NFL insider Adam Schefter had a lengthy conversation with San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh for his latest podcast episode. Of course, the topic of the Detroit Lions' head-coaching vacancy came up, but Saleh's response mimicked what he told reporters on Friday. He remains locked in on Monday night's opponent — the Buffalo Bills — and the 49ers' playoff hunt, not what may or may not happen after the season.

The conversation turned to Super Bowl LIV and the heartbreaking loss Saleh and his 49ers suffered at the hands of a resilient Kansas City Chiefs team. It's a defeat that will stay with the coach for a long time.


"I think everyone in the league, if you ask them, everyone remembers their losses more than they do their wins," Saleh told Schefter. "Knock on wood, I was a part of a Super Bowl team, the Seattle Seahawks, that beat Denver, and that cool but the Kansas City one is the one that I will never stop thinking about.

"It seems like with seven or so minutes left, that 3rd-and-15 is when 2020 took a turn. But that one always lingers. You move on, obviously, but when you have a chance to breathe, and you're watching tape, every once in a while, it pops in your head, and it's like, 'Gosh darn it.'

"We received our championship rings a week or so ago, and they're unbelievable, they're so beautiful. You can't help but look at it and say, 'Man, we were so close.' But it still doesn't take away from what the guys accomplished. There's still 30 other teams that would have loved to be in our shoes, to be on the field during the Super Bowl with a chance to be world champions.

"You never want to take for granted the fact that we were there, we worked our tails off to get there, and we accomplished a lot to get there. It does hurt, but it's still a tremendous accomplishment to get that far."

In a year dominated by pandemic news, Saleh shared some good news. He and his wife, Sanaa, are expecting their seventh child — a boy — in April. The extra mouth to feed could be extra motivation for the defensive coordinator to land the Lions gig. Regardless, congratulations to the excited family.



Is the Saleh family looking to further grow in numbers after April?

"I always tell people, God will never put you in a situation you can't handle," Saleh responded. "So if God feels like we should have more, then so be it."

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