Jerick McKinnon talks about why he’s not wearing a knee brace after his ACL injury

The San Francisco 49ers activated running back Jerick McKinnon from the PUP list Tuesday morning. Without any setbacks, they threw him out in practice, and he was a participant. The offense wasted no time getting McKinnon the ball on a quick pass.

One of the first questions was if McKinnon had any flashbacks to when he was hurt last year. Later on, McKinnon was asked why he doesn’t wear a brace. McKinnion said both are all mental, and that he feels fine and doesn’t see a need for the brace. One of McKinnon’s reasons was that he has never worn one before.

McKinnon went in-depth about how being out of football for 11 months helped him see the game differently. He said sitting up top in the box with running backs coach Robert Turner during games helps him see the game from a different point of view. Out of nowhere, McKinnon mentioned how he learned from Mike Shanahan as well. Here’s the five-minute interview:

Greenlaw

The speedy linebacker joined us after McKinnon. Greenlaw started by talking about how important speed is at linebacker in today’s game, and how the 49ers have plenty of it at the second level. Greenlaw had a big hit on Kyle Juszczyk during the team period. He spoke about how it’s essential to protect his teammates as well.

The best part about this was when Greenlaw was asked if he had the opportunity to pick NaVorro Bowman’s brain. He said the two talked about weight, and how you don’t need to be a big guy to be a hard hitter in this league. Greenlaw said there’s no doubt he models his game after Bowmann. If you played linebacker coming up during the past decade, you modeled yourself after the 49ers duo.

I asked how important it is not to have to rely on your athletic ability. We know he can run, but everyone is fast at this level. That question comes in around the seven-minute mark. Greenlaw gave thorough insight through the entire interview. Here it is: