SANTA CLARA — The outside world might seem surprised by Chris Foerster stepping in for 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan, but for the assistant head coach, it’s about family. While Shanahan recovers from multiple injuries following a car accident, including a concussion, Foerster is taking over head coaching duties, including speaking to the media.
Foerster has known the Shanahan family since coaching with both Kyle and his father Mike in Washington in 2010. When the venerable coach heard about the younger Shanahan’s accident, it was a very scary moment.
“I’m not going to cry up here in this first one, okay?” Foerster said on Sunday. “I’m not afraid to cry, but the thing is the guy – he’s family to me, this whole organization. Kyle, 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 a friend for a lot of reasons, and Kyle’s one of them. He and his wife, Mandy, are like family to me.”
Foerster also has deep loyalty to the 49ers organization after assisting in his return to...