Robert Saleh found himself in the headlines this past week. Ahead of their Week 4 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, the San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator called out Jags head coach Liam Coen's “sign-stealing”. After San Francisco lost the game, Coen and Saleh got into a heated argument where the two had to be separated.
That, naturally, had led to a very important discussion: which coach in the NFL can beat up Saleh? The 49ers defensive coordinator is built like a truck and looks like he works out. Taking him on in a fight is a scary prospect. However, head coach Kyle Shanahan names one coach who he thinks can take on Saleh: Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell.
“Just me… I’d probably bet on Dan Campbell over a lot of people.” Shanahan said, per @Coach_Yac on X. “(Robert) Saleh is too nice. Someone (Liam Coen) struck a chord the other day. I don’t think any fight going on. It’s comical looking back on it now.”
Campbell is a sound choice in this hypothetical scenario. The Lions coach is built like a truck and looks like he's in tip-top shape as well. Not many head coaches can match up to Campbell, not even the 49ers defensive coordinator.
The altercation between Coen and Saleh stemmed from the latter's comments about the Jaguars. The 49ers DC said that Coen's Jaguars had a legal sign-stealing system that lets them know what the opponent's defense is ahead of the play. Coen did not respond to these claims in a press conference, but he and the 49ers coach got into it after the game.
The Jaguars eventually got the last laugh in this whole fiasco, upsetting the 49ers with a 26-21 win. San Francisco will look to bounce back in their next game against the Los Angeles Rams during Thursday Night Football.
