The Cleveland Browns can expect a much more consistent showing out of their defense after the firing of Joe Woods. As they trek through the offseason, the Browns have put their best foot forward, hiring the former head coach of the Detroit Lions, Jim Schwartz, as their next defensive coordinator.
While there may not be a massive scheme overhaul between Woods and Schwartz, their philosophies could not be more different. And while the Browns have brought in a more vocal presence to their building and a coach who is not afraid to demand respect, they also brought in one of their own.
A giant nerd.
Jim Schwartz has an economics degree from Georgetown
Just when you thought you could escape the Ivy Leaguers, the Browns go out and hire a Georgetown man. Technically not an Ivy League school, but a prestigious university itself. And just like the boogeyman Paul DePodesta, Schwartz has a degree in economics.
And according to SI’s David Boclair, Schwartz has always had a knack for incorporating data into his gameplans, going back to his early-2000s stint as the defensive coordinator of the Tennessee Titans:
“One day, Schwartz and I crossed paths in the media relations office, and we struck up a conversation in which he talked about the degree to which one forced turnover improved a team’s chances of victory and how those percentages increased with two and three takeaways. From there he moved into the likelihood that an offense would score when it started a drive inside its own 25 versus when it started at its 35 or beyond. The feeling was that he could have gone on forever such was his enthusiasm for the information.”
Schwartz is a believer in analytics
Before DVOA became a household analytic, it was just a big idea from Aaron Schatz, the founder of Football Outsiders. The site and the data that Football Outsiders provide are now 20 years old, and Schatz himself has now stated that Schwartz was the first coach to reach out to him when he first launched the site.
Speaking of DVOA, here is where Schwartz’s defenses fell during his five-year run in Philadelphia:
- 2016: 6th overall, 1st against the pass, 21st against the run
- 2017: 5th overall, 8th against the pass, 1st against the run
- 2018: 15th overall, 19th against the pass, 8th against the run
- 2019: 12th overall, 15th against the pass, 3rd against the run
- 2020: 15th overall, 24th against the pass, 13th against the run
Some more nerdy figures for you? In his last seasons as the Eagles’ defensive coordinator in 2020, they fell 11th in EPA per play, 13th in dropback EPA, and 16th in rush EPA. Philadelphia’s defense was a top-10 unit in EPA per play, fourth in success rate, eighth in dropback EPA, and seventh in rush in that five-year span as well.
Needless to say, the Browns will take a consistent defense that falls in the top half of the NFL year in and year out.
How this shows up in his scheme
Despite the outcry of an analytics 101 article earlier this year, there is no debating that throwing the football and stopping the pass is where the money is made in the NFL. And this shows up in Schwartz’s scheme as he relies heavily on his secondary to do the heavy lifting.
He will not bring pressure at a high rate, as he was bottom-five in blitz rate (just one percent more than Joe Woods) during his last season with the Eagles. Instead, he will align his defensive ends wide and ask them to pin their ears back. He will isolate defensive tackles and ends into one-on-one looks and ask for his secondary to hold their own to let his dogs get home.
And it consistently works. Despite a bottom-five blitz rate, the Eagles were tied for 14th in hurry percentage according to Pro Football Reference, third in pass rush grade according to PFF, and racked up a total of 303 pressures (ninth-most in the league).
Final Thoughts on Jim Schwartz
While Schwartz certainly brings a proven track record and a respected demeanor to the city of Cleveland and to this Browns’ defense, he has never strayed far from his roots. He is not afraid to let his voice be heard, but his gameplan remains even-keeled.
During a five-year stint with the Eagles, his defense never fell out of the top half of the league, a needed consistency in Cleveland. They could not go wrong with any of the candidates between him, Flores, Desai, or Wilson, but he makes for a great fit for obvious reasons.
The Browns got a good one in Schwartz.
