Last Thursday, San Francisco 49ers Defensive Coordinator Robert Saleh said the Jacksonville Jaguars are good at stealing signs. He wasn't accusing them of doing anything wrong. In fact, he and Head Coach Kyle Shanahan noted that what Liam Coen and his staff do is perfectly legal, and that they're very good at it.
But after Sunday's game, in which the 49ers fell to the Jaguars, 26-21, Coen seemed to take exception to Saleh's words, going as far as telling San Francisco's defensive coordinator to keep his name out of his mouth. Saleh didn't appreciate Coen's response, and words were exchanged.
On Tuesday, Saleh met with reporters before practice, and as you can guess, the topic immediately came up. Asked about his comments last week and if he would like to take back what he said, Saleh didn't seem ready to do so, but admitted that he could have worded things a bit better.
"It's all good," Saleh said. "Whatever happened on Sunday doesn't change how I feel. In my heart, I genuinely was trying to give a compliment. I own the fact that I probably used the wrong choice of words. However, you want to word it, they are really, really good at putting their players in position to be successful. Everyone in the league is trying to find every avenue they can. As a coach watching their tape, I recognized the hours they put in."
Saleh is right. Every team in the NFL is looking for an advantage. Teams go to great lengths to protect strategies and hide signs—even covering their mouths as they call plays. Former 49ers Head Coach Jim Harbaugh was famous for being paranoid that his team might lose a competitive advantage if any information got out.
And who can forget some of the scandals from the New England Patriots dynasty? From Deflategate to Spygate, teams are continually seeking ways to gain an edge. Most do it legally. That's likely why Coen had such a strong reaction to the phrase "sign stealing."
Saleh says he should have used the words "film study" instead. He confessed that they all do similar things. "Sean [McVay], Kyle, Kevin O'Connell -- they do such a great job at formation identification," Saleh said. And that comes from hours of studying film. That's what he was hoping to tell Coen after the game, that he can tell he does his homework.
So has Saleh reached out to Coen since the postgame incident? He admitted he has not. And maybe it's too soon. Saleh himself was angry after the confrontation. Asked what set him off, Saleh smiled and answered, "Everyone has a trigger."
In other defensive news:
- Saleh said he does not agree with any suggestion that his defense is loafing. The 49ers take great pride in playing with tremendous effort, and they will continue to do so. He says the play in question was one in which the defense was headed one way and the play went the other way. So the offense had a head start. He insists he'll never question the effort of his defense.
- Regarding the lack of pass rush on Sunday, Saleh said Jacksonville did a nice job of negating the 49ers' pass rush. Jacksonville did a good job of staying ahead of the chains, which made things more challenging.
- The defense had opportunities to intercept a pass on Sunday. They've been close multiple times this season, but haven't come away with one. Saleh said, "They'll come."
- Asked about why rookie LB Nick Martin hasn't been activated yet, Saleh said, "He's got to dominate special teams first." Others are currently outplaying Martin on special teams, and that's where the rookie has to begin.
Comments