The Unexpected Weight of Robert Saleh's New Titans Job

The Titans head coach is down 20 pounds, his workouts have been cut short and his wife sees the difference in the face she wishes were still rounder.

By PAUL KUHARSKY

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Robert Saleh is sure to suffer more consequential losses as he tries to rebuild the Titans.

But the super-fit former linebacker has already experienced an unexpected one since taking over as head coach on Jan. 22.

He’s down 20 pounds.

“Normally I sit around 235, 240, and I've got a lot more muscle mass because I can be in the gym a little bit more,” Saleh said. “But as a head coach, it's different. You've got a hell of a lot more things happening, a lot more people coming in out of your office, and so my workouts are limited.”

Saleh’s now 220. I found it difficult to believe the thick, 6-foot-3 coach had lost that much muscle, but sorting through pictures, you can see it in his face. 

Sanaa Saleh can, too.

“My wife notices it now,” he said. “She really sees it in my face, and she likes me to have a nice round face.”

New coaches often go the other direction, rushing meals and sneaking snacks at their desks.

The Bears’ Ben Johnson went viral last year for comparison photos that made him look exhausted and heavier after just 50 days on the job.

Less Weight, More Reps

Typically, Saleh said he tries to lift heavy, spending 45 minutes to an hour with “the heaviest weights I can get.” 

“Now it's as simple as I’ve got 15, 20 minutes,” he said. “Let me do a quick circuit. So it's more reps, less weight.”

His muscle mass suffers as a result. He’s 47 and his body fat hovers around 10 percent.

The leanest Titans are at six to nine percent.

“I mess with the players here and there: ‘Don't let your coach have less body fat than you,’” he said. “So, like the lowest I got this summer, I was at eight and a half percent. But you know, the season comes around and you're looking for energy, so you grab a cupcake.”

Mike Borgonzi counters the cupcake.

“He doesn’t eat anything all day,” the GM said. “He’s healthy. He eats right. I’m trying to take some notes from him on how to eat right. He busts my chops every time I grab a bag of Cheez-Its. Some of that weight has come to me, yeah.”

Saleh works to eat natural food. He and his wife cheat once a week, with pizza, a cheese board or butter pecan ice cream.

But he throws a scoop of chocolate protein powder in the Americano coffee he makes with the machine in his office.

The upside is he’s found more flexibility in his golf game, not that he’s able to squeeze in a round very often. His handicap moved from 10-12 to 8.5.

He clearly would prefer to have his lifting time, the stress relief and the additional muscle that come with it. His wife would get the face she prefers, too.

So where is the stress level?

“It's always on tilt, and it's not stress like being worried about your job,” he said, making it clear he’s not lodging any complaint. “It's just constant. You're constantly on the move. You're not nearly as much football (as you are as a coordinator). You just have all the administrative stuff that goes with being a head coach that occupies the majority of your day.”