It would be hard to claim the Jacksonville Jaguars and San Francisco 49ers have a rivalry of any sort, but 49ers DC Robert Saleh might have raised a few eyebrows in Jacksonville's facility with his comments ahead of their matchup on Sunday.
Saleh referenced a legal sign-stealing system deployed by Coen and the Jaguars, explaining that the 49ers need to be careful not to give away any signals when they host Jacksonville in Week 4.
Saleh has never worked with Liam Coen, though both have spent time in the Shanahan-McVay tree with Saleh working under Kyle Shanahan for multiple stints and Coen spending time under Sean McVay in Los Angeles.
Here's a look at Saleh's comments ahead of Sunday's game in Santa Clara.
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What did Robert Saleh say about Liam Coen?
Saleh claimed Coen and the Jaguars are running an "advanced" but legal sign-stealing system ahead of the 49ers' Week 4 matchup with Jacksonville.
"Liam Coen and his staff coming from Minnesota, they got legally a really advanced signal stealing system where they always find a way to put themselves in an advantageous situation," Saleh told reporters Thursday. "They do a great job of it. They formation you to just try to find any nugget they can. We have to be great with our signals, be great with our communication to combat some of those tells we might give on the field."
Saleh references Coen's "staff coming from Minnesota," but only two offensive coaches in Jacksonville were hired from the Minnesota Vikings: offensive coordinator Grant Udinski and offensive line coach Shaun Sarrett. Both held lower-ranking roles under Kevin O'Connell in Minnesota. Saleh was fired by the New York Jets Jets two days after losing to O'Connell's Vikings in London last season, and his comments indicate he may believe Minnesota had some of the Jets' signals.
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Sign-stealing itself is not illegal in the NFL, but the use of electronics to steal signs is against NFL rules. Saleh is not accusing the Jaguars of stealing signs electronically or through any illegal means. Instead, Saleh is likely referring to pre-snap motions and other ways an offense can pick up on how a defense reacts to different formations.
Sign-stealing is also not illegal at the NCAA level, but Michigan was penalized for sign-stealing because in-person scouting of future opponents and the use of electronics are both illegal.
The Jaguars are 2-1 through Coen's first three games as head coach, though they struggled to get going offensively in a Week 3 win over the Texans.