DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum Browns Hire Jim Schwartz as DC.

Former HC, Veteran DC, DC for Eagles SB and turned the Titans Defense around ... Good Hire Now let's get OC named and Stefanski can be HC like he is supposed to be.

Great hire IMO. We need "Jim Dandy" to the rescue of this defensive sinkhole. Bring us a can of whoop ass and a bucket of nasty to go! Regardless of base or scheme, a lot of the game will still be reduced to intensity and how you play within what you are in.
Hope we stop giving up twelve yard cushions and allowing conversions of third and longer than you can believe. I feel relieved within hire. I think it serves notice on Ski as well. If successful, Schwartz may prove to be a "two-fer."

Here we go, Brownies! Here we go!

Black Oak Arkansas reference. Shweet!

I like the hire. I hope we can get the players we need to shore up our weak positions. If we had JIm Schwartz as our DC this past season things might be different right now. Just a little speculation on my part.

I assume there will be many changes in the coaching ranks on that side of the ball. Now the ball is in Berry's and Stefanski's court to get the players to make the defense successful. Thought that was going to happen last year too. Oh well, here's hoping that they get it right this time.

Written in 2021.

There are only so many options, people often like to act like there are endless choices, but in America there aren't there are often five.
Five choices for anything, but not endless.
Test it, even with the internet, in anything you have maybe five choices but not endless.
take anything, take, national newspapers, anything.
so just because somebody listens doesn't mean they even wanted to listen to that person.

I never listen to her

j/c:

Some might cry about this being "fluff," but I think it has some good takes.


Jim Schwartz: What the Browns are getting in their new defensive coordinator


Jeff Risdon
January 17, 2023 12:39 pm ET


Jim Schwartz is the new defensive coordinator of the Cleveland Browns. Schwartz comes to the Browns after years of NFL experience, most recently with the Tennessee Titans as a senior defensive assistant, after breaking into the league as a personnel scout in Cleveland under Bill Belichick.

He’s best known for his five seasons (2009-2013) as the head coach of the Detroit, and this is where the worlds collide for me. His final season as the Lions head coach was my first year as credentialed media covering the team.



I won’t beat around the bush; I love the move to hire Schwartz as Joe Woods’ successor. I openly campaigned for it on social media and in various radio spots. There are a couple of reasons why I’m bullish on the divisive Schwartz.

Scheme
Schwartz uses an aggressive 4-man front in the style of longtime Eagles coordinator Jim Johnson. His defenses rely heavily on generating pressure with just the front four. First with the Titans (2001-2008) as a coordinator, then with the Lions as head coach and subsequent coordinator stops in Buffalo (2014) and Philadelphia (2016-2020), Schwartz’s defensive units perennially ranked near the top in sacks and at or near the bottom in blitz percentage.

Don’t mistake the dearth of blitzing for not being aggressive. Far from it. Schwartz uses a barrage of twists, stunts, alignments within the four-man line and even some more advanced gimmicks like the asynchronous rush or the inverted line (ends inside, tackles outside). His expansive use of the Wide-9 technique with his ends is Schwartz’s signature.

Spotlighting his standouts
Everywhere he’s been, Schwartz has thrived at catering to the skills of his top talents. From Jevon Kearse and Kevin Carter in Tennessee to Ndamukong Suh and Kyle Vandenbosch in Detroit and the Brandon Graham/Chris Long combination in Philadelphia, Schwartz prominently features his top talents and puts them in optimal situations to succeed.

That certainly bodes well for Myles Garrett in Cleveland. The Wide-9, where the EDGE lines up beyond the outside shoulder of a tight end–even if there is no tight end to that side of the formation–creates considerable space for Garrett to get options to use either his freakish power or incredible speed and cornering ability. Expect to also see Garrett kick inside into a 4i or 5-technique, too.

Cleveland holes
You might notice that he’s almost always had more than one impact member of the front four. Garrett gives him arguably the best individual talent he’s ever had on the outside, but the Browns don’t have a No. 2. they might not even have a No. 3 on the roster right now, and that’s one of the reasons why Woods is gone.

If GM Andrew Berry, who was with Schwartz in Philadelphia before joining the Browns, wants this to work, he has to know the defensive tackle position is offseason priority No. 1. The Browns already desperately needed at least one new starting DT, preferably one who can collapse the pocket reliably. Now that position is a non-negotiable necessity.

So is having a balance to Garrett at DE. Alex Wright can develop into a No. 3 DE in Schwartz’s scheme, which plays well to Wright’s quickness and length. But the No. 2 DE is not on the roster. Jadeveon Clowney wouldn’t be it even if he returned, either.

The good news? The rest of the returning defensive personnel fits what Schwartz typically wants quite well. He’s a coordinator who leans on man coverage outside and Cover-3 and Cover-1 in the middle. Schwartz knows how to mask and mix up his coverages too.

In Denzel Ward, Greg Newsome and Martin Emerson, the Browns are set at CB for Schwartz. His use of a traditional split of strong and free safety also fits the Browns existing personnel of Grant Delpit and John Johnson–presuming Johnson returns, a debate where the dynamic has changed with Schwartz’s hiring.

The linebacking corps is tailor-made for Schwartz when everyone is healthy. Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah is a perfect fit in the middle, a smart, speedy backer with range. Jacob Phillips and a return from a bigger SLB like Sione Takitaki are good enough for a defense that emphasizes the front four and the back four (or five). Tony Fields works as a depth piece. Crashing the gaps inside the Wide-9 alignment against the run and carrying TEs to the safeties in coverage are the primary functions. No blitzing and no heavy man-coverage required.

Stefanski impact
One of the big reasons I wanted Schwartz is his personality. Schwartz is proudly prickly. He is not afraid to be defiant or difficult. A Georgetown grad, Schwartz is a very bright guy and isn’t shy about letting folks know he’s smart.

His personality is not for everyone, but his abrasive, prideful nature serves a great purpose in Cleveland. He is the boat-rocker and willing antagonist I strongly believe is needed to help head coach Kevin Stefanski.

It’s overstating the situation to say Stefanski was surrounded by assistants who are complacent or “yes men”. But there has not been enough pushback or negative feedback to Stefanski internally, certainly not in the strident way Schwartz will deliver those things.

Don’t mistake those qualities in Schwartz for disloyalty or not being a team player. It’s more about Schwartz being willing to speak up if he sees things that he doesn’t think will work, and not just on his own defense — and Schwartz does so in full-throated spirit to help the team win. He found that balance very nicely in Philadelphia with head coach Doug Pederson and in Tennessee with Jeff Fisher, who wasn’t afraid to dish it right back. Schwartz loved that, by the way.

The coaching dynamic needs to change in Cleveland. That’s Schwartz.

It might not work, no question about it. If the defensive line doesn’t get significant personnel upgrades immediately, it could very well be one-and-done for Schwartz in Cleveland. Berry, Stefanski and the Browns trust Schwartz and respect his process and his results enough to believe he can pair with Stefanski and thrive. I do too.

https://brownswire.usatoday.com/202...medium=trueanthem&utm_source=twitter

Some huh? You're nothing if not consistent with your petty attacks. It's fluff if all its talking points are meaningless; what's so hard to get about that, Vers?

Meh. I hope it works, but in the end it just doesn't matter unless he proves that this matters.

Good luck, May the Schwartz be with us.

hope he works out... I'm cautiously optimistic... seems to be a good DC... wasn't a great HC...

Listened to an interview on the 92.3 the fan where they were talking with Blaine Bishop. He is one of the Titans sportscaster guys and I think he also played for Schwartz. Had a bunch or reaaly good things to say about him. A couple things that stood out.


He is old school in that he has an emphasis on stopping the run especially on 1st down so that it creates obvious passing downs allowing the d-line to T-off on the qb.
His defenses really excel on third down conversion percentage.
He then listed how the Titans D significantly improved in these areas after Schwartz joined the defensive staff of the Titans

He also said that Schwartz is always reinventing himself.
This is to take advantage of the players he has. He said a lot of coaches had their sytem and force the players he has to fit into that system whereas Schwartz will change his sytem to take advantage of what the players he has do best.

He also said Schwartz has a thingh where he will talk to the players and make sure that they understand the defense and are comfortable with the way they are being used.

If this is true it will be very welcomed. I think this was one of Woods biggest problems.

Jim was the guy I wanted, if for no other reason because of his track record. Welcome home, Mr. Schwartz.

He will command respect.

Stress it out bro. Lol

OCD, I don’t know why you have a problem with the article Vers posted. It painted a clear picture of the kind of DC we are getting, that isn’t “meaningless”, in my opinion. I’m also glad to know JS is willing to adapt to the personnel on hand.

And now I’m going to have to research a wide-9 defensive approach.

Ozzie Newsome, Marvin Lewis on Jim Schwartz: 'You could just tell he was so bright'

Chris Easterling, Akron Beacon Journal
Wed, January 18, 2023 at 5:50 AM EST
link


Jim Schwartz is finally going to get a chance to be an on-field coach for the Browns. The last time he was in Cleveland, he did a lot of things for the Browns, but coaching wasn't one of them.

"Well, I mean, we were doing a lot of things," Browns Hall of Fame tight end and former Baltimore Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome recalled by phone to the Beacon Journal Tuesday. "I don't think you could just sit there and say, 'This is what he did.' We would, we all did what Bill (Belichick) asked us to do, bill and Mike (Lombardi) asked us to do."

The 56-year-old Schwartz will be the Browns' defensive coordinator for the 2023 season, replacing Joe Woods. The then-26-year-old Schwartz was just another of Belichick's famed "slappies" when he got his start with the original franchise for the 1993 season.

Jim Schwartz to be hired by Browns:Jim Schwartz to replace Joe Woods Cleveland Browns defensive coordinator

Officially, Schwartz's title was pro scout. In reality, like so many of the other up-and-comers who Belichick brought into the organization promising little pay and long hours, his responsibilities were pretty much anything that could come to mind, some of it even football related.

Newsome, whose title in 1993 was assistant to the head coach/offense/pro personnel before being promoted to Director of Player Personnel in 1994, said that Schwartz's strengths fit his somewhat undefined role perfectly.

"Well, he could multitask," Newsome said. "He also was very, very good from a detail standpoint."

Schwartz held down a scouting role with the Browns right up until the day the franchise moved to Baltimore after the 1995 season. When the move happened, that may have signaled the end of Schwartz's NFL dreams, at least with the Browns-turned-Ravens.

However, there was someone on the Ravens' coaching staff who opened the door for Schwartz to not only keep his goal of working in the NFL alive, but working in an on-field role in the league.


"It was Marvin Lewis," said Newsome, who was the Ravens' player personnel director from 1996-2001 before being promoted to general manager in 2002. "When we came over from Cleveland we had had only so many spots in the scouting staff, and (Baltimore head coach) Ted (Marchibroda) had hired Marvin to be the defensive coordinator. And so I asked Marvin would he interview Jim for a quality control position that he had available. He did. He fell in love with him, and that's what started him into coaching."

The Ravens hired Schwartz to be a defensive quality control coach under Lewis. At the time, Lewis had no connection with the unproven assistant, having worked with the Browns' archrivals, the Pittsburgh Steelers through the 1995 season.

However, for Lewis, the word of Newsome was as good as any to convince him to take a chance on Schwartz.

"When I took the job, Ozzie said, 'Hey, we hired a young guy here this last year,'" Lewis told the Beacon Journal Tuesday from Arizona, where he's special advisor in the Arizona State University football program. "'He hasn't got to do much, but he's a smart guy. He is hardworking and I think he's worthwhile you speaking with and trying to see if we can keep him around. And he was so right."

The football knowledge was one thing that impressed Lewis, who was in his first as a defensive coordinator after having coached linebackers with the Steelers. In fact, one of the primary duties for Schwartz once he was hired in an on-field role in Baltimore was to assist linebackers coach Maxie Baughan.

Robaire Smith on Jim Schwartz:Robaire Smith believes Jim Schwartz-Myles Garrett combo with Browns 'could get scary, man'

The thing which set him apart, though, was his ability to connect with the players themselves. It was just in communication, but in teaching as well.

"That first year, Jimmy, really, just his ability to work as my assistant, but also about his ability to see me, for me witness him helping coach the guys on the field and so forth all the time. You know, you could just tell he was so bright. He had a great way of delivering to the players and getting it to where they could understand it. And that's the key element of this job is, it doesn't matter how much we know, it's we can impart to them and they can retain. And Jimmy had a great knack for that. You could see that very early in the '96 season."

Schwartz would spend the next two seasons with the Ravens in a similar role. Lewis tried to promote him to a bigger role on the field, but couldn't convince Marchibroda to go along.

That didn't stop Lewis from making sure he was a key part of the defensive staff, especially assisting with the linebackers. At the time, that group included future Hall of Famer Ray Lewis and 1997 Defensive Rookie of the Year Peter Boulware.

"We didn't get it very far for Coach Marchibroda, but Jimmy actually continued to work behind the scenes quite a bit," Lewis said. "Maxie Baughan was our linebacker coach at the time, who was very experienced and wealth and knowledge and he was great. Jimmy was a great compliment to him, but Jimmy just continued to expand his role and his opportunity and his input with me being the coordinator as well, as far as game planning and everything that way."

Marchibroda would be fired after the Ravens went 6-10 in the 1998 season. While Lewis was retained by Marchibroda's successor, Brian Billick, and went on to win a Super Bowl in the 2000 season, Schwartz was not kept on by the new regime.

Lewis, though, remained very high on Schwartz's potential. He persuaded Tennessee Titans head coach Jeff Fisher and his defensive coordinator at the time, Gregg Williams, to hire the up-and-comer.

Schwartz would serve as a defensive assistant for the Titans' 1999 AFC championship team, before finally getting that coveted linebackers coach role in 2000. When Williams left to become the Buffalo Bills' head coach in 2001, Schwartz was promoted to defensive coordinator, a role he held until leaving for his own head-coaching opportunity with the Detroit Lions in 2009.

Lewis became the Cincinnati Bengals' head coach in 2003. He admits there's been an evolution in Schwartz's schematic philosophy from the time he started with him in Baltimore to what has now become his former protege's staple, the wide-nine front.

"When I took over as the coordinator there in Baltimore with the past they had in Cleveland, I retained most of the front stuff terminology and so forth," Lewis said. "Techniques and stuff that they had done under Coach Belichick and the (defensive line) coach (Jacob Burney) we rehired. But as Jimmy left and went on and coached with Jim Washburn there in Tennessee and so forth, then they got more into the wide nine and the things that they have continued to develop since then. That was over time."

Time that would eventually lead Schwartz back to the place where his NFL career got started: Cleveland.

Contact Chris at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com.

On Twitter: @ceasterlingABJ

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Ozzie Newsome, Marvin Lewis helped jump-start Jim Schwartz's career

Schwartz is a good hire. Defense should be improved next year.

Woods was a horrible hire from day 1. We keep drafting press corners and ask them to fill zones. Schwartz is a good fit for what we have. Very happy with this hire.

Man is what they did in college, and their performance in college is what made them 1st and 2nd round picks. So ...

Not sure about Emerson. Was he predominantly in man coverage in college?

Good to see you, Mourg. The board has missed you.

Take this for what it's worth.



https://www.nfl.com/prospects/martin-emerson/3200454d-4540-4215-97fb-3728b8869883

Not sure if Schwartz will still use the Wide 9 or not, but here are some cliff notes from one man's view.



STRENGTHS

1. Rushing the quarterback. The Wide 9 makes a speed rusher even more dangerous, because he lines up outside the tight end. The offensive tackle has to kick slide quickly and cover lots of ground just to get his hands on the Wide 9 defensive end (think Dee Ford). By forcing the offensive tackle to move so far, the Wide 9 creates space inside for the 3-technique defensive tackle (think DeForest Buckner) to rush one-on-one against a guard. The 49ers have struggled to create one-on-one matchups for Buckner the past three seasons.

2. Defending finesse runs outside the tackles. It’s extremely difficult to run outside outside zone or jet sweeps against the Wide 9, because the defensive end is not attached to the tight end. If the defensive end fires straight upfield after the snap, he’s on the tight end’s outside shoulder already, forcing the outside-zone run to break inside the tight end. The Wide 9 sets the edge. He is the D-gap defender (the gap farthest from the center). Last season, the 49ers’ strong-side defensive end was head up on the tight end, meaning he was the C-gap defender. This alignment allowed the strong-side linebacker to defend the D-Gap and be a smaller player, because he had to chase down people near the sideline rather than fill gaps between the tackles.

3. Playing Cover 2 and 2-man. The three linebackers are bunched together between the tackles. They’re all in perfect position to play their zones in Cover 2.

WEAKNESSES

1. Playing Cover 3. The curl/flat defenders (strong safety and strong-side linebacker) are farther away from their landmarks pre-snap in a Wide 9 alignment compared to the traditional Seattle defense. The strong-side linebacker is in the box, so he has an extra few yards to run to get to the flat. And the strong safety is 10-12 yards off the line of scrimmage, so he has a mile and a half to run to get to the flat. This means teams will attack the 49ers’ defense in the flats next season. In practice, the 49ers have been dropping the strong safety into the hook zone over the middle and sending both outside linebackers to the flats.

2. Defending runs between the tackles. It’s tough for offenses to break the outside contain of a Wide 9 defense, so they must attack where the softness of the defense is, and that’s inside. By spreading out the defensive linemen, the defense has created cavities offenses will try to expose by making their run game more direct. The 49ers’ small linebackers better wear big-boy pads next season, because offenses will be running between the tackles. They’ll run inside zone plays, and pin-and-pull concepts such as G-Leads, Whams, Traps and Power plays. The strong-side linebacker (Dre Greenlaw?) has to be a stud, because he’s playing the C-gap between the tackle and tight end. Offenses can block the Sam linebacker with a tight end, block down on the 3-technique with the offensive tackle and pull the play-side guard to kick out the Wide 9 DE. That’s a G-Lead. The Wide 9 alignment makes it easier for offenses to isolate the 3-technique (Buckner) in the run game, and exposes him to situations where he’ll have to play the down block from the offensive tackle more often.

3. Defending play action. The Sam linebacker must explode downhill toward the line of scrimmage whenever he sees run action coming toward the C-gap, so he’s easily fooled by play action. He will bite every time a quarterback fakes a hand off. Last season, the 49ers’ Sam linebacker and strong safety both lined up outside the tackles, so they didn’t have to overreact to run actions, and they both had clear views of the run fake, because they were outside the tackles and didn’t have to peer through bodies to find the football.


Full article here: https://49ers.pressdemocrat.com/the-strengths-and-weaknesses-of-the-the-wide-9/

Welcome back! What happened to your GIF, bro? lol

Glad to see you posted Mourg. I hope all is well.

It's official now, I suppose.

Wonder how many of TODAY's pampered players will react to 5 min RED LASER on them. Old school accountability, vs. today's everyone makes mistakes. HOPE, the players embrace tough love. Go Browns!!!!

Agreed Bone good post. I think Schwartz will not only straighten out our D but like you said help out KS just because of his experience. I haven't heard or read anywhere that this wasn't a good hire. Being the Browns that's unprecedented.!

Thanks guys. We have a lot of good pieces and I don't have a clue if we can put it all together but it is sure gonna be interesting. Schwartz is a huge step in the right direction on d but I ant handle anymore doughnut defense. Middle is always open.

Another thought. I think it is very important for a HC in any sport or a manager in baseball to have an assistant he can confide in and bounce ideas off. I remember those great Yankee teams in the mid to late "90's and early 2000's Joe Torre had Don Zimmer right next to him on the bench. Why? Excellent baseball man and very knowledgeable. KS didn't have that before. He does now.