Robert Saleh has admired friend and 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan for a long time.
The New York Jets coach met Shanahan when the two were early career staffers with the Houston Texans in 2006. Since then, Saleh has grown close with Shanahan and served as San Francisco’s defensive coordinator from 2017 through 2020.
Saleh discussed what makes Shanahan a special play-caller and person with reporters Tuesday, just days before the 49ers’ and Jets’ Week 1 matchup on “Monday Night Football.”
“He’s been calling plays for 20 years it feels like,” Saleh said of Shanahan. “But he’s unique in the sense that he can see it as it goes. He’s got his game plan, and then, he’s got his game that happens after the first quarter. He’ll create plays on the sideline if he has to.
“He is very, very good at recognizing how players move and how players relate to the space that’s created on defense by certain plays. He knows how and exactly when to counterpunch. He sees things on tape that give him opportunities to exploit. He’s one of the best.”
Shanahan has run a well-oiled machine in San Francisco for most of his eight-year head coaching career — all with the 49ers. And as the team’s former defensive coordinator, Saleh has seen Shanahan’s electric offenses up close.
Both coaches are eager to begin the 2024 season against each other at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara. However, Saleh made it clear that Shanahan is his friend for life — on and off the field — regardless of Monday’s outcome.
Leave a Reply