Saleh could be coaching final game with 49ers
Coordinator Robert Saleh might be coaching 49ers for final time
When Robert Saleh inevitably gets a head coaching job, perhaps as soon as this winter, a selling point will be lessons learned from his current bosses, Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch.
“It’s been eye- opening in terms of the way organizations run and what those two have done just from, not only a collaboration standpoint, but from a vision standpoint in terms of getting everybody on the same page and creating a mindset within an organization where we all have such a great appreciation for one another,” Saleh said on over Zoom Thursday.
Saleh is preparing for Sunday’s season finale against the Seattle Seahawks in what could be his final game as the 49ers defensive coordinator.
He’s expected to be one of the hottest names in this year’s hiring cycle for head coaches, and he’s already been pitched by Michigan legislatures as a top candidate for the Detroit Lions opening.
Saleh, of course, is from Dearborn, Mich., and attended Northern Michigan. He coached at Michigan State and Central Michigan before jumping into the NFL as an intern with the Houston Texans in 2005. He moved up to assistant linebackers coach before getting tapped to join the Seahawks staff under Pete Carroll in 2011.
It was in Seattle where Saleh
became indoctrinated in Carroll’s cover- 3 heavy scheme under defensive coordinator and mentor Gus Bradley, who took Saleh with him to Jacksonville as a linebackers coach from 2014 to 2016. Then Shanahan tapped Saleh to join his staff with San Francisco.
Saleh’s 2020 has arguably been his best coaching performance since joining the 49ers, which is notable given how good the defense was during last season’s Super Bowl run. San Francisco enters Sunday ranked fifth in total defense, sixth in yards per play, seventh in yards per rush, sixth in yards per pass and fourth in passing yards per game.
All that despite losing his most irreplaceable players for long stretches this season. Star defensive end Nick Bosa has been out since the first quarter of Week 2 with a torn ACL. Pro Bowl pass rusher Dee Ford hasn’t played since the season opener because of a back injury and future Hall of Fame cornerback Richard Sherman was limited to just five games due to lingering calf issues.
“I fondly watch all his work and really just think the world of what he’s done,” Carroll said on a conference call this week. “Yeah, Robert’s going to be a head coach, and deserves to be. He’s made that jump to a leadership position and shown excellence and he’s got a great brain. He’s got character and stature. He’s got it all.”
Saleh came under fire in 2018, when many fans blamed him for the defense’s struggles defending the pass. San Francisco that season ranked 28th in opponents scoring and 13th in yardage. Saleh’s unit famously set a record in futility with just two interceptions on the season, a mark they broke in their first game of 2019 that included two pick sixes.
That team had Bosa, traded for Ford, Sherman healthy, DeForest Buckner in the middle anchoring the league’s best defensive line and put together the best statistical passing defense in the NFL.
Throughout
it
all, Saleh,
whose mantra is “all gas, no break,” has maintained an even keel during the weeks of preparation during this turbulent season, before transforming into the roaring presence on the sideline during games who chest bumps his defenders after big plays.
“Best D.C. in the league,” said Pro Bowl linebacker Fred Warner, whom Saleh advocated to draft in the third round of 2018. “Just got so much respect for that guy. He’s just such a smart mind and on top of that, just knowing exactly what he wants. He makes it crystal clear for everyone, black and white. We know exactly what to do on any given snap, no gray area.”
The “no gray area” ethos is a nod to Saleh’s simplified scheme that’s not known for being overly complex. It’s designed to allow players to utilize their instincts and play fast. It’s a philosophy that’s allowed a number of lesser-known players contribute this season in place of the injured stars.
“We constantly have a new group out there, if it’s the DBs or D-line, it doesn’t matter,” Warner said. “Because we all have a standard that we hold regardless of the situation or whoever is out there. I love that guy. I know he’s going to be a great head coach one day soon.”
If and when he leaves, the 49ers will have to take a cue from Saleh and learn how to adjust without their best guy for the job.
“Yeah, Robert’s going to be a head coach, and deserves to be. He’s made that jump to a leadership position and shown excellence and he’s got a great brain. He’s got character and stature. He’s got it all.”
— Pete Carroll, Seahawks head coach, on 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh.