BEREA, Ohio — If the Browns wanted to keep Kevin Stefanski as head coach, they had to do something like this…
This is Jim Schwartz’s appointment as defense coordinator. Make this a great defensive coordinator with a long track record, especially in situations where resuscitation was needed.
Schwartz was in a wonderfully nostalgic mood when he returned to 76 Lou Groza Blvd. for his first press conference at his new job with the Browns.
Schwartz began his NFL career in 1993 with the Browns. He was hired as a scout by former Browns coach Bill Belichick. Schwartz’s previous job was linebacker coach at Colgate. That’s why the Browns and Berea mean so much to him.
If Belichick and Cleveland hadn’t opened the door to the NFL, Schwartz knows that no one might ever have given him that chance.
That was a long time ago, 30 years to be exact. Now he’s coming to town at the age of 56. He comes to town with the Browns after seasons 8-9 and 7-10. He comes to town with a head coach who needs to delve deep into offense and find a way to help Deshaun Watson become a franchise QB.
Illustration by Ted Crow for Crowquill. Defensive coordinator Joe Woods is the Browns’ first casualty of the offseason.
A NEW VOICE IS NEEDED
He comes into town with a defense that has had discipline issues. Former defensive coordinator Joe Woods was replaced after three seasons with the Browns. Woods is the first coordinator to be fired by Stefanski.
“You have to hold your best players most accountable,” Schwartz said. “If I do a good job, our best players will be held most accountable.”
But he also spoke about how a coach must “earn” the “trust” of his players.
“The players don’t care if you’re young or old, black or white, loud or quiet. If you can help them, they will listen,” Schwartz said. “If they know you’re coming from an honest source and you’re telling them the truth, they might not like what you’re saying, but they’ll embrace it because they know it’s coming from a merit basis and it’s coming from the truth . Building trust is job #1.”
Players want to win and they want to get paid. Schwartz has coached plenty of players who have done both in his 14 years as defensive coordinator. He should have credibility with the current Browns.
“The guy I learned the most about player management from was (former NFL and former Chiefs head coach) Gunther Cunningham,” Schwartz explained. “Gun was my linebacker coach when I was my freshman year as a coordinator in Tennessee. He had been head coach and coordinator. I just watched as he could ravage a guy and then turn around and walk off the field and laugh and hug the guy because that was all an achievement for Gun.
It was a motivation based on achieving better performance, not a personal attack. As Schwartz said, the key is earning the players’ trust — and the respect you get from knowing the coach can make him and the team better.
The Cleveland Browns unveil Jim Schwartz to the media as their new defensive coordinator.John Kuntz, cleveland.com
PLAY FAVORITES?
Train her hard. Be strong. But also make sure the players know the manager is fair and doesn’t play favourites. Was this a problem?
Jadeveon Clowney was almost irrationally jealous of Myles Garrett. Part of it was that Clowney believed Garrett was getting special treatment. I heard that from other sources. It wasn’t obvious, but they felt it was happening in small areas, like not being criticized as often for the same mistakes as others.
Another example is the team’s entry into the Hall of Fame in the summer. The only player who refused to leave was Garrett. He claimed he didn’t want to walk through the doors until he made it into the Hall of Fame as a player.
Stefanski did not press the subject. He should have urged Garrett to comply. Going into the Hall of Fame with teammates is a way of showing respect to those who have been there and learning about the history of the game. It wasn’t about Garrett.
Schwartz said he has plans for Garrett to get even more sacks: “We’re going to work really hard on that. He will do his part.”
Schwartz runs a basic 4-3 defense but has a wide-9 look. This puts the defensive ends outside (wider) of the usual scrum line for the front defensive four. This gives defensive ends more room to attack a blocker and reach the QB. It should be ideal for the mobile and quick-footed Garrett.
“We run a very D-Line friendly program that eliminates conflict and allows these guys to be disruptive,” he said. “The way you affect the game the most in this league is the passing frenzy… we set the bar high at that position.”
Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski (L) and GM Andrew Berry count on Jim Schwartz to revive Cleveland’s defense. John Kuntz, cleveland.com
A CALM TRUST
Schwartz is known for being tough on his players.
While Schwartz opened his press conference by reminiscing about his 26-year-old self starting an NFL career in Cleveland, he concluded by insisting he feels “a tremendous responsibility to the fans here and to rewarding them.” He spoke about a Super Bowl parade in Cleveland.
He spoke in a genuine, comforting voice about a man who was with the Browns when the franchise moved to Baltimore. He spoke like a 56-year-old who has undergone some thyroid and eye surgery and is now perfectly healthy and looking forward to another coaching opportunity.
GM Andrew Berry was a key to bringing Schwartz to Cleveland. They were in Philadelphia together in 2019. Berry was assistant GM, Schwartz the Eagles defensive coordinator.
“I (liked) the way he thought and how smart he was and his foresight,” Schwartz said. “It was always in the back of my mind, ‘Man, that’s a guy I’d like to work with again, and that’s kind of my idea of a GM.’ Simply unshakeable. All the time the same. Didn’t get too high. Didn’t get too deep.”
Meanwhile, Berry believes Schwartz brings the combination of experience, teaching skills and discipline any defense could use.
For Schwartz, Cleveland is one of his most important football homes. In Stefanski he has a coach who he can trust to keep things in order on the defensive. For Browns fans, this was a day of hope.
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