Allgemeines » Reuben Foster was one of the few bright spots as a rookie

for the San Francisco 49ers 49ers Alfred Morris Jersey , flashing the ability that made him look like a defensive building block for years to come.After an offseason of legal issues and a two-game suspension to start this season, Foster has been unable to deliver in year two for the 49ers (1-6) and is a contributing factor in the team's defensive struggles.Foster has been missing tackles and struggling to generate big plays for a San Francisco defense that is tied for the fewest takeaways through seven games in NFL history."Reuben is still trying to get back to where he finished last year," coach Kyle Shanahan said. "He's not there yet. I think he's had times where he shows it, but his consistency needs to improve and he knows that, I know that. He did miss his second offseason for things that we all know about, which is on Reuben. Then when he got here, knowing he was going to be suspended those first two games, he didn't get as many reps there toward the end and things like that. I think there is a little bit of rust to him, not that that's an excuse. That's what he needs to do to find a way to get that rust off. We haven't yet, but I expect him to as this year goes."Foster missed more than a month of the offseason program after two arrests that led the 49ers to tell him to stay away from the facility while he dealt with the legal problems. Most of those charges were eventually dropped, with Foster having to complete a first-time offender diversion course on a marijuana charge and being sentenced to two years' probation http://www.49erscheapshops.com/cheap-authentic-marquise-goodwin-jersey , 232 hours of community service, and $235 in fines for a weapons charge.But Foster missed practice time and then was suspended for the first two games of this season. He hasn't looked like the impact linebacker he was as a rookie but his coaches remain confident in his ability."He missed the first couple of games of the year and it's not going the way he wants and all that stuff. I do think he's moving in the right direction," defensive coordinator Robert Saleh said. "He did have his best practice of the year yesterday. He's going to be fine. I get it, in this day and age, with everything needs to happen now. But, I promise you, Reuben is going to be just fine when this is all said and done. Second-year player, to push the panic button is way, way premature in my mind."Foster has 10 missed tackles in his five games, according to SportRadar, which is tied for the second-most in the league over that span. He also has failed to record a sack Cheap Ahkello Witherspoon Jersey , forced fumble, fumble recovery or interception, and has just three tackles for losses."I'd say average," Foster said when asked to assess his play. "But it can get a lot better. That's what I'm keying in on, to focus and get better."Foster's play has been impacted a bit by a sore shoulder that has bothered him the past three weeks. Foster fell in the draft in part because of concerns about his right shoulder that have proved to be an issue early in his career.He has tried to play through the pain, although it has appeared on video that there are plays where he doesn't have much use of his right arm. Foster said he had an MRI on the shoulder and believes he can keep playing through it and won't need surgery after the season."It's on and off," he said. "I'm just still going to fight through it. It's just a shoulder."NOTES: Richard Sherman said he expects to play this week after missing the last game with a calf injury that he expects will linger all season. ... RB Matt Breida (ankle), DL Solomon Thomas (knee), C Weston Richburg (knee) and WR Pierre Garcon (shoulder, knee) were among the players who didn't practice. No matter what happens when Jimmy Garoppolo is healthy again and steps back in as starting quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, Nick Mullens has proven there's a place for him somewhere in the NFL.The former undrafted free agent out of Southern Mississippi who wasn't even deemed worthy enough to invite to the combine in 2017 has been one of the league's more prolific passers since getting his chance to play last month."He's shown he can play in this league http://www.49erscheapshops.com/cheap-authentic-george-kittle-jersey ," 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman said. "I hope we can keep him because teams need a quarterback. This guy's not just playing conservative football, oh man, get the ball in the right places. He's making the right decisions, he's making good throws under pressure. I'd say he's playing like a top half quarterback in this league. You have guys that are out there right now that are not playing better football than Nick Mullens. He could be a starter for a lot of teams in this football league and we appreciate that we have him and he's playing his tail off for us."Mullens has built on his record-setting debut against Oakland on Nov. 1, when he went 16 for 22 for 262 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions for a 151.9 passer rating that was the highest since the merger for a player in his debut with at least 20 attempts.He took a little step back the following two games in losses to the New York Giants and Tampa Bay before starting to show noticeable improvement in the second half of a 43-16 loss at Seattle earlier this month.Mullens followed that up by leading the Niners (4-10) to wins over Denver and Seattle to provide a rare bright spot in an otherwise down season for San Francisco."I try to get better every week," Mullens said. "That's definitely the goal. What you do in the past doesn't matter. It's all about what you do today and the next day and the future. It's definitely a goal of mine to get better every single day. Feel more comfortable out there. Obviously, experience helps. You could say the experience helps and I feel more comfortable. I'm just enjoying playing."Since taking over as starter, the player once considered too small and with an arm not strong enough for the NFL ranks third in the league in yards per attempt (8.6) and sixth in yards passing per game (292.3).He fared well against Seattle's strong defense in a 26-23 overtime win on Sunday, completing 20 of 29 passes for 275 yards and one touchdown despite a couple of key drops that prevented him from having even bigger numbers."Nick's played very well and he's gotten better as he's gone," coach Kyle Shanahan said Monday. "I thought yesterday was probably Nick's best game http://www.49erscheapshops.com/cheap-authentic-laken-tomlinson-jersey , especially the way he finished it in that fourth quarter."Mullens got his chance when C.J. Beathard was hurt heading into the Raiders game but now has put up better numbers than Garoppolo did in eight starts for San Francisco the past two years before a season-ending knee injury in Week 3.While Garoppolo will no doubt be the starter next season with his $137.5 million contract, Mullens has made his case to be the No. 2 even though Beathard was a fourth-round pick the year Mullens entered as an undrafted player."I think I can play in the league, that's for sure. I believe that," Mullens said. "But, as far as the extra stuff goes, I don't really worry too much about it."Mullens' teammates saw signs that he could perform on the big stage before he even got his chance. He led some late comebacks in exhibition games and had a relentless work ethic and attention to detail that he even practiced calling out plays at home with crowd noise blaring through his ear phones.He also took young receivers under his wing, making sure they knew the offense as well as he did even before he was playing."You talk about a young kid who's come in here, learned the offense, was on the practice squad all of last year. He's teaching the young receivers in his class the playbook," kicker Robbie Gould said. "He's really a coach. The kid has such an incredible story. He finally gets his chance about a year and a half later and he's really taken the reins. He's a true leader. You cheer for guys like Nick Mullens."NOTES: CB Ahkello Witherspoon will go on IR with a sprained PCL in his right knee. ... S Jaquiski Tartt has a stinger and his status for this week is up in the air.