Jets coach Robert Saleh prepares for a reunion against Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — Robert Saleh and Kyle Shanahan spent four years going up against each other on the practice field when Saleh served as defensive coordinator under Shanahan on the San Francisco 49ers staff.

Now Saleh's defense gets to match up with Shanahan's offense on a far bigger stage when the Jets visit the Niners on Monday night in the first meeting between the teams since Saleh left San Francisco to take over as head coach in New York in 2021.

It's one of the most intriguing matchups in the season opener with the stingy Jets defense trying to slow down one of the game's most prolific offenses led by a creative play-caller in Shanahan.

“He’s unique in the sense that he can see it as it goes," Saleh said. "He’s got his game plan, and then he’s got the game that happens after the first quarter where he’ll create plays on the sideline if he has to. He is very, very good at recognizing the way players move and the players relate and the space that’s created on defense by certain plays and he just knows how to counter punch, and he knows exactly when to counter punch. He sees things on tape that gives him opportunities to exploit, and he’s one of the best.”

The relationship between Saleh and Shanahan dates back nearly two decades to when Shanahan joined the Houston Texans staff as a receivers coach in 2006, while Saleh was a defensive quality control coach.

They spent four years together in Houston before Shanahan joined his father's staff in Washington in 2010. Then when the younger Shanahan got his first head coaching job in San Francisco in 2017, he made Saleh one of his first hires as defensive coordinator, adding more meaning to the reunion game.

“First off, it’s a special place, getting my first opportunity as a coordinator. Took over a not-so-great defense and we were able to build that thing," Saleh said. “I’ll forever be indebted to the Shanahan family, papa Shanahan (Mike Shanahan), who had a tremendous influence on me, Kyle (Shanahan) challenging me every day to look outside the box. (GM) John (Lynch) and his tutelage, I mean, it’s just an elite organization. The York family, the way they operate day to day. I think it’s a class organization and I’m forever indebted to them."

The Niners struggled the first two years under Shanahan and Saleh, winning just 10 games as it took time to build up the roster with stars such as Fred Warner, Nick Bosa and George Kittle.

San Francisco then had one of the top defensive units in Saleh's last two seasons, falling just short of a Super Bowl title against Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2019 season and then overcoming a spate of injuries to still field a strong defense in 2020.

That led to Saleh getting the promotion with the Jets but his impact is still felt in San Francisco, where Shanahan wanting his defense to get back to its roots established under Saleh.

“He means so much to me from the moment I stepped in the building,” said Warner, who went from a third-round pick to All-Pro status thanks in part to the tutelage from Saleh. “Him showing confidence in me as a player. Obviously to give me the nod as the ‘Mike’ backer my rookie year. That takes a lot of guts to give a rookie that that power. But, I’m so happy for him and his success. Hopefully not very successful on Monday night, of course. I owe a lot to him.”

Shanahan said the deep knowledge both coaches have of the other's system means it won't be easy to trick anyone. That makes simplicity and execution the most important facets.

“Saleh is very sound in what he does. He’s not going to overthink it," Shanahan said. “So I’m not going to overthink it."

Shanahan joked that there is maybe one thing the Niners could do to throw Saleh off his game.

“I just hope our stadium people don’t let him run the stairs, won’t let him get any workout in,” Shanahan said. "Hopefully that’ll rattle him a little bit.”

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AP Pro Football Writer Dennis Waszak Jr. contributed to this report.

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Josh Dubow, The Associated Press