The defense has as much right to ownership of the football as the offense.
That’s the message linebacker Kwon Alexander brought to the 49ers’ defense last season. And it’s the reason linebacker Fred Warner is rarely seen without a football in his hands any time he is around team headquarters in Santa Clara.
“I give a lot of credit to Kwon,” Warner said last week during the 49ers State of the Franchise virtual event about the common sight of him carrying a football around.
“He’s the one who started that. Kwon brought this mindset to the entire defense, the entire team, from the moment he got on the squad.