Kyle Shanahan is starting to feel like himself again. The San Francisco 49ers head coach has spent the opening stretch of training camp working his way back after a serious car accident, and now he says he plans to coach from the sideline when the team faces the Tennessee Titans in its preseason opener. He’s looking much better than expected.

“I’m doing really good,” Shanahan said in his first camp press conference since the July 14 accident. “My body feels good. Just got to get this annoying cast off. My ribs feel good, except when I sneeze, and my head feels so much better. Concussions do linger a little bit. The only things I really deal with now are just headaches and fatigue. That’s why I’m not always exactly on the same routine, but pretty damn close.”

That is a pretty significant change from where things stood when camp began. Shanahan was involved in a July 14 crash in Palo Alto that left him with a concussion, three broken ribs, a broken hand and a broken nose. He also needed more than 40 stitches for a cut above his eye. The 49ers initially said Shanahan would have a limited role while recovering, with assistant head coach Chris Foerster and the team’s coordinators handling the head-coaching duties.

“As far as the important stuff, I feel it’s about 100%,” Shanahan said about how much work he has resumed. “The biggest thing I have learned with this stuff is just when you deal with fatigue and headaches and stuff is if I kind of do everything, I kind of pay for it in some ways later. That’s like the routine that I found out. I really tried to eliminate stuff that I would say is just the fake work stuff.”

Now, nearly a month later, Shanahan is much closer to returning to his normal routine. He told reporters that he still has some headaches and fatigue, but the more troubling sensitivity to loud noises has improved. He has attended all nine of San Francisco’s training camp practices and has taken part in film work with his staff.

It is encouraging to see Shanahan somewhat back in his groove, as he enters Year 10 as the 49ers’ head coach. Shanahan has built San Francisco into a consistent contender during his tenure, taking the team to five playoff appearances, three NFC West titles and two Super Bowls. The 49ers also finished 12-5 last season and won a playoff game.

Shanahan is still taking things slow. He addressed the team in a meeting for the first time since his crash on August 1 and continues to attend them sparingly as of now. He decided to attend the presser unexpectedly on Saturday, without telling anyone on the team.

“I just felt like doing it,” he said.

However, the accident itself also became a talking point this week after Shanahan explained what happened behind the wheel of his Tesla.

Kyle Shanahan admits car was on autopilot

Shanahan said the vehicle was operating on Autopilot when he had dropped his phone. While reaching for it, he believes he may have accidentally disengaged the system before the car crossed into oncoming traffic and struck another vehicle. Shanahan had previously made it clear that he considers himself responsible for the crash.

“It’s always your fault, whether you’re on autopilot or not. You can’t take your eyes off the road. It’s a partnership, driving, you don’t just turn it over to a computer,” he said in the recent presser.

When the incident first came to light, there was a mix-up on who was to blame for the accident. Shanahan had already claimed responsibility, but Palo Alto authorities deemed the other driver liable instead. Later, a police statement confirmed that Shanahan was right. At the responding officer’s discretion, the 49ers head coach would not be cited for violating California state law on using electronic devices while driving.

Shanahan clarified that he wasn’t on the phone when the accident happened, but it had fallen from his grasp, and he took his gaze away from the road to look for it.

With the incident now in the past and some distance still left to cover in his recovery, Kyle Shanahan is now focusing on making it back to the sidelines consistently.