Foerster oversees 49ers practice with on-mend Shanahan nearby - ESPN

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — After learning his role will expand while San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan recovers from injuries suffered in a recent car accident, assistant head coach Chris Foerster took a moment to watch general manager John Lynch's news conference Saturday discussing the situation.

Foerster's biggest takeaway? Lynch expressed a bit of doubt — even if tongue-in-cheek — about Foerster's ability to handle the team breakdown at the end of a practice.

So following Sunday's first training camp practice with Shanahan working on the periphery, Foerster made it a point to give his best breakdown of the roughly 90-minute session.

«John made fun of me yesterday,» Foerster said, chuckling. «He didn't think I was a breakdown guy.

»I got a little fired up today. I was challenged yesterday, so I got a little bit fired up. I said how fired up I was to be a part of this team and how much I love the way they practice and the energy they bring every day."

With Shanahan limited as he works through a concussion sustained in the July 14 car accident, the Niners said Foerster will take on some of the head coaching responsibilities, though coordinators Raheem Morris (defense), Klay Kubiak (offense) and Brant Boyer (special teams) also will handle some of those duties.

Sunday offered the first opportunity to see how the operation would go with Foerster making an early decision to shake things up. Instead of their usual team meeting at which Shanahan often will walk the entire squad through a series of things, Foerster decided to split up the players for that session with Kubiak leading the offense and Morris the defense.

Foerster said he and Shanahan had one conversation this past week in which Shanahan advised him to do things