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Warner, who has been chosen as an All-Pro, has established himself as the 49ers’ leading tackler. But now Greenlaw is making his move.
Through five games, Greenlaw leads the 49ers with 49 tackles while Warner ranks second with 34.
“We’re five games in, baby,” Warner said with a laugh. “Twelve left.”
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There is little doubt that Greenlaw is already beginning to make the 49ers look smart for signing him to a two-year, $16.4 million contract extension after the first week of the season.
“He’s taking his game to another level,” Warner said of Greenlaw. “Every year he’s continued to get better and you’re seeing it this year with the consistency and being around the football.”