Robert Saleh is known as a player’s coach, and one of his guys is already campaigning for him to get hired by another organization.
This is quite a statement, given how integral Saleh has been to the 49ers success, especially with him complementing offensive mastermind Kyle Shanahan so well. It’s very rare that a player will actually vouch for their coach so hard that he ends up getting hired elsewhere, especially a veteran.
But that’s just the type of guy Saleh is. He has a fiery personality, and is well respected by his players — getting the most out of them on the field.
49ers cornerback Richard Sherman has played for some notable defensive coordinators, with Dan Quinn among them, so he knows talent when he sees it. So when he delivered this vote of confidence for Saleh, advocating for the Lions to hire him to replace Matt Patricia as head coach, the NFL world took note.
“He has to get the Detroit job,” Sherman texted to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated. “Homegrown. He’s a great leader of men. And he’s not stubborn. He doesn’t just think he has all the answers. He comes up with a great plan and evolves it with his players.”
This came on the heels of him saying this after Sunday’s 23-20 win over the Rams.
Patricia clearly did not have the respect and support of his players, so that alone makes Saleh an upgrade for the Lions amid their head coaching search.
