San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan offered yet another vote of confidence in his defensive coordinator, Robert Saleh. He did so during a Friday-night interview on 95.7 The Game.
Saleh was seen as the likely scapegoat for a season gone wrong. The fanbase seems to have put aside its torches and pitchforks for the time being thanks to the 49ers reeling off two consecutive victories in games where they seemed outmatched.
A win on Sunday against the Chicago Bears could go a long way toward buying Saleh another season in San Francisco. Of course, Shanahan never seemed too dissatisfied in his defensive coordinator, so maybe his job was never on the line.
"I've been coaching a long time," Shanahan told Damon Bruce. "I've been in a lot of different buildings. I've been around a lot of different schemes. I've played against a lot of different schemes. I know Saleh knows what he's talking about. I see it every single day, and I have a lot of experience to compare that to."
Right now, Saleh's defense sits among the middle of the pack. It ranks No. 12 in yards allowed, No. 12 against the pass, and No. 14 against the run. The unit ranks near the bottom of the league in points allowed, sitting at No. 26.
What frustrated the fanbase was watching the defense give up fourth-quarter leads on a consistent basis. It did so against the Los Angeles Chargers, Green Bay Packers, Arizona Cardinals, and the New York Giants.
Shanahan still believes Saleh is the right man for the job despite a season full of struggles.
"There's not many people out there better than Saleh," Shanahan continued. "I feel we're very fortunate to have him. We're going to see how this year finishes but I've been happy with Saleh all the way, and I know he's a very good coach, and I know he's only going to get better."
You can listen to the entire interview with Shanahan below.