SANTA CLARA — Dre Greenlaw is the 49ers’ undisputed enforcer, so say his coach and teammates.
That allows him to be the “Big Play Dre” who made a goal-line tackle as a 2019 rookie in Seattle to secure the division title and the No. 1 seed for a Super Bowl-bound team.
Yet he also is the one who’s gone overboard with unsportsmanlike conduct penalties. But that doesn’t necessarily make him “Dirty Dre.”
“Just because you tackle a little physical doesn’t make you a dirty player,” Greenlaw said Wednesday, speaking for the first time since a sideline scuffle with the Eagles security chief saw them ejected from the 49ers’ 42-19 win in Philadelphia.
Greenlaw, through third-party intermediaries, said he’s exchanged apologies with Eagles security czar Dom DiSandro, adding: “He seemed like a genuine guy, a guy everybody loved in the building. Honestly, I really hate it even escalated and went to that. It’s something I’ve never been a part of or seen in a game.”
Once Greenlaw’s suplex move slammed Eagles receiver DeVonta Smith onto the Eagles sideline, a rumble ensued, with DiSandro confronting Greenlaw, who drew a penalty for his tackle and still feels he was wrongly ejected for retaliating with a left-handed swipe at DiSandro’s face.
Unusual circumstances, yes. Familiar fury, indeed.
“Dre is our enforcer. He’s our most physical hitter,” coach Kyle Shanahan said. “I think Dre’s unbelievable at it, at how physical he plays and how hard he goes. The fact is it always looks close. But I know how hard Dre … Dre is not a dirty player at all. He plays one way. That’s why he was so frustrated, because he’s trying so hard not to break the rules.”
The 49ers overpowered the Eagles and covered for Greenlaw’s absence Sunday. He also was ejected last season, for a helmet-to-helmet hit on Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert, which, no matter how flukey it was with moving body parts, it merited a disqualification by the nature of the NFL rules, Shanahan acknowledged.
“It definitely will get blurry sometimes, especially just the game and the emotions and everything,” Greenlaw said of his style. “I don’t think it’s necessarily think it’s dirty.
“I love it when I see a player that’s just playing full of emotion and is ready to go out there and smack everything. That is going to turn me up, too. I don’t think it’s being dirty.”
Shanahan agreed, and then some, saying: “It is a fine line. But his intent is exactly what you want in a football player.”
Shanahan said his players know that drawing 15-yard, personal-foul penalties is “not how we roll,” adding that Greenlaw profusely apologized to him postgame for not just his early exit but for comprising the 49ers’ defense.
“I love playing alongside of him because I know what he’s going to bring every time he’s out there,” linebacker Fred Warner said. “I think (Nick) Bosa said perfectly (Sunday), that (Greenlaw) is an enforcer, a tone-setter out there, delivering those hits and flying to the football every single play and you need that.”
Shanahan said he has not heard from the NFL office on any potential discipline but that he assumes Greenlaw is not facing a suspension ahead of Sunday’s game between the first-place 49ers (9-3) and visiting Seattle Seahawks (6-6).
“When we play Seattle, it’s going to be a physical game. We expect that with any opponent,” Greenlaw, the 49ers’ most physical player, said.
INJURY UPDATES
Defensive tackle Arik Armstead likely will miss Sunday’s game because of foot and knee injuries that kept him out of Wednesday’s practice but are not expected to sideline him long-term.
Running back Elijah Mitchell, who battled multiple knee sprains last season, did not practice because of knee soreness from Sunday’s game.
Also out were right guard Spencer Burford (knee), tight end Ross Dwelley (ankle) and cornerback Darrell Luter (hamstring). Return specialist Ray-Ray McCloud (rib) was to be limited after missing Sunday’s game.
BLUEPRINT FOR COWBOYS
Nick Bosa said the 49ers’ patient pass rush and defensive tactics against Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts should provide a “blueprint” for the Cowboys (9-3) heading into their home game Sunday night against the Eagles (10-2). “Hopefully the Cowboys watched the tape. He wasn’t completing passes when he had to roll outside. Those tackles kick so much it invites you to pick a side, because Jalen is looking at the rush every play. You just have to be disciplined and not give him that quick escape route where he can (pass) to his guys. And our back end played awesome. They plastered, for sure.”