Defensive Coordinator Jim Schwartz (11.28.25)
Jim (Schwartz), Myles (Garrett) obviously relishes the opportunity to go up against the best of the best, and obviously Trent’s (Williams) one. How do you balance his desire to face those guys with what the team needs, in terms of moving him around, trying to find the best matchups?
“Yeah, I mean, that’s Hall of Fame versus Hall of Fame right there. That’s the NFL marquee matchup right there. Yeah, we move Myles around quite a bit, and we have over the years. Maybe a little bit more so this year. So, we’re going to continue in the same vein.”
Jim, a couple of years ago when you guys played the (San Francisco) 49ers, we asked you about going up against Kyle Shanahan offenses and your record against them, and you talked about it’s not like a chess match – there’s a human element. So, I guess what is that element going into this latest iteration of this matchup?
“Yeah, when it’s all said and done, it’s not Jim Schwartz against Kyle Shanahan, it’s players versus players. And our job is to try to put players in good position and let them go out, execute, play with fundamentals, and win the game. Our job is to provide structure. I know this – this is always one of my hardest weeks of preparation because, I mean, Kyle’s one of the best in the business and has been for a long time. And a lot of times you’ll have something, it’s like, ‘okay, that really looks good against this, but, yeah, that, it doesn’t look good against that’. And it makes you defend every part of the field, he uses his personnel really well. Very challenging to be able to go. But when it’s all said and done, this is a player’s game. I think we can probably make a little too much of people behind the scenes, structure and schemes and calling plays and things like that. This is a player’s game. Our job is to put them in a good position. Kyle’s one of the best in the business of doing that for his players, so we’ll have to do the same.”
(Christian) McCaffrey, in addition to the talent, just the volume of touches that he gets, how does that stress you guys?
“Yeah, gone against him a long time, since he was in Carolina (Panthers). You know, unique skill set, running back, just as skilled as a wide receiver. I mean, if he only played slot receiver, he’d be one of the best slot receivers in the NFL. And there’s a lot of things that Christian does that reminds me of my old days here with the Browns with Eric Metcalf, you know, very similar. And I’d say, probably McCaffrey has a little more inside run ability. Both of them are really talented in the passing game, both talented on the perimeter. McCaffrey can also run inside and run with power. So obviously we’re going to have to know where 23 is, try to limit his touches. It’s hard to limit him when he’s on like 400-plus touch pace and 2,500-yard pace and things like that. Yeah, it’s a tough challenge.”
You talked about the marquee matchup between Trent Williams and Myles. What does it say about Myles that someone like Trent Williams is saying he’s losing sleep thinking about having to block him?
“Yeah, it’s a sign of respect. I mean, like a lot of things go into NFL and people, social media, there’s a lot of things, back and forth in the actual media and all kinds of different things. But I think the thing that gets overlooked in this game is the respect that players have for each other. And when they’re on the field, they respect talent, they respect effort, they respect consistency and things like that. Both of those players have done that over their career. I’ve gone against Trent Williams a long time, might be the best – if not the best left tackle, one of the very best left tackles that this league has seen since he’s been in the league.”
Jim, in a season when you guys only have three victories right now and are still trying to get where you want to go…the sack record for Myles – is that something that is such a great thing for you guys as a team and as a defense to have him on pace to achieve something like that?
“Yeah, I mean, I think if we get to that, we’ll celebrate it then. I think the thing that Myles has done a good job with and our whole D-line and defense has done a good job with has just been focusing on the now and that particular game. Not an award or what happens if this happens, and what’s going to happen when we get there. It literally is the game in front of us, and I think that’s one of the reasons that we’ve been able to maintain that kind of apace. And I know a lot of people take pride in our ability – well, a lot of our players and coaches take pride in our ability to rush the passer, to create tackles for losses, stop the run, all those different things. Like, you guys know, when I talk about Myles, most of the things I say I’m most proud of him with is the way he plays the run. And whatever, a tackle for a loss for 4-yards on first down or a sack for 4-yards on first down – it affects the game pretty much the exact same way. And I think that all those guys, including Myles, have done a good job of keeping their eyes on the immediate focus. And if we do a good job with that, then certain things will come down the road.”
In addition to him being a strong candidate or favorite right now for NFL Defensive Player of the Year, which they usually don’t give it to somebody that isn’t on a winning team, I wonder your thoughts about that. But what about beyond that? I mean, shouldn’t he be challenging for NFL MVP this year too?
“Well, he certainly has those kinds of credentials. I’m not a voter; I don’t really know what goes into all those things. I think you’d be hard pressed to find a more valuable player in the NFL. I think a little bit falls into some of the things that come out, like Player of the Week and things like that. You know, Myles had five sacks in one game, four sacks in another, bunch of tackles for losses, really dominating play and didn’t win those awards because we had lost the game probably, I don’t know. We won this last one, he won – so winning certainly has a lot to do with it. But you know, when you’re talking about most valuable player, it’s tough to keep him out of that conversation.”
Jim, you talk about the challenges that Kyle Shanahan’s offense presents. Obviously, they’re well known for all the motion that they run – I think second in the league in terms of that. How much is that a point of emphasis for you, just making sure guys’ eyes are in the right place, they’re not getting tricked by some of that eye-candy type of stuff?
“Yeah, you could probably dial back to Miami week and the same conversations we had. You know, a couple of years ago, it was a little bit more unique with San Francisco was doing in some of their motions. And some of their tree has done some of that, including Mike (McDaniel) down in Miami. But other offensive coordinators have copied it, so it has given us more opportunities to work on it. But it certainly, like I said, the scheme is extremely challenging. Not just from a schematic standpoint, but from a personnel standpoint – the way they use all their guys. So, obviously, the ability to counter all those motions – a big part of that is having your eyes correct and good communication, things that we did a really good job with against Miami. So, we’ll have to do the same in this game.”
Jim, do you feel like that was Mason’s (Graham) best all-around game against the (Las Vegas) Raiders, and do you feel like he’s getting much more comfortable in the system, attacking – shifting from what he did at Michigan to what he’s doing in your system?
“Yeah, he’s certainly on the rise. I don’t think his best game has happened yet, but he’s a very instinctive player. He’s a very smart player, and he’s worked really hard to work his movement skills – and not at the expense of his hand strength, his point of attack ability. And I’m really proud of what he’s done, and the contribution that he’s made. But I would say this – his best game is yet to come, love for it to be Sunday.”
Jim, when you look at (George) Kittle – obviously, he’s been doing it for a long time. What makes him able to still be playing at such a high level?
“Toughness. The guy is…I mean, we talk about the respect that players have for each other, coaches can have respect for players. I love the way that guy plays, plays with great effort in the run game as well as the passing game. There’s a lot of tight ends that, maybe, they do one or the other. He’s unselfish, he’ll stay in the protection. You know, a lot of those guys want to get out in the route, want to get their ball. He’s very unselfish when it comes to that. He’s really strong running after the catch, he’s hard to bring down, he’s got great hands. You know, just a great player, and a great challenge for us. But a lot of respect for that guy because of his unselfishness and his toughness that he shows on the field.”
When you guys see Brock Purdy throwing three interceptions like he did in that game on Monday night, do your guys’ eyes get wide heading into this game?
“I mean, I hope our eyes stay where they’re supposed to stay, and we concentrate on doing our job and not trying to replicate what happened in Monday night game or something like that. I think sometimes we get in a little trouble…when we execute our scheme, when we play with effort and physicality – plays like that come, and that’s where we keep our concentration on.”
For years, YAC (yards after catch) has been a hallmark for them. It’s not so strong as it maybe was in years past, but it’s still something that they pride themselves on. For you, is that an emphasis, just the pure fundamentals of wrapping guys up, tackling, not letting them break free?
“Yeah, I mean it’s that, as well as team defense, and effort and finish and things like that. You know, field might be sloppy too – so it just puts more of an emphasis on technique, but also pursuit and knowing what your help is and getting 11 guys to the ball. You know, I hate to keep referencing it, but very similar to what we saw when we had to go against Miami. A lot of perimeter screens, a lot of quick passes, and it really put an emphasis on tackling. And one of the big things we did in that game was we tackled really well, and that helped set us up for the defensive performance that we had. So, when it’s all said and done, defenses are judged by their ability to tackle. If you tackle well, you’re generally going to play good defense. If you don’t tackle well, it’s hard to overcome.”
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