San Francisco, CA – 10/13/2025 – If you’re a San Francisco 49ers fan, you probably feel like you’re watching a horror movie instead of an ambitious NFL team. With a 4-2 record after a loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (20-7), the 49ers still lead the NFC West, but at what cost? A mobile hospital! And now, the worst news: Fred Warner, the soul of the defense, may have suffered a serious injury on the final play of today’s game. According to early reports from ESPN and 49ers.com, Warner is undergoing extensive testing on his knee and ankle – an injury that could keep him out for a few weeks, or worse, the entire season. This was no accident; this was an unthinkable outcome on the part of the coaching staff.
Look back: Brock Purdy, the main man, is out with a finger injury. Ricky Pearsall, the rookie, has a strong knee. Jauan Jennings is struggling with an ankle and rib injury, George Kittle has a persistent, purple hamstring. And now Warner—a man who played through a broken ankle last season and still led the NFL’s sixth-ranked defense in points allowed (19.6/game). This isn’t just “bad luck” anymore; it’s a pattern-defining error for Kyle Shanahan and his coaching staff. They promoted Dustin Perry to Vice President of Player Health and Performance in April, promising to improve the strength and recovery program. The result? A team in tatters, with at least seven starters on injured reserve in just six weeks!
Shanahan, with his complex offense and Super Bowl history, was once a “genius.” But now? He’s still willing to use the same playbook, putting players in high-risk situations without a real plan in place. What about Robert Saleh’s offense—or whoever’s leading it—is statistically high, but when stars like Warner and Nick Bosa (still recovering from last season’s ACL) keep falling off, whose fault is it? Perry’s training program, while “upgraded,” is clearly not enough to protect a base that’s been worn down by brutal summers. Fans on X are screaming, “Fire the strength coach!”—and they’re right. This isn’t football; this is gambling on players’ health. Fred Warner, who cried on the field after last week’s win over the Saints because he was “so emotional about a teammate’s injury,” is probably asking himself, “Why do I have to play through this pain?” He’s the leader, the guy who “punches the ball out of people’s hands in practice,” according to Ricky Pearsall. But the coaching staff has made him—and the team—a member of the team’s desire. If the 49ers want to make the playoffs, they need to act now: Reevaluate their entire strength program, reduce the load on their stars, and maybe, cut someone to prove they’re fat. Otherwise, this season will end not with a Super Bowl, but with a devastating injury list. 49ers fans deserve better than this. Shanahan, wake up before it’s too late. #FireTheCoaches #ProtectOurStars
