49ers' McKinnon says he didn't rush back to practice before ACL tear

San Francisco 49ers running back Jerick McKinnon spoke candidly about his torn ACL on Monday, believing that he did everything right in his recovery process leading up to the injury.

McKinnon missed a large portion of the preseason battling a strained right calf, but was cleared to practice again. However, McKinnon tore his ACL on Saturday, leading some to believe that he didn't take his time to get back to full health.

"I don't feel like I rushed back," McKinnon said Monday. "That was the plan ... that's what we went with. I felt good at practice. It just so happened, I made a cut and I tore my ACL. That's all it was."

McKinnon was particularly upset that he'd miss the season opener against his former club, the Minnesota Vikings. The running back signed a four-year, $30-million deal with the 49ers in March.

"I was more devastated when it happened, just the feeling knowing that it wouldn't be all right for Week 1," McKinnon said. "This game probably meant a lot to me [than] maybe anybody else, just going against my former team and stuff like that. So, when it happened and I felt it, I would probably say that initial thought of like 'Dang, I'm not going to have a week to get my knee right' was probably the worst feeling."

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