What Kyle Shanahan can Learn From 49ers Defensive Coordinator Robert Saleh
Kyle Shanahan is one of the brightest head coaches in football, but there is still some things he is a little wet behind the ears on.
One aspect of his coaching style that he can improve on is adapting. This was usually not much of a heavy issue for him in 2019, but there was certainly some moments where Shanahan could show some stubbornness in his play calling.
Now I know injuries to key players on offense have made it tough on him to call his typical game, but that is exactly the point. He cannot call his typical game and needs to adapt/adjust to what he has.
In Sunday's loss to the Eagles, George Kittle mentioned how they were caught off guard by how the Eagles changed up their style of attack.
"They definitely played us differently than they've been playing the first three games of the season with their ends. We've gotta make an adjustment to that."
Yes Shanahan, you need to make an adjustment to that. Do not just turn a blind eye to what is going on with your offensive line. Call more jet sweeps, get your quarterback on the move, use more max protect. Anything to improve the situation. He needs to adjust on the fly like how he is capable of.
That is something Shanahan can learn from 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh.
The defensive side of the ball has been hit with more injuries than the offense. From Nick Bosa in the long-term, to Richard Sherman in the short-term. Saleh has been forced to adjust on the fly practically every week because he is always losing a key player. He is going to have to adjust once again this week and going forward with K'Waun Williams set to be placed on Injured Reserve.
So how has Saleh adjusted without his top pass rushers and cornerbacks?
One way he has adjusted is by calling a substantial amount of blitzes. Saleh does not like to dial up pressure outside of his defensive line often. He really just wants to blanket the field with the secondary and linebackers, while the defensive line gets after it.
Unfortunately, he cannot afford that luxury anymore so he is stepping out of his comfort zone by sending extra pressure. So far through four games, Saleh has called blitz 52 times, which is 34.2% of his play calls according to Pro Football Reference. If he continues this trend, then the 49ers will be on pace to finish with 208 blitz calls. In comparison to last season, Saleh only called for 125 blitzes, which ended up as 20.9% of the play calls.
This is the type of adjustment that Shanahan needs to follow.
Saleh certainly does not want to be calling blitzes in abundance as he has, but it is what he is forced to. This is why I have remained adamant that Saleh is great defensive coach and wasn't just a product of an elite pass rush. He knows how to operate his defense and adapt to the situation. Through four games, the 49ers' defense ranks sixth in DVOA (h/t Akash Anavarathan). So Saleh is still maintaining the defense in a strong position.
Shanahan can as well, he just needs to take a gander at what his own defense is doing with the massive wave of injuries that it has sustained. Even when he gets his key players on offense back, when things are going tough, he will need to shift gears to keep the opposition off balance.
