The NFL coaching carousel has been cranked up the last couple days, and now the Cleveland Browns are the only team remaining without a head coach.
Ron Rivera has taken over for the Redskins, the Cowboys got their guy in Mike McCarthy, and this morning the Panthers hired Matt Rhule as head coach, and the Giants grabbed Patriots Special Teams Coach Joe Judge.
The Browns have already had interviews with Ravens OC Greg Roman, 49ers DC Robert Saleh, Chiefs OC Eric Bieniemy, and Bills OC Brian Daboll.
Perhaps their two favorites for the job, however, haven’t yet been interviewed in Patriots OC Josh McDaniels and Vikings OC Kevin Stefanski.
The latest and only other remaining interview the Browns have scheduled is Eagles DC Jim Schwartz.
The 53-year-old Jim Schwartz has had NFL assistant experience with the Ravens, Titans, Bills, & Eagles and was the head coach of the Lions for five seasons from 2009-2013, where he posted a 29-52 record.
A lot of folks may not be familiar with the former Lions HC, so here’s a few things to know about Schwartz.
Five Things to Know About Eagles DC Jim Schwartz
1. Played at Georgetown and was teammates with a Famous Comedian
In college, Schwartz was an All-American linebacker during his fourth and final year at Georgetown University.
While a member of the Hoyas squad, Schwartz was teammates with offensive lineman Jim Gaffigan, who is now one of the better-known comedians in the world.
Schwartz graduated with a degree in Economics, which is part of the reason he has such a knack for involving analytics into his coaching.
2. First NFL job was as a Scout for the Browns
Schwartz’s first job in the NFL was as a Scout for Bill Belichick’s 1993 Cleveland Browns organization.
Schwartz has said in the past that he owes his entire NFL coaching career to Belichick for giving him his first chance and getting him started, while Belichick has said Schwartz is one of the smartest guys he knows.
3. Runs a 4-3 Defense
Schwartz has been known for running a 4-3 defense.
He’s relied heavily on only using four defensive linemen to generate a pass rush so that he can drop seven guys into coverage to defend the pass as best as he can in a league where more and more offenses are leaning pass-heavy.
4. Led NFL in Defense as Bills DC in 2014
Following his firing by the Lions, Schwartz was brought into Buffalo as their Defensive Coordinator.
As DC there, his squad boasted the NFL’s best defense leaguewide, before moving onto the Eagles.
5. Known for Postgame Scuffle with Jim Harbaugh
When in Detroit, the Lions lost a game to Jim Harbaugh’s 49ers.
After the final whistle, Harbaugh was jumping up and down and raising his arms on the field, and came flying in for the postgame handshake.
The “handshake” if you can call it that lasted for probably under a second and Harbaugh gave Schwartz a pretty hard pat on the back and kept going.
Schwartz took offense to this and went after Harbaugh, chasing him all the way to the corner of the field near the tunnels.
Both teams got into a shoving match trying to hold the coaches back before Schwartz headed to the locker room.
