Chris Foerster runs 49ers practice as Kyle Shanahan recovers
Chris Foerster led 49ers training camp work while Kyle Shanahan, limited by injuries from a car accident, watched from nearby.
By Georgia Hale · Staff Writer
3 min read
Chris Foerster 49ers practice duty began with a little sideline theater Sunday in Santa Clara, where the assistant head coach ran the team’s first training camp session while Kyle Shanahan continued recovering from injuries suffered in a July 14 car accident, according to ESPN.
Foerster, who is taking on some of Shanahan’s head-coaching responsibilities, closed the roughly 90-minute workout with extra juice after hearing general manager John Lynch joke a day earlier about whether he could handle the team’s post-practice huddle, ESPN reported.
Foerster said Lynch had poked fun at him Saturday and that he felt “challenged,” adding that he told players how excited he was to be part of the team and praised their practice habits and energy.
Why is Chris Foerster running 49ers practice?
Shanahan is limited while he recovers from a concussion and other injuries from the car accident, according to ESPN. The 49ers said Foerster will pick up some head-coaching duties, with defensive coordinator Raheem Morris, offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak and special teams coordinator Brant Boyer also sharing parts of the workload.
Foerster did not try to copy Shanahan’s usual setup. ESPN reported that he split the team’s meeting into separate offensive and defensive groups, with Kubiak guiding the offense and Morris handling the defense.
Foerster said he and Shanahan spoke during the week, and Shanahan advised him to run things his own way and hand off anything he did not want to do, according to ESPN.
Two major voices in the locker room backed the temporary setup. Left tackle Trent Williams, who has known Foerster since their time together in Washington in 2010, said the fit felt natural and that he was proud to see Foerster in charge, ESPN reported.
Linebacker Fred Warner said he learned about Shanahan’s accident from Shanahan’s wife, Mandy. Warner told Shanahan that he, the coaches and veteran leaders would keep the operation steady until the coach was fully back, according to ESPN.
Where was Kyle Shanahan during practice?
Shanahan was still close to the action. ESPN reported that he came onto the field around the middle of team drills, stood near Lynch and watched 11-on-11 work for about 30 minutes before going back inside.
Shanahan wore a 49ers hat, long-sleeve shirt, shorts and sunglasses. ESPN said Lynch described Shanahan as having a couple of black eyes from the crash, and the sunglasses partly covered them.
During a special teams period, fullback Kyle Juszczyk, Warner and linebacker Dre Greenlaw jogged over to greet Shanahan at midfield. Warner said he teased Shanahan about his “disguise,” according to ESPN.
Warner also said Shanahan would be hard to keep away because of how much he loves football, even while he has stepped back from some duties for now.
Foerster described his added role as more practical than dramatic, according to ESPN. He said much of it involves smaller head-coach tasks, including speaking with reporters in Shanahan’s place.
One detail already on his mind: what to do when a player jumps offsides in practice. ESPN reported that Foerster has been weighing whether to rerun the play to get the rep or move ahead as a consequence for the mistake.
For now, the 49ers have a stand-in voice at the front of the room, a recovering Shanahan still nearby and a coaching staff spreading out the extra work until the head coach is ready for more.
This story draws on original reporting from ESPN.com.