Jim Schwartz is supposed to be a savior. His hiring of defensive coordinator brought more praise from fans and media alike than the hiring of new Eagles head coach Doug Pederson.
Not since the passing of Jim Johnson have the Eagles had someone with Schwartz's resume leading their defensive unit. And with guys like Fletcher Cox and Malcolm Jenkins in the fold, there was no way the Eagles weren't going to have a Top-10 defense.
Not so fast.
Yes, Schwartz is a top-tier defensive coach. Yes, the Eagles have a couple guys on their roster who have been to the Pro Bowl. But a look at Schwartz's coaching history reveals it may take a little while for things to truly gel on the defensive side of the ball for the Eagles.
Schwartz has run the defenses of three NFL franchises in his coaching career. He was the defensive coordinator for the Tennessee Titans for eight seasons before becoming head coach of the Detroit Lions. After five inconsistent seasons in Detroit, he was hired by the Buffalo Bills, but was let go after one season when the team hired Rex Ryan as their head coach.
At each one of his stops, Schwartz eventually put together a top notch defensive unit, although it did take some time.
At his first stop in Tennessee, Schwartz was promoted from linebackers coach to defensive coordinator and inherited a defense that was first in yards allowed and second in points allowed. In his first year leading the defense, Schwartz's unit ranked 25th in both yards and points allowed. Not exactly the ideal start to a coaching career.
However, Schwartz did turn things around in Tennessee eventually. In fact, it wasn't until his seventh year as defensive coordinator that his unit reached the Top 10 in both yards and points allowed. One thing that his Tennessee defenses did excel at was defending the run. In four of his eight years there, Tennessee's defense ranked in the Top 5 in rushing yards allowed, an interesting note, considering Schwartz's insistence on running a wide-nine scheme up front.
Schwartz's run in Detroit never saw him command a defense that made it into the Top 10, however, his units continued to play well against the run and force a lot of turnovers. The Lions defense never played well enough to save Schwartz's job, but his title as head coach probably strayed his attention away from his preferred unit.
Where Schwartz is best remembered is from his most recent stop in Buffalo. In just one year, Schwartz led the Bills to fourth in the league in yards and points allowed. Schwartz's ability to turn that unit into one of the elite variety has fans dreaming of a similar turnaround in Philadelphia.
But remember, the latest defensive savior doesn't have a spotless track record.
Tucker Bagley is a columnist for Eagledelphia. Follow him on Twitter @tbagley515.
