SANTA CLARA – Robert Saleh wore a sheepish grin Tuesday back at the Levi’s Stadium mic, where he acknowledged last week’s “bad choice of words” about sign stealing enraged the 49ers’ opponent, or at least its coach, Jacksonville’s Liam Coen.
Saleh, the 49ers’ ever-passionate defensive coordinator, did not deny airing hostility right back at Coen as players separated them after Sunday’s 26-21 loss.
“Everyone has a trigger, I guess,” Saleh confessed Tuesday.
That coaching brouhaha overshadowed these facts about Saleh’s defense: no interceptions, no fumble recoveries, no sacks, no quarterback hits, and, glaringly, no Nick Bosa, who was fresh out of season-ending knee surgery.
So how will the 49ers have a fighting chance Thursday night in visiting the Rams and their Super Bowl-winning quarterback (Matthew Stafford), the NFL’s leading wide receiver (Puka Nacua), and Oscar-worthy supporting actors (Davante Adams, Kyren Williams)?
Bring them on, so say the Niners’ young defenders who hope Stafford’s barrage of passes will end their drought of 11 consecutive games without an interception.
“He’s going to find ways to pick me out and I’m going to have to counter that,” rookie safety Marques Sigle said. “He’s a skilled quarterback and I’m going to be a skilled DB.”
“I can’t become great taking the easy way,” rookie nickel back Upton Stout said, “so, shoot, throw me all the challenges right now, so at the end of it, I can come out and get a (Hall of Fame) gold jacket.”
Stout said so sitting at his locker Tuesday with gold towels draped around his freshly showered body. Come Thursday night in his prime-time debut, his 5-foot-9 frame must blanket and endure the physicality of Nacua (6-2) and Adams (6-1).
“That’s exciting going into any week knowing you have a chance to get highly targeted,” said Stout, who had an interception last game nullified by a pass-interference penalty, one that ex-49er Richard Sherman came to Stout’s defense against.
Fred Warner, the ring leader of the 49ers’ fifth-ranked defense, knows all too well what challenges the Rams present and especially Nacua, a fellow BYU product and “great kid” whom Warner advised before the Rams took Nacua in the 2023 fifth round.
“Something about those BYU guys. So happy for him,” Warner said. “Hopefully this is his worst outing of the year, then he can continue his success later.”
Warner raved about Nacua’s all-encompassing talent — great hands, run after the catch, run through contact, run blocks — then noted how “the energy he plays with is inspirational to his teammates.” Adams arrived as a teammate this year and has three touchdowns to launch his 12th season.
“They’re incredibly tough,” Saleh said of Nacua and Adams. “Sean (McVay) has two guys and will put them everywhere – together, opposite, and they find ways to put them in positions where they’re leveraged.”
Saleh intended similar praise last week for Coen, his staff, and others from an NFL coaching tree tracing to — how’s this for a timely coincidence — the Rams’ Sean McVay and the 49ers’ Kyle Shanahan.
“All of them do such a great job in formation identification and putting players in position to gain leverage,” Saleh added.
Which NFL coach, perhaps other than Detroit enforcer Dan Campbell, would have the upper hand on Saleh in a brawl?
“Just me,” Shanahan quipped. “… Saleh’s too nice usually, but it seemed like someone (Coen) struck a chord the other day. I don’t think there’s any fights going on. It was kind of comical now to look back at it.”