As we know, Kyle Shanahan is the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers – but did you know that his NFL journey began long before he took that role?
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Back in 2004, Shanahan was hired as the offensive quality control coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. As detailed by the always controversial Jon Gruden, the man who hired him, it was a pretty easy decision to make.
“Kyle has Hall of Fame genes. Mike Shanahan called me, and nobody respected Mike Shanahan like I did. I thought Mike was the premier offensive guy in the world. He asked me if I had a spot for his son, Kyle, who wanted to be a coach, and, certainly. I was honored, really, that Mike Shanahan asked that of me. I only had Kyle for a short period of time, he was that good. He was that smart. He was way ahead of the game, and I’m not surprised at all with the success that he’s had.”
Now, an astonishing 20 years later, Shanahan is gearing up for the 49ers’ blockbuster opener against the New York Jets tonight. He’ll be squaring off with the Jets QB Aaron Rodgers, but in addition to that, he’ll also be facing a familiar face in the form of Robert Saleh.
Kyle Shanahan Set For Saleh Reunion
As well as working with Gruden and his father Mike Shanahan, Kyle has had some seriously successful assistant coaches of his own. That includes Jeff Hafley, Mike McDaniel, DeMeco Ryans, and, of course, Robert Saleh – to name a few.
Saleh was an impressive defensive coordinator for the 49ers under Shanahan between the years of 2017 and 2020. He played an integral part in leading them to Super Bowl LIV, where, chaotically, they fell to the Kansas City Chiefs. In an NBC Sports interview, the current 49ers head coach was pretty light-hearted when asked about the impending reunion.
“I’ll mess with Saleh,” Shanahan said. “He’s going to sit there and cheer a lot. I’m going to give him crap about that. He wants to come lift on Monday. I mess with him all the time on that stuff, and that’s kind of our relationship. He’s a great friend. I have a lot of respect for him as a coach, but those are usually the ones that are more fun to beat.”
It’s always important to learn from those around you. In the National Football League, that’s especially the case in the coaching realm. Saleh is only really just getting his feet wet in comparison to Shanahan in the head coach department, but there are more than enough reasons to believe this is going to be a fun one for everyone tuning in on MNF.
