Robert Saleh took his "all gas, no brake" mantra to the New York Jets. That left new San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans to come up with something different. One of his biggest stars, linebacker Fred Warner, spoke with reporters before today's practice and revealed what the 49ers defense is rolling with as it heads into the 2021 season.
"DeMeco came up with his own slogan—S.W.A.R.M.," Warner said.
The word is an acronym, of course. "Swarm" seems to describe San Francisco's speedy and talented defense perfectly.
"Special work ethic and relentless mindset," Warner continued. "That's been his thing for our defense, and we'll probably just roll with that."
Wait, wouldn't that be S.W.E.R.M.? Or maybe even S.W.E.A.R.M., if you want to go Old English? Whatever. That doesn't sound nearly as cool.
Warner isn't expecting much of a learning curve in the transition from Saleh to Ryans. The All-Pro linebacker liked what he saw from Ryans during the preseason and feels calling a regular-season game won't be too different for the coach.
"Him and Saleh are very similar in the way that they call plays, I guess," Warner shared. "He's real even-keeled throughout the game. There's not a lot of highs and lows, so I expect the same during the regular season."
Part of that "swarming" 49ers defense is pass rusher Nick Bosa, who is returning from an ACL injury suffered early last season.
"He's a game-wrecker," Warner said of his defensive teammate. "He's one of those guys that has that ability, and I'm really excited for him to get out here, have a full week of practice to be able to prepare himself to have the best game of his life come Sunday, just like everybody else. That's the expectation.
"There's not a ton of pressure on him. I'm not saying that he's got to go out there and do something crazy or out of himself. He's just got to be himself, and the rest will take care of itself."
