Foerster runs 49ers practice while Shanahan recovers
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- Chris Foerster ran his first 49ers training camp practice Sunday as acting head coach while Kyle Shanahan recovers from a July 14 car accident concussion, sharing duties with coordinators Raheem Morris (defense), Klay Kubiak (offense), and Brant Boyer (special teams).
- Foerster split the team's usual full-squad meeting into offense and defense groups led by Kubiak and Morris, and said Shanahan, in their one conversation this past week, advised him to handle things his own way and delegate the rest.
- Kyle Shanahan appeared on the field midway through Sunday's practice for roughly 30 minutes, wearing sunglasses to cover black eyes from the accident and standing next to GM John Lynch to observe 11-on-11 periods.
- Trent Williams, who has known Foerster since their 2010 time together in Washington, said he is "so proud" watching Foerster run the team and called him "family."
- Foerster said he got "fired up" after GM John Lynch joked at Saturday's press conference that he wasn't a "breakdown guy," and stressed his energy comes from wanting to serve, not from Shanahan being sidelined.
- Fred Warner said he learned of Shanahan's accident from coach's wife Mandy and immediately promised a smooth operation, later complimenting Shanahan on his "disguise" when the coach appeared at practice.
Why it matters: With Shanahan limited by concussion symptoms from the July 14 accident, the 49ers' training camp operation is being run by Foerster and coordinators Raheem Morris, Klay Kubiak, and Brant Boyer, and even basic in-practice decisions—like how to handle a player jumping offside—are now Foerster's call until the head coach returns to full strength.
