The first 49ers practice in pads is in the books and we saw a lot of good things now that the pads are on. Jimmy Garoppolo had some nice dimes and Joe Williams broke out a nice run towards the end of practice.
Reuben Foster from reports seemed to have been flying all over the field laying the wood. He struggled a bit in 11-on-11 drills, but was solid in 1-on-1s. It sounds like the 49ers linebacker hasn’t missed a step from the offseason.
Just one thing: his form. Foster has been working on his technique since the conclusion of the 2017 season. It seemed like he was in the medical tent every other play and the defense would change drasticly because of it. The 49ers have indicated that was the one thing he needed to work on: protecting himself.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan met with the media following practice and was asked about Foster’s progress in trying to improve his technique and said Foster is, “working at it, he’s mindful of it.”
Shanahan went on to explain that Foster would once in awhile regress into his original habits but is keeping things in mind about how is form/technique is supposed to look.
These things are probably going to take time, and since contact started today, it’s the first time Foster can put some of these nuances into practice. Hopefully it becomes second nature and we won’t be holding our breath every down he’s on the field.