I love new Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz’ approach which is a no-bullshit take on making the defensive unit a difference-maker in 2016. Don’t get me wrong, I am not a Billy Davis hater— I recognize Davis had to cow-tow to Chip Kelly’s insanely paced offensive game plan and had his defensive unit on the field for far too many plays in 2015. Davis did the best he could with the personnel Chip gave him. But it’s a new ball game now on the defensive side of things for the Eagles.
I was stunned by the clarity of this little exchange of communication between safety Malcolm Jenkins and Schwartz in OTA drills this week, as reported by both Tommy Lawlor and Tim McManus:
Tim McManus wraps up the practice notes:
“12:15 — We’re positioned on the same sideline as the players and coaches today, which is great because it lets us pick up on some of the interactions. Malcolm Jenkins sees the offense is in a personnel grouping that might give them some issues. He yells out the package number to Schwartz. After a beat, the defensive coordinator responds. “Stay in nickel. F__k ’em.”
“F__k ’em,” Jenkins relays. The following play is an incompletion.
“Always love stories like this. You can see what a smart player Jenkins is. I think it is also good for the players and Schwartz to bond. He’s teaching them to have an attitude, which is important on defense. Offense is more about timing and execution. Attitude helps on defense, where attacking is the name of the game.”—Lawlor
Tehe. That’s gold, Jerry!
Jump cut to one of the rare opportunities for Schwartz to speak to the press so far:
On How Similar The Eagles System Will Be To What Schwartz Has Run In The Past:
Alex Smith: “While there’s been plenty of talk surrounding the Eagles move back to a 4-3 defense from the 3-4 front they played the last three seasons under Bill Davis, Schwartz clarified today that the scheme, while very similar to some of his other stops as a coach, is going to be unique to the set of players that he has at his disposal on the Eagles’ roster”:
“Every year will be a little bit different. Terminology is a little bit different and the cast of characters is a little bit different. If we’re on the right track, we’ll put the players in the best position to best use their talents,” Schwartz said. “What we did in Buffalo was a little bit different than what we did in Detroit, which was a little bit different than what we did in Tennessee, but it’s all designed to make the most of what you have. I had a guy who Jerry Hughes who was probably 245 pounds playing defensive end and he had to do things a little different than a Ziggy Ansah in Detroit or Vinny Curry
here.”
On The Depth Chart:
Alex Smith: “At this time of year, it’s right for fans to want to know who is playing where and how each player fits into the depth chart. And while tweets will fly left and right during practice about who is taking first or second team reps, Schwartz explained that players are really only competing against themselves at this point as they try to master the new scheme, and that building the depth chart is something that comes later.”
“If you come tomorrow you’ll see a completely different group,” Schwartz said. “We don’t have a depth chart now. You just work different groups and different combinations. You want to see guys against different completion … This time of year you’re mixing and matching an awful lot. You’re trying to put guys in a number of situations and sort of see what you have … The competition will start once we get to Training Camp.”
On The Starting Safety Tandem
Alex Smith: “Schwartz was hesitant to go too in depth when asked about certain position groups, saying that it’s difficult to really gauge the roster before pads are even being worn. But when asked about the presumed starting safety duo of Malcolm Jenkins and Rodney McLeod, Schwartz didn’t hesitate to dish out praise:”
“I’m sort of violating my own rule of judging too much into this time of year, but … both of those guys are veteran players and you can see in them right away that they’re both multi-dimensional,” Schwartz said. They communicate very well, they can cover a lot of ground, they can blitz, they can play man, they can play zone – I’d be very surprised as the year went on if they’re not one of the better safety tandems in the NFL. They’ve been very impressive so far.”
How The Eagles Will Use The Linebackers:
Alex Smith: “With the addition of Nigel Bradham and the return of second-year pro Jordan Hicks to the Eagles’ roster, there’s been speculation about how the Eagles will lineup their linebackers Sunday this fall. According to Schwartz, both Bradham and Mychal Kendrickshave the ability to play sideline to sideline, and it’s yet to be determined exactly how each spot will be filled.”
“We’re moving those guys around in a lot of different ways, a little bit like our corners,” said Schwartz. “We talked about lining some guys up inside, lining them outside and getting them ready for a lot of different situations. We’re really not 100 percent in how we’re going to line up our linebackers. I’ve had guys who just played right and left. When I was in Tennessee, Keith Bullock always played on the right side. He was comfortable on the right side. He played on the right side regardless of whether the tight end was to the right or to the left … I think that decision will be made as we go through Training Camp and preseason games, whether or not we’re going to play right and left or whether they’re going to travel with a tight end or travel to the open side.”
On Coach Pederson:
Alex Smith: “While Schwartz himself has experience as a head coach in NFL, Doug Pederson is in his first season as an NFL head coach. When asked about his relationship with the head coach to this point, Schwartz pointed out how open Pederson is to different ideas and how hands on he has been with players and coaches alike.”
“Doug is very good at using a lot of different resources,” said Schwartz. “We have guys with a lot of different experiences on the staff. Some guys were here last year. That’s valuable insight to him. I’ve been a head coach before and I think that’s valuable insight to him. That’s one of the good things about him. He doesn’t have much of an ego and he’s open-minded when it comes to a lot of different things. The same thing goes for him and his players. I see him talking to players all the time and getting their input on things and I think that’s important. He’s going to make his own decisions. He’s his own man and he’s going to have to find his own way, but sometimes people can have a little different input or a little bit of a different experience that they can draw from and he’s not shy about asking anybody’s opinion.”
The Schwartz is with us!! Stay tuned!
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