Chris Foerster: Coaching the 49ers in Kyle Shanahan's absence is "really a group thing"

With 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan limited at training camp due to a severe concussion suffered in a recent car accident, assistant head coach/offensive line Chris Foerster is running the team. In his first media session with reporters on Sunday, Foerster made it clear he’s not doing it alone.

“It’s really a group thing,” Foerster told reporters. “The title puts me in this position, and I was very grateful that [General Manager] John [Lynch] and Kyle felt that some of the things I could take the lead on, like this right here. But there’s other things, for example, our team meetings. Instead of me running every team meeting, we’ll split up on offense and defense and [defensive coordinator] Raheem [Morris] and [offensive coordinator] Klay [Kubiak] will do things. Maybe we’ll have [special teams coordinator Brant] Boyer lead one and cover different things.

“Kyle, one of the greatest things he does is how he leads a team meeting and talks football. Teaches the team football, teaches the team everything, you know? That’s going to be more of a group effort than ever. It’s not going to all fall on me. As far as certain things, we’ll all take a piece, and that’s how this thing’s going to be done. Truly, when John said what the release said, that listed my name but then said it’s going to be done by all the assistants.”

Foerster was asked when he knew he’d be temporarily in charge.

“When did the statement come out?” Foerster said. “That’s when I saw my name, OK? That’s when I saw my name. I knew that we’d all have to pick up the slack. So, I knew that once Kyle wasn’t — we didn’t know. You just don’t know. Every day the thing could flip and he can do more and more. So we just don’t know how it’s going to be. So when I saw my name on it, I said, ‘Oh, OK. It’s going to be that.’ But it was going to be the group effort. We always knew that. We were talking for days before. ‘What if he couldn’t do it?’ Klay, Kyle, Raheem, Boyer and I, we were all talking about how we could fill in the blanks if needed. And then obviously yesterday they said, ‘You’re going to be doing the pressers.’ I said, ‘Well, I don’t think I’m doing the pressers.’ And then, well, here I am, so.”

He was nevertheless “fired up” to learn he had gotten the assignment.

“Not from the standpoint of ‘I’m fired up’ from the standpoint of, ‘Oh, Kyle’s down, this is my big chance.’ No, it’s I love the opportunity to help. What I learned a long, long time ago, I believe leadership is you serve in leadership. You help people by serving. And servant leadership is any way I can help. Any way I can help Kyle, any way I can help the 49ers, any way I can help John Lynch, any way I can help my players. Any way I can help you guys. Anything I can do to help. That’s where I get a charge out of life. I learned that through a lot of difficult times in my life, being that way. So this is another opportunity to stand up here. And you guys that were here before, I like getting up here and talking about football. It’s not about me. I like talking ball. I like sharing football. I think it’s a great game, it’s a great sport and a lot of people don’t understand it. And if you have a chance to learn a little more, I like to talk about it because I love the game.”

He said that Shanahan told him, “‘Hey, you do whatever you want. I have a lot of confidence in you. You know how we do things. You do whatever you want to do and if you don’t want to do it, delegate it to somebody else, man.’ He said, ‘You just do what you feel is right and lead that way.’ He said, ‘I trust that you’ll do anything you want to do and anything you want to delegate, delegate.’”

Foerster began delegating on Sunday.

“I delegated this morning’s team meeting out to offense and defense,” Foerster said. “We decided to do it that way today instead of doing a team meeting. And we’ll see as we go each week, each day what it is. That’s about it right now.”

It really is unclear how long it will take for Shanahan to return. Foerster may have committed an unintended slip by saying “each week.” This suggests it may not be a short absence for Shanahan.

At this point, the duration isn’t known. It all depends on how long it takes for Shanahan’s concussion symptoms to clear. Until then, Foerster is running the show. But he has made it clear he’ll be leaning on others to help fill Shanahan’s void.

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