© Sergio Estrada | 2018 Sep 16
Finally an issue with bipartisan support.
Michigan legislators sent a letter to Detroit Lions owner Sheila Ford Hamp urging her to hire 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh, a Michigan native, as the team’s new head coach. The letter, authored by Rep. Abdullah Hammoud, is expected to get around 40 signatures from both Republicans and Democrats from all parts of the state.
“We understand the difficulty of these upcoming decisions,” the letter reads. “As passionate and loyal Lions fans, we are asking you to hire Robert Saleh as the head coach of our team. He is the best candidate for the job and measures as such across every metric. A head coach like Robert can bring tremendous energy and heart to the franchise and would help us reach peaks that have seemed unobtainable for so long. We have an exceptional opportunity here and we trust you to make the best decision.
“To turn the corner and become a winning franchise, these next hiring decisions are critical. We hope that you will consider Robert Saleh as the head coach, not only for us, but for everyone across the loyal fanbase of our beloved Detroit Lions.”
The Lions fired head coach Matt Patricia and general manager Bob Quinn last Saturday, something the letter thanked Hamp for. The team has yet to respond to the letter.
Saleh is considered to be one of the top candidates for vacant head coaching positions this offseason. San Francisco’s defense is currently ranked 10th in yards per play allowed, a fairly staggering stat considering the team has been without edge rushers Nick Bosa and Dee Ford all season, and Richard Sherman for all but two games. With a full slate of players, the 49ers defense finished second in the league in that stat last season.
Saleh, 41, grew up in Dearborn, MI, went to Northern Michigan and coached at Michigan State, Central Michigan and Georgia on the college level.