Coen, Saleh clash postgame over sign-stealing talk

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- The simmering hostility implicit 49ers antiaircraft coordinator Robert Saleh's remark astir the Jaguars "legally stealing signals" from opponents spilled onto the tract Sunday, arsenic Saleh and Jacksonville manager Liam Coen had to beryllium separated amid a heated postgame exchange.

Saleh and Coen, the 2 apical candidates for the Jaguars' head-coaching occupation successful the offseason, did not primitively greet each different astatine midfield aft Jacksonville's 26-21 win. But aft a bit, Coen appeared to ellipse backmost toward Saleh arsenic the concern escalated.

The tv broadcast showed Saleh exchanging words with Jaguars violative tackle Walker Little and being held backmost by a Niners unit member, portion Jaguars halfway Robert Hainsey restrained Coen.

In a video by Action Sports Jax, the Jaguars' authoritative TV station, Coen tin beryllium heard saying, "Keep my sanction retired of your mouth."

After Saleh and Coen went their abstracted ways, Coen doubly declined to supply details erstwhile asked astir the exchange.

"Not a large deal," Coen said. "Just support that betwixt us." When asked a follow-up, Coen said, "We're going to support that betwixt us."

Saleh is mostly not disposable to reporters aft games, but Niners manager Kyle Shanahan was asked astir the concern and if helium believed Saleh's words astir the awesome stealing had been what sparked the back-and-forth with Coen.

Shanahan said helium tried to wide things up Friday, erstwhile helium said repeatedly that Saleh was complimenting the Jaguars. He did not spot their postgame speech Sunday.

"I don't deliberation you should beryllium that delicate astir it but it is what it is," Shanahan said. "I'm not excessively disquieted astir it."

Asked if helium was acrophobic that Saleh's words had angered the Jaguars coaches, Shanahan demurred.

"We don't wholly attraction if coaches are pissed off," Shanahan said. "It has nary effect connected the game. I deliberation Saleh was paying them a large compliment successful what they're bully astatine doing. It's not illegal. He said (there's) thing amerciable astir it. I deliberation you usage the connection motion stealing and what the headlines get with those benignant of words, I deliberation the cognition of that becomes wrong."

Jaguars antiaircraft extremity Josh Hines-Allen said helium thought Saleh's comments mightiness person fired Coen up a spot aft the crippled ended.

"I'm really excited that helium benignant of kept his composure passim the game," Hines-Allen said. "And then, astatine the past minute, 'Hey, bash what you've got to do.'"

The lone 49ers subordinate successful the country erstwhile the Saleh-Coen speech happened was antiaircraft lineman Yetur Gross-Matos, who declined to connection details.

"That's betwixt them two," Gross-Matos said. "I ain't got thing to bash with it. I don't r...