Then only thing that’s been able to slow down 49ers rookie linebacker Reuben Foster this season is himself. Already looking like one of the best LBs in the league, Foster missed six games, and had to come out of nearly every game he played in, with various injuries this season. Many, including his defensive coordinator Robert Salah, have pointed to Foster’s tackling technique as one of the factors, and said earlier this week that the linebacker will have to learn to run through players, as opposed to launching his body at them, to protect himself in the future.
49ers general manager John Lynch was also a hard-hitting defensive player in his heyday, and told Ryan Covey on KNBR Thursday that he also had an injury prone first season before figuring things out, something he’s confident Foster will do.
“Some of it is just luck,” Lynch said of Foster’s injuries. “You can’t control everything, but what you can control, and what I think Reuben will continue to learn how to do, is prepare himself. Early in my career I had some injuries, Then I figured it out and I went seven or eight years without any injuries at all. You know I made every game and things like that. So you learn how to take care of your body. You learn different techniques and Robert Salah talked about him bringing his feet, and it’s something Reuben does great is attacking people. He’ll learn ways and we’re confident he’ll learn from this year and confident and hopeful he’ll remain healthy, because we know when he is healthy he’s a special football player.”
Foster is ranked fourth among all NFL linebackers according to Pro Football Focus heading into Week 17, and is a candidate for NFL Defensive Player of the Year despite missing a good chunk of the season. Along with defensive lineman DeForest Buckner, the 49ers look like they have two perennial All-Pro players to build their defense around for years to come.
Listen to the full interview below. To hear Lynch on Foster, skip to 10:00.