Fiery Jets coach Robert Saleh doesn’t report to 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan anymore, so the two are light-hearted frenemies ahead of San Francisco and New York’s Week 1 matchup.
Shanahan stoked the flame Saturday when telling reporters he hopes Levi’s Stadium staff doesn’t allow Saleh -- who loves a good workout -- any opportunity to run the bleachers at his old stomping grounds.
“Salah is very sound in what he does,” Shanahan told reporters. “He’s not going to overthink it (the game). I’m not going to overthink it. I just hope our stadium people don’t let him run the stairs and won’t let him get any workout in. Hopefully, that will rattle him a little bit.”
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Hilariously, Levi’s Stadium didn’t listen to Shanahan’s request.
A serious Saleh was spotted running up and down the aisles of the 49ers’ home Monday just hours before he and the Jets attempt to pull off a big-time road upset in ESPN’s national spotlight.
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New York’s 45-year-old coach looked as comfortable as ever at his old Bay Area office and not as rattled as Shanahan hoped.
Saleh, of course, served as San Francisco’s defensive coordinator between the 2017 and 2020 seasons. He was Shanahan’s right-hand man before taking over for New York in 2021.
The two coaches have been close friends since being lower-level staffers with the Houston Texans dating back to 2006.
Monday night’s duel will be the first time Shanahan and Saleh meet on opposite sidelines as head coaches.
“Got a lot of guys on their staff that I’ve had a history with -- friends, too -- which adds a different element,” Shanahan said of the Jets. “It makes it more fun to talk to each other after or before a little bit.
“But I don’t see any relevance once the game starts.”
Like any coach, Shanahan and Saleh want to win. But this one just means more.
The 49ers and Jets are two Super Bowl favorites eager to make a statement to begin their 2024 NFL seasons. And historically, as noted, there has been much crossover between each sideline.
We’ll know after the game if Saleh getting his steps in made any difference.
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