San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh is known for his energy, but does he have the complete package of tools to become a head coach?
The most firey coach in the NFL just might be Robert Saleh, who has spent the last four years as the defensive coordinator in San Francisco and now appears to be on his way to a head coaching job.
Saleh’s appeal stretches far beyond simply his tenacity, however. His work with the 49ers defense has been incredible. He took over a unit that allowed the most points in the NFL in 2016, and by 2019, he had San Francisco’s defense producing at a historically dominant level that powered the franchise to an NFC championship. This past season, Saleh battled injuries to numerous starters – including Nick Bosa and Richard Sherman (in addition to the trade of DeForest Buckner) – and still led the 49ers to No. 6 in defensive DVOA.
Still only 41 years old, Saleh is one of the youngest candidates in the pool. Prior to joining San Francisco, he spent time as the linebackers coach for the Jaguars (2014-16) and the defensive quality control coach for the Seahawks (2011-13), while he handled various defensive assistant jobs for the Texans from 2005-10.
The Jets are one of many teams interested in Saleh’s services.
The #Jets plan to interview #49ers DC Robert Saleh for their head coaching job Friday, per source.
That's five teams in on Saleh, who interviewed with the #Falcons on Monday, has the #Lions today, and #Jaguars and #Chargers still to come.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 7, 2021
To learn more about the effects of Saleh’s passionate mentality, his schematic brilliance, his adaptability, and his overall tremendous coaching ability, Ben Blessington and Michael Nania spoke to 49ers film and stats expert Oscar Aparicio of the Better Rivals podcast.
Oscar goes into tremendous detail on Saleh’s ability to grow and develop his scheme around his players, his willingness to adjust his gameplan on a week-to-week basis, his openness to borrow and implement concepts suggested by others, and his overall genius as a defensive mind. After listening to Oscar’s pitch, it will be tough not to see Saleh as the best head coaching option on the market.
***Warning: NSFW language used in limited spots.
