Chris Foerster leads day one of 49ers training camp as Shanahan recovers from car crash

(FOX40.COM) - Just 12 days after 49ers San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan was involved in a serious car crash, the team got back to work for training camp Monday. Shanahan, who is still recovering from a concussion, a broken nose, a broken hand and three broken ribs, still made sure to be at the practice facility for the first day of training, supporting with a limited role while handing the whistle over to assistant head coach Chris Foerster. It's been years since someone other than Shanahan led the opening day of training camp, but this was never about the title for Foerster. He says it's about stepping up for a friend who stood by him through some of his toughest times. "I'm not afraid to cry, but like, the thing is, the guys, he's family to me, this whole organization," said Foerster. "I've known Kyle for a long time. He's one of my best friends in the world by far. There's not many people that I call friend, and, and, for a lot of reasons. And Kyle's one of them, and, he and his wife, Mandy are like family to me. This organization, did some things for me and pulled me in at a time in my life when nobody would really want to be with me and Kyle, along with John and the whole York family, have stood by me and I that loyalty is never going to be forgotten. And he's he's a close, close friend, and it scares the crap out when something like this happens to to somebody so close." Linebacker Fred Warner said he found out about the crash a few days before the news became public after Shanahan's wife, Mandy, reached out. "Mandy, Kyle's wife, let me and my wife know about the incident. And, of course, my first, reaction was just trying to make sure everybody was good. Everybody was okay. And, yeah, I mean, it's scary, right? To have a car accident, and you just never know what the severity of it is. But luckily, everybody seems to be on the up and up and doing well. So, just super blessed in that way," Warner said. Offensive lineman Trent Williams said he first learned about the crash through social media and was relieved after reading Shanahan was okay. "I heard when everybody else heard, I think social media. So, you know, obviously getting able to read the story all in one and know that he's okay instead of getting a call. He had a recce in the hospital. You having to worry and, you know, pray that he's all right. Reading the story I can tell, you know, by reading, I knew he was okay. So I just wanted to come in and holler at him, you know, and see how he's doing. Everything's fine," Williams said. Foerster said the coaching staff already talked through how they would handle camp if Shanahan couldn't coach, but he still didn't learn he'd be leading practice until just a few days ago. The players say the transition has been seamless. "He's one of the people that day when he talks, everybody listen. Everybody has a ton of respect for him," said Williams. He's a mouth you want to hear you know he's a mouth that you want addressing your team. If Coach Shanahan can't be here." With Shanahan's recovery moving in the right direction, the focus quickly turned to football. One of the biggest positives from day one was Fred Warner returning to the field after ankle surgery. "Well, being back out there today, it did mean a lot. You know, and just to feel, you know, better than I ever have... you know, feel the same movements and everything like that was important to. So, it's just really just climbing from here," Warner said. Nick Bosa was also cleared for training, giving the 49ers two of their defensive leaders at the perfect time. "For most people with a knee injury that catastrophic, you know, you come back, you can see something, right? You know you can see it in the atrophy, in the muscle, in the legs. You can see something. I mean Bosa looks better than he did before I seen him last year," Williams explained. Even without pads, the energy is also high on the offensive line where five new players are looking to prove themselves. Trent Williams says the group has been building chemistry since OTAs and it's already starting to show. "I'm excited to see Connor in his second year. I'm excited to see him compete you know, for it, for the left guard spot. I'm excited to see all those new guys. I'm excited. I love the group we have. And I think, you know, obviously the job's not done. We've got a long way to go," Williams said. There were lots of positives on the first day of training camp with a strong looking rookie class, as well as a veteran like Dre Greenlaw making his reunion with the 49ers defense. The team has lots to look forward to as camp continues on Monday.