Robert Saleh: A Contingency Plan + Home: State Farm Stadium?
NFC West foe turns to friend as the Cardinals share their stadium for the 49ers two remaining home games against the Bills and Washington Football Team.
(Glendale, AZ) - The 49ers have an unexpected home for the rest of the season. Reports had been leaking for a couple days now, that indicated that the 49ers were heavily considering the Arizona Cardinals’ State Farm Stadium (formerly University of Phoenix Stadium), as a fill-in for Levi’s Stadium in light of Santa Clara’s recent COVID19 restrictions. It’s now been confirmed by the organization that they will play the remaining two home games in Glendale, against Buffalo and Washington. They then finish the season on the road in Dallas, then back to Glendale (now home?) for a crucial showdown against the Cardinals, then end… as usual, with a divisional nightmare of a game) against the Hobbit and the Hawks.
That broadcast will be cool to see, especially for gamers who use Twitch all the time. Times are changing.
The organization released this statement:
“The San Francisco 49ers have come to an agreement with the National Football League and Arizona Cardinals which allows the 49ers to host their Weeks 13 and 14 home games against the Buffalo Bills and Washington Football Team at State Farm Stadium in Arizona.
“The Cardinals organization, State Farm Stadium and League officials have been supportive and accommodating as we work through the many logistical issues involved in relocating NFL games.
“Information regarding the 49ers future practice arrangements will be shared at the appropriate time.”
The last part of that statement is important and certainly key. Reports have that the 49ers have considered out of county locations - the Cardinals have only one practice field.
Arizona State could be one option, as Lynch is buddies with Herm Edwards. But one solution I might add:
As noted, the vibe - incredible, if they went back to their roots. We will know soon enough. This is a rough time for the 49ers but it pales in comparison to what ordinary people have had to endure through the COVID19 pandemic. Stay safe.
Robert Saleh: Future HC?
Yes. The answer is resoundingly yes. Rarely does one of the smartest corners in the league, and a future HOFer at the position offer this type of praise. Sherman on Saleh:
Saleh has answered every doubt that people had about him from this season and last season. One of his main issues last season was that he struggled to identify some of his players’ strengths in weaknesses. Dropping Solomon Thomas back in coverage is not accentuating a strength, it’s showcasing a weakness.
But yesterday? Saleh had a stroke of genius. He’s praised and stressed being able to keep his best players and best 11 on the field at all times. Not being able get Tarvarius Moore snaps earlier this season and last season was a travesty - Moore needs the time on the field to develop, and he seems to make a play every time he gets a chance.
Saleh was able to both adjust his scheme for a weakness and also get his best eleven on the field. By moving Jimmie Ward to the strong safety/STAR position, which is a hybrid of a box safety and nickel corner (similar to what Minkah Fitzpatrick and Jamal Adams play). Taking advantage of Ward’s tackling and instincts of the run game was far and away the best decision he made yesterday - Ward’s coverage ability has dropped like a rock from last season to this season. And by doing so, Ward had his best game of the season with a forced fumble, and the 49ers were able to get Tarvarius Moore on the field who played very well (albeit one (and the only) missed tackle, his first of the season.
Another underplayed angle of Robert Saleh’s job with the 49ers is his player development. He is a former LB coach, and the 49ers have drafted three LBs - Reuben Foster, Fred Warner, and Dre Greenlaw, during Saleh’s tenure.
We all know what happened to Foster off the field, but on the field, he was a beast - arguably a top 5, clearly a top 10 LB in the league in his rookie season. Robert Saleh took Fred Warner and made him the best LB in the league from a 3rd round pick. Dre Greenlaw was a 5th round pick and is fast ascending too. Then look at his ability to assemble a coaching staff. Kris Kocurek is one of the best DL coaches in the league, Joe Woods is a future head coach as well and a current DC, and Johnny Holland/DeMeco Ryans are on their way as well.
He clearly has the attributes needed to be a successful head coach in the league:
Experienced with scheme flexibility.
Talent identification and development.
Demeanor and player relationships.
Assembling a coaching staff around him.
This will make him one of the most sought after commodities at HC in the league after this season - the job he has done with the 49ers defense this year, with incredible injuries and adversity faced, is simply admirable.
But it also remains to be seen: who can the 49ers replace Robert Saleh with?
Dan Quinn
This is the most popular option… but it’s not exactly a good one. Quinn since leaving Seattle has had his defenses consistently rank among the league’s worst, despite having a ton of talent on that end, from Keanu Neal, to Deion Jones, to Grady Jarrett. They’ve invested a ton on the defense and Quinn’s coaching simply did not have the intended result. The 49ers would be banking on him returning to his days and performance as the defensive coordinator for the Legion of Boom - which is fair. Another facet - Kyle Shanahan worked under Dan Quinn. The boss going to the assistant is a weird dynamic and I’m not sure the 49ers would be in favor of that either.
Vic Fangio
This is a good DC, no doubt about it. But it would require a move to a 3-4 scheme, which honestly would be beneficial to the 49ers, but also hurt in the short term - they already have no sense of discontinuity, a new scheme changes that. And if it ain’t broke, why fix it? Clearly the Tampa 2/Seattle scheme that Saleh runs works. Not sure they need to change it. But even in the case that Fangio is indeed fired, would he really like to return to Jed York’s organization, the same that opted to hire Jim Tomsula over him instead?
In-house options:
DeMeco Ryans
Replacing Saleh with his protege in Ryans would be ideal. Ryans as a LB coach understands the nuances of pass coverage and run defense - a good hybrid. But just because you are a good LB coach does not mean you will be a good playcaller. Still, in-house, Ryans might be the best bet.
Kris Kocurek
The most popular in-house option, Kocurek has created a DL monster with the 49ers and is certainly qualified to take over as a DC. But in his decade-plus of experience as a coach, he has never been a defensive coordinator - always a DL coach. I suspect Kocurek would like to stay in his comfort zone as a DL coach - but if the money is good, I suppose he would consider otherwise.
Under The Radar:
Kris Richard
My personal favorite, Richard was the secondary coach for the Seahawks from 2010 to 2014, bouncing around from DB assistant, to CB coach, to full secondary coach. His fingerprints are all over the development and rise of the Legion of Boom, which was created from late round picks like Kam Chancellor, Richard Sherman, and more. He was instrumental in the development of Chancellor, Sherman, Thomas III, Maxwell, Browner, and for one short season, Shaquill Griffin as well. He also was the defensive coordinator from 2015 to 2017, in which his unit was ranked 1st, 3rd, and 13th in his three seasons. What happened that third season? The Legion of Boom got injured, with Sherman tearing his achilles and Kam Chancellor suffering the career-ending neck injury. Earl Thomas also battled injuries that entire season. Richard was essentially fired for being too aggressive as a blitzer as he tried to make up for those big losses in the secondary - and 13th is not that bad. But Pete Carroll let him go. He then went to Dallas in 2018, where he called plays for a unit that was ranked #6 in the league and which won the divisional title.
This guy can coach. The 49ers were reportedly interested in hiring him to replace Joe Woods earlier this season, and you can be sure of one thing: Richard Sherman will have lobbied for Richard as well. If the 49ers opted for an outsider, Richard would fit best.
Marvin Lewis
Lewis manned the legendary Ravens defenses of the early 2000s and late 1990s… but his track record since is not amazing, although not terrible either. Still, that history speaks for itself. Lewis would be a nice fit and also give Kyle Shanahan a former HC to talk to when necessary.
Matt Patricia
This would be hoping he finds his Patriots version as he goes back to a DC. But the way that Lions reacted to his firing, with players giddy across the NFL, suggests he would be the anti-Robert Saleh, someone that cannot relate with players. Would not be ideal.
In general, there are plenty of options to replace Saleh, should he, as expected, be hired by an NFL team. For the betters reading, Detroit has the best odds to hire him at the moment. Saleh is a Michigan native and would certainly help fix the culture there.
But no matter what - it seems that Saleh is destined for a coaching job. Good for him. Probably bad for the 49ers, as he is sure to grab some of his buddies on the way. Mike McDaniel (run coordinator), Mike LaFleur (passing coordinator), DeMeco Ryans (LB coach), and the worst-case scenario, Adam Peters - all of them could be poached along with Robert Saleh.
Leave a like and comment to support us if you like the article and our content, or if you have criticism, or simply for discussion. Check out our best content by clicking the “top button” at the bottom of this article.
If you want to submit your own fanposts, email us! Check our about page for details! Spread the word about For The Niners if you like our content and mission here! Subscribe to our YouTube channels to be notified of original content and live halftime shows with Patrick Holloway!
If you want daily email updates with our best articles, click the button below to subscribe to our daily newsletter.
Um... that last game vs Seattle is at 'home'
Hard NO on Patricia. Besides his obvious relatability issues, dude looks WAY too much like Bluto.