SANTA CLARA — Assistant head coach Chris Foerster addressed the 49ers on Friday morning prior to their first padded practice of training camp.His message: Protect the team and don’t get into fights.
“I did good with that one, right?” Foerster joked after a spirited practice that consisted of three small skirmishes with linebacker Dre Greenlaw and Christian McCaffrey as the central figures in the action.
“When you get guys who are competitive, it doesn’t matter how veteran or how good of a leader a guy is; when you’re in a competitive situation, sometimes you can slip,” Foerster said.
Foerster chalked it up to the first day in pads and the players wanting to set the tone for practice.
“I don’t think it’s anything more than a Day 1 issue,” Foerster said.
Interestingly, it was two of the 49ers’ more veteran players who were in the middle of things. McCaffrey took exception to the level of physicality at three different points in practice. McCaffrey hit the ground after a running attempt. Then, he and Greenlaw tangled twice more after catching...