San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh spoke to reporters on Monday, after the team's fifth practice of training camp—the first padded session. Here is everything he had to say.
Transcript provided by the San Francisco 49ers Communications staff.
How much could you glean from the first padded practice out there?
"You know I'll be honest, the first padded practice forever has always been the most disappointing day of the year. Not to say today wasn't good or anything, but everyone gets hyped up for for pads. I think the guys did a good job protecting one another, came out and competed. It was a big day from a load standpoint. It was a good protective day."
Are there any competitions you like to watch when pads go on as far as the one-on-one stuff?
"For one-on-ones? Yeah."
Yeah, we know you're a linebacker guy.
"I like watching the DBs, the corners. I do, I like watching them compete."
Did anyone stand out today with that group.
"Yeah, there are a lot of things that we're going through and that we're fighting through with regards to our man techniques and what we want to get accomplished and the way we want to teach it. It's a part of what we do, obviously. So, there are some really cool opportunities to get a lot of things cleaned up."
What are your impressions of your rookie class?
"Yeah, there are some guys, [DL] Mykel [Williams] is going to be a hell of a football player, [LB] Nick Martin's doing a really [CB] Upton's [Stout] doing a nice job. There are some young guys, [DL] C.J. West is doing a really nice job. They're all the way across the board. [S Marques] Sigle, he's getting his legs underneath him. [DL] Alfred Collins, they didn't get any OTA reps, so they're coming along. But it's a promising group. It's exciting to work with those guys. They're sponges. Every day is something new, so they're doing a very nice job."
With Stout in that role, do you find yourself being able to give him more stuff? How's he adapting to learning all that?
"He's a sharp kid. It's definitely not too big for him. We've got to be careful as a coaching staff, you know, you've still got to slow play it. Regardless of how smart you feel like they are, there are still a lot of things that they're still learning, so you just want to, we'll push the envelope, but never too far to where he can't execute his job. But that's stuff we're learning, trying to figure out who he is and what he's capable of. That's really for everybody on the defense. It's finding out what they're capable of and pushing the envelope to meet that line of their ability to execute to their God-given ability."
You just mentioned Upton, between Stout and S Jason Pinnock, what are you seeing out of the two of them? Have they impressed you so far in training camp? They seem to be getting quite a few reps in the first group style, both going between the first group and the second group. Just what have you seen out of those two?
"And, Pinnock?"
And Pinnock.
"Yeah. J.P. is familiar with the system. You know, he's got such great athleticism, length, and he is very, very smart. So, he's been doing a nice job in there. Like I said on Stout, he's doing a really good job. The biggest thing for all these rookies, just do your job, be 100 in that regard. And I think he's doing a really nice job. He's been beat a few times, obviously there's a couple of coverage things that he's been beat on, but it's all learning. It's for all those guys, for the entire defense, it's grinding through rep after rep and trying to fine tune your craft."
Robert, you mentioned C.J. and I don't know if you were at the unusual drills there, but it definitely looked like he had a bull rush.
"Yeah."
He doesn't have the size, at least the height of the other two guys drafted, but is that what you see from him? Just that kind of power, quick power?
"Yeah. I mean, he's like a little fire hydrant, right? But, he's powerful. He's got heavy hands. He's going to be fine. He's like a lot of rookies, there are so many things that they're learning, especially on the interior of the D-Line where it's a game within a game. You know, the first thing they learn is pocket push and then they learn how to capture an edge and rush from there. I wasn't there. I heard he did a really nice job over there, but I'm excited to get to the tape to see it."
You gave CB Dallis Flowers some praise during one-on-ones today there during that rep.
"Yeah, I mean he had a really good rep. Surprised the rest of the DBs didn't jump up and down for him, man. It was a really nice rep. He had perfect technique, put himself in good position to make a play, and he made it."
What have you seen from him early in camp? It seems like he's had some flashes here and there.
"Same thing as everybody else. With [CB] Renardo [Green] down, that third corner spot's wide open, so everyone's going to get a turn. Everyone's going to get a shot it and he's definitely been doing good things and improving daily."
With Pinnock, when he was drafted by the Jets, you were at the Jets, right?
"Yeah."
And then he went to the Giants after that. How much of a different player do you see now than the one that came in as a rookie?
"I wouldn't say player as much as man, if that makes sense. Obviously, he was young, second year when we when we had to cut him. But you know, he is a dad, he's feels like he's grown like 20 years, you know? But he still has that youthful athleticism and burst. But working with him, and his intent, his demeanor, his intent when he gets in the building to get better, he's been fantastic."
When you reconnected with Pinnock, did he ask you why did you wave me?
"Oh, we already had that discussion a long time ago, but he's done a great job. At those points in these players' career, you have a choice to either fold or keep getting better. He went to the Giants and credit to [University of Michigan defensive coordinator] Wink Martindale who found a role for him and really gave J.P. confidence that he can play in this league."
Head coach Kyle Shanahan mentioned maybe some similarities of 2018. Maybe you brought that up, you know, the younger players working in to kind of set a foundation. You got these guys, now they've got the pads on. Do you feel some similarities, maybe especially on the defensive line? Is it kind of building a foundation with rookie players?
"Yeah, it's the whole defense. I think for every great play they make there's, sometimes we give rookies a leash, right? God, you get so enamored by all these really cool plays. But there are five plays where I'm bald because of them (laughter). But no, they're always exciting to work with. To be honest, it's exciting to work with all of them. It really is. Even [LB] Fred [Warner] going through and just having conversations with him are like a completely different level than it was the last time I was here. You can say similarities if you want, but I feel like every year there's growth that happens throughout the football team, and this year's no different."
You didn't overlap with DB Deommodore Lenoir when you were here the first time.
"I didn't."
What's it like to coach him at this stage of his career?
"He is, I think a dog is the right word. I mean, the guy has no fear. He asks the right questions in meetings. He's fearless at the line of scrimmage. He's fearless in coverage. He's fearless in the box to go make tackles. He's a dude. He wants all the smoke of every number one receiver in football. He'll back it up. He talks about it, backs it up. He's our kind of guy for sure."
You've got DL Mykel Williams looks like locked in with the ones. Was that even a discussion in the offseason like he's going to be a starter?
"Even if it was a discussion, it doesn't take long. Just look at him, right? He's very powerful. He's got great hands. He's got great leverage. He has great flexibility to go inside and out. He's unique in that regard, which we knew and which is why we were so excited to go get him. Every day he's just going to get better and prove that he belongs."
T Trent Williams said that Mykel reminded him a lot of Indianapolis Colts DL DeForest Buckner. Are there any guys that he reminds you of?
"I don't know. Buck, that's a tremendous compliment for a young man, but he's got the lengthiness and the fluidity, like the basketball body that him and [Jacksonville Jaguars DL] Arik [Armstead] both had. The ability to play D-Dnd on the outside and then be able to kick on the inside when he needs to. He's got that great flexibility. But trying to think of guys, I don't want to pigeonhole him. I don't want to put a ceiling on what he's capable of."
You mentioned Fred Warner when he was a rookie and like how different he is now. You put a lot on his plate when he was in that first year. Do you go back and look at how to balance where it's too much and too little with these new guys?
"Yeah. Fred was a tremendous learning experience for me. I always tell the story back in 2019, if you guys remember that defense was pretty good. And we had that Halloween game against Arizona on Thursday Night Football, and it was the first time we were playing [Arizona Cardinals QB] Kyler Murray. I personally take responsibility. I put an enormous amount of pressure on Fred in that game to make sure that we were in the right call. I did him a disservice because he was thinking the whole game and not playing. And so the learning experience for me, it's not about the call, it's not being in the right call. It's about making sure that the players can go fast as heck. So Fred was kind of that trigger where they all have a breaking point, doesn't matter. And Fred is, he's computer smart, but at the same time, they've still got to be able to do it within 20 seconds of getting a call and being able to react and play fast. So, you're always trying to learn your players and you're always cognizant of what that ceiling is because you never want to sacrifice their ability to play fast just for the sake of being a guru as a play caller."