Jim Schwartz, the defensive coordinator of the Cleveland Browns, received high praise from Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay.
McVay sat down with Robert Mays of the Athletic Football Show for over an hour to discuss all topics related to McVay’s football career.
The two discussed the evolution of defenses across the NFL as more teams focus on disguising and rotating coverages when they mentioned how the Browns still run a traditional one-high safety defense. McVay praised Schwartz’s ability to command a team, getting players committed to the identity of a hard-hitting, high-intensity defense.
McVay spent some time breaking down Schwartz and the Browns’ defense. McVay stated,
“What I think Coach Schwartz does a great job of, there’s a commitment to a philosophy where they’re rolling off. You wanna keep those inside backers static. You’re gonna run the nickel on a lot of their match principles.”
McVay then went into the technical aspects that allow the scheme to flourish against the complex passing attacks in this era of the NFL.
“But then they do a great job of alleviating some of the hard downs on the back end by being able to play vision zone and being able to get to spots and melt off the quarterback. But they’re gonna match up, they’re gonna play tight.”
When pressed about the importance of varying coverages, and changing what quarterbacks see post-snap, McVay defended Schwartz saying,
“And still, you know, Coach Schwartz does a good job of mixing that up too, where, you know, you think it’s something and then you’re like, oh my gosh, this is, you know, it morphs post snap. And that’s what all these good ones do.”
McVay admires how Schwartz imbues a spirit into his teams that helps them play at an elite level. McVay remarked,
“And the thing I respect a lot about him, which is why he’s been good wherever he’s coached is, there’s an identity in terms of what these players look like, how that brings his philosophy and system to life in terms of how they play the front and what that enables them to do on the back end.”
McVay is extremely familiar with Schwartz’s defense. Last year, he and the Rams systematically destroyed a weakened Browns’ defense, finishing up a three-game road trip. Schwartz deserves a lot of praise for turning the Browns from a pliable and bad defense into one of the best defenses in the NFL.
The future looks bright for the unit. The team brought back nine of the eleven starters allowing Schwartz to add more complexities to his defense after setting a strong foundation last season.
