#fred-warner

#fred-warner

Despite the linebacker's refusal to rule out that he could be back from a fractured and dislocated right ankle as soon as Saturday night against the Seattle Seahawks, the San Francisco 49ers are sticking with the original plan to potentially activate him for the NFC Championship Game on Jan. 25 if they can advance. Coach Kyle Shanahan has maintained all along that the Niners were targeting the NFL's final four for any possible Warner comeback.

Warner was officially ruled out Friday from the 49ers' divisional-round visit to the Seattle Seahawks on Saturday night, three months after his right ankle fracture. Coach Kyle Shanahan announced Tuesday that Warner's practice window would open this week for a potential return next week, and he reiterated Friday that could be the case if the 49ers reach the NFC Championship Game for an eighth straight time when making the playoffs.

SANTA CLARA Ricky Pearsall Jr. hasn't hit top-end speed since late September but said Wednesday he was optimistic about playing for the 49ers Saturday night when they visit the Seattle Seahawks. Fred Warner is probably a week away meaning the sixth-seeded 49ers (13-5) will have to beat the No. 1 Seahawks (14-3) in an NFL divisional playoff game (Fox, 5 p.m.) for him to complete an improbable in-season comeback from a broken and dislocated right ankle sustained on Oct. 12.

Warner was asked if he could name the three off-ball linebackers who have won the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year Award. Before the question is even fully asked, Warner rattled off the names: Ray Lewis, Brian Urlacher and Luke Kuechly. At the time, Warner had a small fracture in his ankle but was still playing near his usual, All Pro level. Warner believed he was playing the best football of his career in a season where nothing went right for the 49ers.

New teammates are swirling around him. He is not calm, however. He is All-Pro Fred, and that means he is hollering, hustling, and huddling up with intensity. "He's still the one out there chirping and yelling and screaming and getting everybody pumped up," defensive coordinator Robert Saleh said. "So, he hasn't changed in that regard. The game hasn't jaded him, if that makes sense."