Santa Clara – Robert Saleh clearly indicated Thursday that he did not start from scratch, whether from a coaching point of view in his return as a defensive coordinator of the 49ers or the talent of the list compared to his initiation in 2017.
“You are thinking of these first two years as a d-coordinator in ’17 and ’18, it was not easy, and it could have been very easy for them to go from me, you know,” said Saleh. “I am therefore indebted to this organization and these men for the rest of my life.
“They stayed with me. We did it. We did what we had to do and the rest is the story,” said Saleh, whose previous mandate culminated with the Super Bowl race of a 2019 team. “I am delighted to have the chance to start again with them.”
Saleh was officially rewritten at the end of January, after finishing last season as an offensive consultant for Green Bay packers after his week 6 pulling as a jet coach. He went 20-36 with the jets, including 7-10 times in 2022 and 23 before the start of 2-3 last season.
Although his defensive patterns have evolved, his approach remains constant and he reflects the currencies he preached in his first round with the 49ers, such as: “Extreme violence!” All gas, no brake! ”
These principles could require a little strengthening after last season’s fall to a team of 6-11 in the last place which had trouble stopping the race. Saleh, however, reduced this team a bit of soft, not only because the 49ers beat its 32-19 jets when the season was opened.
“There is a lot of empathy for the group last year. There are a lot,” said Saleh. “Halfway, this defense was playing very good football. There were a lot of injuries and the wheels have fallen in the past four weeks of the season.
“For coach staff and players, there are a lot of empathy, in terms of gender,” guy, you do your best. It just didn’t work. “But these guys play their butts,” added Saleh. “Nick and these guys have done a very good job. It brings in this young person, to make them catch what the norm is and do our best to maintain it.”
The welcome of Saleh of the 49ers was a rescue class of the fruitful NFL with six defensive additions: the defensive winger Mykel Williams (first round); The defensive plasters Alfred Collins (second) and CJ West (fourth); The second Nick Martin (third); and, safety marks acronyms (fifth). These recruits, as well as six unrelated free agents, arrived on Thursday for their mini-camp which takes place until Saturday.
“It will be an intensive course, and if one of them is worthy, they will be in week 1,” said Saleh, echoing the position of the 49ers that the dashboard simply fell towards higher offensive players being torn before the turns of the 49ers.
This influx of young talents was a necessity in La Défense, after the free agency launched six defensive starters elsewhere: defensive line players Leonard Floyd, Javon Hargrave and Maliek Collins; The second Dre Greenlaw; Cornerback Charvarius Ward; and Talanoa Hufanga security.
Since Saleh left in 2020 to become the New York Jets coach, the role of the defensive coordinator of the 49ers has shot from Demeco Ryans (2021-22) to Steve Wilks (2023) to Nick Sorensen (2024).
Ryans and Sorensen were both promoted from the interior, while Wilks was an external rental for one and Due’s mandate which ended with the prolongation of the Super Bowl against Kansas City. Ryans begins his third year as Houston Texans coach, Wilks is the new defensive jet coordinator, and Sorensen is the coordinator of the Dallas cowboys special teams.
If Saleh brings together his recall in 2025 in his next coaching concert, the 49ers apparently have his successor on the staff with Gus Bradley, hired this year as an assistant head coach.
“Obviously, including training, you learn a lot. But I am happy to be back on this chair where you can train a little more football and not to face all the administrative things that accompany the head coach,” said Saleh. “The perspective, I guess, was what was exciting to come back, to be in a building where I was once coordinator. There is a lot of empathy to understand what Kyle is going through.”
Brant Boyer, the new coordinator of the 49ers special teams, previously worked under Saleh with the jets and calls for their arrival at Santa Clara “Awesome”.
“The way I saw him treat people, the positivity that comes out of him, and the man he is that I got to know, and being here with him is great,” said Boyer.
Saleh said that he had learned a lot from the mandate of his jets, and although it was not paidly rendered the correlation, he delighted on the collaboration and communication of the 49ers between the coaches of Kyle Shanahan and the personnel department of John Lynch, as well as the property.
His role as a consultant at the end of last season for the packers coach Matt Lafleur also gave him momentum for this return of the 49ers.
“I’m kidding with Matt. It was more therapy for me than help for him,” said Saleh. “I would give him a defensive perspective – looking from an offensive point of view by looking at the defense, giving it reflections on the rules and which can work or not.
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