The San Francisco 49ers were certainly dealt a blow when defensive coordinator Robert Saleh decided to jump ship for a second time in favor of a head coaching opportunity. One can’t really blame a guy for wanting a promotion. But it’s fair to wonder, with the way the Tennessee Titans are trending, whether Saleh is already regretting his decision to leave.
Everyone knows the Titans are a rebuilding team that will most likely not contend this year, but it’s not as if Saleh is starting with a blank slate. He’s had to inherit quarterback Cam Ward from the previous regime, and while the young signal-caller clearly has talent, it’s far from certain if he’s going to be a legitimate NFL quarterback.
A team doesn’t necessarily need a star quarterback to be good, but competent quarterback play as a bare minimum is necessary. Ward was OK last year, completing roughly 60 percent of his passes for 3,169 yards with 15 touchdown passes and seven interceptions, but he’s got a long way to go.
Tennessee’s offense has struggled so far this preseason. Ward didn't play well against the Niners in the preseason opener a few weeks ago and was slightly better on Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks, but he still got stripped due to poor ball security.
Robert Saleh can't afford a Titans dumpster fire
It’s just preseason, and the Titans are probably realistically looking at contention a few years from now, but Saleh has his work cut out for him. His plan is probably to really build up his team’s defense to try to turn that unit into one of the best in the league, and then just hope that Ward and the offense can at least be average.
If it doesn’t work out, though, he may regret ever leaving the 49ers. Reporter Tim Kawakami shared on social media that there were people within the organization who thought Saleh should be more selective in picking another head coaching opportunity. There seemed to be hope he’d be more patient this time around and wait for a good opening to come up.
This is now likely his last chance to be a head coach. The NFL will usually give guys two shots, but if they both don’t pan out, then it’s pretty rare for them to get a third opportunity.
Let’s hope Saleh succeeds, but at least he knows he can always come back to the Niners if his second head coaching run doesn’t go much better than his first run with the New York Jets.
Add us as a preferred source on Google