Defensive Coordinator Jim Schwartz (10.23.25)
What can you guys expect going up against Mike (Vrabel)? You know him so well and just a Mike Vrabel coach team – what are you guys heading into?
“Well, you know the stuff that Mike preaches, and that’s physicality, that’s toughness, that’s use of hands, and that’s being sound across all three portions of the game – offense, defense and special teams. And also, I think Mike is really good at formulating a plan that fits all three together. It’s working the game, as opposed to working each individual group. And then, a lot of principles of playing smart football and not doing things that hurt the team and put the team in a bad spot, you see that in the way they play. Really good using their hands, offense and defense. So, yeah, that’s probably the biggest thing.”
Specifically on their offense, when you look at it, does it resemble a Vrabel offense or Josh McDaniels offense?
“I mean, I think that anytime you have a head coach, the team’s going to take the personality of the head coach. So, I think that’s probably the strongest thing that comes across in that. But probably the reason that Mike hired Josh, and I don’t speak for him, but the reason he probably hired him is they’re like minds when it comes to a lot of things. So, you do see a lot of similarities and things that Josh McDaniel’s offense has done over the years. But that’s probably not just – it’s not a coincidence, the fact that both of them are of the same mind with a lot of things. So, quarterback’s playing really well. You know, he’s taking care of the ball, he’s using his legs, he’s putting them in winning positions. You know, he’s certainly an outstanding young player.”
“Tony (Grossi), I saw that Clay Matthews advanced?”
Yeah, to the next phase. He’s still got a ways to go.
“Yeah, yeah. One of the best players I’ve been around. You know, just a guy that could sort of do it all. He played middle linebacker, played outside linebacker, off the ball, could play three, four, outside linebacker, could rush as a defensive end. You know, I got the fortune, I was around Clay here. I wasn’t coaching then, but I was around Clay here, and then got to spend some years with his brother Bruce (Matthews) at Tennessee, and then had his son kick my butt when he was in Green Bay when I was in Detroit, and then also went against Bruce’s son, Jake (Matthews). So, I think Clay (Matthews) Sr. is probably the only one that I didn’t get a go around in the NFL. But he probably would have been up…”
His son is up too, is eligible. The modern era…
“He was just one of those guys, I don’t know if it hurt him, but the fact that he was a jack of all trades, he could do so many things on the field. He didn’t really like settle in and pump like one thing over the other. Like you know, a lot of sacks or a lot of interceptions – he had a lot of both but like one didn’t skew more, that might have got him a little bit more attention, but I think he led the NFL in tackles a few years, and that just shows you what a good all-around player he was. So, I’m rooting for him.”
Jim (Schwartz), when you say Josh McDaniels offense, when you think of that, what comes to mind? What are the principles that you have to face?
“Yeah, I think probably the biggest thing is utilization of the tight ends. You know, that’s been a New England/Josh McDaniels thing for a long time. You know, both (Austin) Hooper and Hunter Henry are playing really well for them, both in the run game and in the passing game, so that’s probably a big thing. And just scheme specific, or opponent specific game plans. Do a good job of scheming up things that maybe are not advantageous to you, they do a good job putting their guys in position. And then just quality quarterback play. I mean, obviously, I won’t say it’s easy, but it goes like -when Tom Brady’s playing well, maybe you don’t get as much credit as when a second-year player like (Drake) Maye is doing a good job, and you’re seeing some similar things in the way that they ran things. So, a lot of checks, a lot of ways to keep them out of bad plays. They’re big into trying to stay out of bad plays. A lot of complementary things that look like one thing, they give you something else. Good counter punch offense, and we’ll have our work cut out for us.”
Jim, is this as well as you’ve seen Grant (Delpit) play since you’ve been here with him?
“No, I thought he was playing, really, at a high level before he got his injury in 2023. He’s doing a lot of things for us, and he’s doing it all well. He’s playing with great effort; he’s playing with physicality. He can play in the box, he’s been blitzing, man-to-man coverage, zone coverage. And I think a little bit early in the season he was pressing to try to make plays and ended up getting out of position a little bit, and he’s been dynamite in that area the last couple games and ball sort of finding him. We ask a lot from him, from all our different personnel groups. We have an extra backer, sort of short yardage package, he plays like a corner position, base, will play a safety position, we have a big nickel that he plays the big nickel, we have nickel where he’s playing safety, dime where he’s playing a dime linebacker. Like, that’s not easy to do, that’s very difficult to do. But he has the skill set to do it, and intelligence and the work ethic to. He’s making a lot of plays for us.”
I don’t know the numbers, but I always assumed that you preferred not to blitz, and yet you pumped it up against Miami. Is it just a game plan thing or?
“Yeah, I mean, not all of those were really blitzes. You know, some of the simulated pressure stuff, and there were a lot more pass situations in that game. Just different things we were trying to take advantage of. Every week, it’s a little bit different. You know, won’t go into a game with a set number. I think the lifeblood of what you do defensively is your ability to rush with four, but you also need to enhance that at times by bringing five, bringing six, bringing zone pressure, bringing simulated pressure, moving guys around a little bit. I think you saw all of those in that game. I think the biggest thing was just the opportunity to use more of that stuff because we had the lead and there were a lot more situations. We did a really good job of shutting down the perimeter with the screen game, which put them in a lot of second and longs, third and longs, which allowed us to be in our rush stuff. So, every game is a little bit different. You know, there’s nothing that we ran in the game that we haven’t run before. It’s just the opportunity to use it.”
Grant said he’s like a madman in terms of wanting to be better and get better. Do you feel that intensity, like in practice, leading into a week, and do you see that kind of maybe going to other teammates, too?
“Yeah, he’s a very driven guy. He’s a very motivated guy. He is a guy that gives us energy, not just on Sunday, but during the week. You know, and I think that’s probably, you know, I mentioned him playing his best, I think that’s probably the biggest thing I’ve seen with Grant. Grant has every year taken a little more increase in the leadership role. And, you know, it’s time, like, you want the team – I think I said this you guys would have to go back and check my stats, but I think I said this when we got signed him to an extension of years ago. And I told him, like, I want our defense to play with your personality. And I think that’s a great compliment to a player, and that’s a great compliment to him, that he has a personality that you would like to be contagious.”
Myles (Garrett) had said on Friday before the game how you said that, you know, it might be time for them for your defense to start taking some risks. And he said after the game that he felt like you did that, and that that is the Jim that he knows, quote, unquote. What does it mean? Or was that the most aggressive gameplay you had going into that game against Miami?
“I don’t know if I’d say that because, I mean, there was a lot more variety in the game plan, but not all of it was, like, super risky. It wasn’t like we were zero blitz and punch and, you know, doing things like that. We were sort of, you know, playing our scheme, letting plays come to us. And again, there was more opportunity to use some of the things that we have in our scheme. I think that’s probably my takeaway. I thought it was really, really well executed by the players. You know, a lot of that stuff has a lot of layers, and what Miami does with a lot of motions and shifts really makes it hard. And it was a really hard week of practice. But we played a really clean game, not just from a physical standpoint – we didn’t miss very many tackles, we recovered pretty well, you know, those kind of things. But we played a really clean game as far as communication and assignment and things like that. And that’s what I was proud of in the game.”
(Carson) Schwesinger’s tackle really, livened up the crowd. Can it liven up a sideline too seeing that?
“Yeah, I don’t really pay much attention to the crowd as the game goes, but you definitely feel stuff like that on the sideline. I think anybody that’s making plays, you know, that can be contagious. And we talked about Grant before, but guys rushing well, guys making hits on the quarterback, guys making big hits anywhere, like Alex Wright had a few of those also, you know, some big contact on wide receiver screens and scrambles and things like that. All that stuff is contagious.”
Did Coach (Kevin) Stefanski kind of catch you off guard with throwing you that game ball in the locker room after the game?
“Well, there’s a couple things. First of all, I’m soaking wet after the game, so already peeling my shell off. But my biggest sort of error in that is that I mistakenly believe that we were in the locker room, not in the TV studio. So, you know, shirtless, certainly, acceptable in a locker room. You know, wasn’t really prepared for it to be a TV studio. You know, college friends can be brutal. Men are a lot brutal, more brutal to their friends than they are to others. I got a message after the game like, ‘Yo Schwartz, leave the shirt on until you lose 15.’ So yeah, there’s that too. But yeah, happy for the players success in that. You know, I mean, you know, when anytime you give the defensive coordinator the game ball, it’s really a team thing. I didn’t play the game. Those guys played the game and not only did they play a clean game, assignment wise, they played physically. And I think, you know, we always talk about defensively. When you put film on, you should see guys playing physical, guys playing with great effort and guys having some personality. Those are the things we preach. And I think if you turn that game on, you’d see all those things. And you know, that’s, that’s what sort of led to anything, that’s what led to our win. Everything else wasn’t any magic scheme or anything else. It was those three things that shined through on the film.”
During training camp, I think it was you and Coach (Jason) Tarver who mentioned that (Carson) Schwesinger had led the team in interceptions in practice. Is that pretty accurate?
“Yeah, I mean, I don’t know if we ever really kept track, but I don’t really think it was very close. And you’re going to see it. It’s just a matter of time. He’s had a couple opportunities where he’s taken a look away, and the quarterback has either gotten sacked because of what Carson did or he’s gone somewhere else. It’s just a matter of time before that shows that’s a part of his game. We’ve seen him rush; we’ve seen him play on the perimeter. We’ve seen him play physically inside. We’ve seen him be productive on the stat sheet. We’ve seen him lead the group as far as play call and communication and those things. The next thing you’re going to see is some of those plays coming on.”
Jim, with Tyson (Campbell), how does he complement that room? Like, given he’s big, he’s fast, like he’s bigger than Denzel (Ward), like, does he add something a little different in terms of complementing those guys you already have?
“Yeah. I mean, we were sad to lose Greg (Newsome), but you know, we did get a good player in the term, and you know, I mean, it was a tough situation for him in the first week coming in. Super early morning flight, just played Monday night game, had to turn things around really quickly. Made some good plays, also had a couple errors. But you know, the more he gets boots on the ground and the more comfortable with things, you start seeing a playmaker. I thought one of the big things is, he did a really good job on that ball in the end zone of getting some vision there. And that was one of the things that we talked about. He tries to play physically, which is important for a corner. He’s got rare speed. He’s a state 100-meter and 200-meter champ, and that was a track meet. Denzel’s tracking from the other side, but Tyson has a bad angle and still catches up. And I would say this about that game, that there were a few things that happened that over the course of the year we haven’t done a great job at whatever. We got a special teams penalty. They had just missed a field goal, and we had special teams penalty. We didn’t go to pieces. We didn’t give up a touchdown there. You know, we stopped them, held them to a field goal attempt. They made a long run early in that game and a guy like (De’Von) Achane is going to make some plays like that. We didn’t hit that great, but you know, Tyson tracked him down, we got a stop, held them to a field goal. And I think, you know, that’s probably the biggest thing. There were some times in that game, we had some bad field position, we had to punt back up, got the ball midfield. I was really pleased with our ability to respond to those things because that’s something that we haven’t always been at our best at, over the course of the year. Hopefully that’ll move, Tyson’s a big part of that.”
Jim, you mentioned, Alex Wright making a couple big plays obviously on Sunday. What have you just seen from him in terms of, especially coming off the injury last year, in terms of his development, what he’s kind of brought to the team?
“Yeah, Alex has been a good player for us. It’s just that, some injuries have sort of derailed him. My first year here, he had an injury at the training camp, I think it was a knee injury, and that sort of derailed him a little bit, then started playing good football for us. Last year, he had the tricep thing or whatever, that whatever that shoulder, tricep. But now he’s healthy and he’s playing. He’s playing with great effort. He’s a factor in pass rush. He’s such a big guy, long, he can affect the passer in a lot of different ways. He’s playing really physical run defense. There’s a lot to like there. We’re getting a lot of production out of all of our defensive line. You guys know we play a lot of different guys, but, you know, Alex has certainly made a lot of plays. Some of those pursuit plays he was making in this game were that’s what you have to do against a team, that’s throwing the ball quick and getting the ball out on the perimeter. If you don’t have the D-line turning and running, and making plays, you’re going to be, you’re in for a long day. Miami’s offense is good. I mean, we played pretty good in that game, but we had a lot of respect for their ability to put points on the board. They have filled up the scoreboard in a lot of their games, but guys like Alex, all our guys, but Alex, Mason (Graham). Mason makes a really good effort plays in there, and you know, our defensive line as they go, they’re the engine that drives us. When that engine is humming with guys like Alex and Mason and Myles (Garrett) and Maliek (Collins) and all those other guys when they’re making plays, that really helps spur the rest of our defense.”
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