MIAMI, Fla. -- More than three hours before every 49ers game, a lone figure can be seen running the stadium steps.
It has been defensive coordinator Robert Saleh’s game-day routine for nearly two decades, since he was a first-year graduate assistant coach at Michigan State in 2002.
“It initially started because I wanted to stay in shape so I can look halfway decent,” Saleh said Thursday during the 49ers’ last media availability before Super Bowl LIV on Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs.
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Saleh said as he walks down the aisles along the lower bowl and runs up the steps, he is able to clear his mind and think through some of the different scenarios he anticipates in the upcoming game.
“I think about how I might want to call the game, situations, which pressures we like, when do we want to hit them," Saleh said. "And, really, I’m just going through the process of how to present the game.”
Saleh’s pre-game cardio workout lasts for one hour, regardless of the size of the lower deck of the stadium in which the 49ers are playing on that particular week.
“I see how many times I can go,” Saleh said. “If I can make around twice, great.”
Saleh times his workout so that he concludes before the gates to the stadium opens to fans. Then, after building up a good sweat, he returns to the 49ers’ locker room, where he takes care of some final details.
“I take the thoughts I had during running and I write down notes on my call sheet,” Saleh said. “And then I go through my process of getting ready for the game. That is my routine. It’s a very important part of my day.”
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After he makes notes on his play sheet while the thoughts are fresh in his mind, he shaves his head so that he is looking good for the opening kickoff.
Saleh said there were two games in which he was not able to get in his pre-game run, and he is not certain he will be able to stick to his routine Sunday because of the restrictions placed on stadium access.
“I hope so,” Saleh said. “I’m not sure what the stands will be like with security and all of that, but I plan on it.”
