SANTA CLARA -- The man in the charge of the 49ers’ offensive line shared insight Thursday into Daniel Brunskill's contributions.
Assistant coach Chris Foerster revealed how Brunskill got the members of the 49ers’ offensive line as best-prepared as possible for the daunting task of facing Los Angeles Rams defensive star Aaron Donald.
“We assign each player a defensive lineman to break down and then on Saturday night we get together and we talk about it,” said Foerster, the 49ers' run game coordinator/offensive line coach.
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SIGN UP HERE The long-time coach revealed that Trent Williams and Brunskill are at the top of the class when it comes to the detail and intricacies they are able to share with their teammates.
“To hear Trent and Dan's reports are really astonishing,” Foerster said. “They do a great job, and Dan is just a student of the game.
“He just really studies it. His detail, his points of emphasis are outstanding and so he was able to pass on to everybody. He gave a clinic to the whole room his opinion on how to play 99.”
No. 99, of course, is Donald, an eight-time Pro Bowl player, seven-time All-Pro and three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year.
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The 49ers have managed to limit Donald’s success as much or more than any team in recent seasons.
In the 49ers’ 24-9 win over the Rams on Monday, Donald was credited with five tackles, two tackles for loss, no sacks and one quarterback hit.
Foerster said the goal in going up against the best defensive lineman of this generation is to delay the inevitable for as long as possible.
“It's not how you block him,” Foerster said, “it's just how you die a slow death. I'm just not going to die right away.
“We all know that 99 is going to win and it's what he does. He's one of the best defensive lineman ever to ever play the game.”
Brunskill returned to action Monday night from a hamstring injury and shared playing time at right guard. Rookie Spencer Burford started and played 29 snaps. Brunskill entered and played 21 snaps.
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Foerster said how the 49ers divide the playing time Sunday against the Carolina Panthers, and for the foreseeable future, will be determined on a game-to-game basis.
“We'll see where it ends up, but right now, Dan deserves an opportunity to get in there and play a little bit,” Foerster said.