Run Game Coordinator/Offensive Line Chris Foerster Press Conference
Run Game Coordinator/Offensive Line Chris Foerster
Press Conference – November 14, 2024
San Francisco 49ers
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Why are the division games seemingly so difficult?
“Well, you’re familiar with people, so you’re familiar with them. They’re familiar with you. So sometimes they can get more difficult for everybody. You played against the same players. You’ve not just studied them on film, you’ve actually gone against them. You have your film against them. So, there’s just a lot more familiarity and the more familiar you are with people, it can be more difficult for both sides. It can also be better too, because you do know him so well, but then there’s always that factor of because you play them often and there’s this back and forth of are they going to change? Are they going to be a little different? You just don’t know.”
RB Christian McCaffrey made some big catches in this game. He also averaged three yards a carry, which is very unlike him. How close is he to being Christian? The Christian we saw last year.
“I hate saying he’s not there because he is always there, but everybody needs time. We’ve talked about during the training camp with [T] Trent [Williams], training camp with BA [WR Brandon Aiyuk] guys need practice. They need practice time. And I thought he was on point last week, very good. And I thought he was on point in the run game. The runs he had, you have to ask him whether he felt he was off a little bit or not. There was probably one run that could have been a little better, but overall, I think we just didn’t probably provide him enough space last week. And then some of it might have been him, situations. I don’t remember all of his carries to be honest with you. But yeah, he looked great last week. I thought he did a great job of protecting the football last week. That’s always my biggest concern was a guy gets out there the first live reps of the year, you don’t have the preseason games, you have nothing. It’s your first live reps and everybody’s in mid-season form. I thought he did a great job protecting the ball. And so, I’d say, I think he’s right there. It’s hard for me to say he’s not. I hate saying that about the guy because the guy’s darn good.”
The Tampa Bay game was, I know you’re not huge on stats, but I guess the first time in 20 something games you didn’t get a hundred yards rushing. Did you feel you struggled to rush the ball or was that the flow of the game?
“Obviously I think we had some carries that we probably left some yards out there on. And whether it be a block that was just missed, a run that was just missed. It was just one of those things that it came out that way and it wasn’t. It was obviously not our normal production in the run game. But I don’t think any of us walked away saying, ‘oh my gosh, we saw the ops were there and we missed some ops’ and that’s what happened. And the way the game flowed, what was going on with the passing game and everything else just kind of flowed to a point where we said we need to throw the ball to give some more chances for the guys to make some plays. And that’s what we ended up doing. But really, I think it was the combination of everything, didn’t get enough carries, then when we did get the carries, somebody was off somewhere. And that’s what happens.”
Your guys’ defensive line is not as deep as it’s been in past years. Do you guys get together as a staff and say, ‘Hey, look, we need to start playing, you guys are dominating time of possession, but do that even more to try to protect that defensive line as the season progresses?
“There might be some conversations. We don’t do it as a staff. Conversations with [Head Coach] Kyle [Shanahan] with [Defensive Coordinator] Nick [Sorensen] and they might discuss some of those things, but for the most part, the game plays out as it does. We obviously have a plan every week based on who we’re going against. We do what we do and that’s what the time possession is what it is. But some weeks you have to be careful, you have to be very careful. We went one time up to, I’m sorry, with a story, but went to Buffalo to play and [former QB] Jim Kelly was up there when they were really, really good back when they were going to Super Bowls and everything. I was in Minnesota and on the plane all of a sudden [former Head Coach and S] Tony Dungy was sitting next to [former Head Coach] Brian Billick and Brian said, ‘Hey, we’re planning on going some no huddle and up tempo.’ And Tony was like, ‘oh my gosh, we’re going up tempo. The last thing I want is for Jim Kelly to have more time. We should be trying to milk the clock every second we get.’ And so that led to a discussion as to how we might approach that game a little differently based on the conditions that day and everything where we needed to milk the ball a little bit more. Although there was still a time to, to do some change of pace stuff that would help our offense be more successful. But that always is part of the planning every single week.”
Would it surprise you if I told you that on first down inside the 10-yard line you’ve run 19 times in the past three times?
“I wouldn’t. I think that would be probably accurate. I don’t know.”
Do you feel like you’re getting a little bit too predictable on first down?
“No, I never feel predictable because I think every single call has a reason. So that’s why it’s really hard… I struggle with analytics in that regard. I think everything’s a statistic of one, that play, that situation, that time. What did we think we were getting and why did we call that play? It wasn’t we’re just going to prove that we can run it or prove that we can throw it. There was a reason for all those calls and whether they’re having success or not. Now, did we misjudge the reason? It’s always because I don’t think we, for one minute, we’re doing it because we think it’s the best play to call. That’s what I think it is. And that doesn’t mean that we’re misjudging it, it sometimes means the defense does something different. Sometimes it means that we don’t execute it properly. There’s so many factors that go into it. This is on a tangent a little bit, but I just think everything when you say, ‘well, teams that go for it on fourth and one here’ there are so many variables that go into every one of those calls. To say that yes, it’s a general statistic, but overall, all those things are just it’s a statistic of what was play one of the 19 and what was the situation of the game and why’d we call it what’s play two of that and then play three? And what I say if somebody said, ‘Hey, what’s your run here, Chris?’ As I said, I’ll take it and say, ‘well, I suggested this and it stunk,’ or it was, ‘that’s on me.’ But how and why? That’s a hard one for me to say, it’s predictability.”
You guys ran 200 and something yards in the first matchup against these guys. Talk to us about the front because I know Seattle Seahawks DL Dre’Mont Jones is playing outside linebacker. He is 285 pounds. Have you ever seen a 285 pound outside linebacker?
“Yeah, it’s hard. Yeah, they’re big. They’re a big physical group. They do a good job. And we hit a few, we increased a couple early and then we hit the big run at the end. Obviously, you get 70 something yards on the last run of the game almost, or one of the last runs of the game. It does help your statistics. But they’re a good front. They have a very good philosophy, a very sound defensive philosophy and a sound defense. He coaches good techniques, they’re an improved team over the last time we played them. And they’ll be a huge challenge for us. Obviously, the people that can try to set edges on our offense. That’s always a big challenge for us. And then how the rest of front plays according to the edges being set challenges us greatly as well. [Seattle Seahawks DL Leonard Williams] 99 did a great job against us last game. They all did. They had a heck of a game. We had a chance. They get the kick return, they get back in the game. It’s nip and tuck until the end and we break the long run at the end and then [FB Kyle Juszczyk] Juice sneaks one in there at the end. And we end up making it a little bit better, a wider margin of victory than maybe it had been most of the game, but they’re challenging defense.”