The opening day of the 2023 NFL season left us with several performances to remember, especially on the defensive level. The one that most captivated my eyes to analyze in depth when writing my weekly article was that of the Cleveland Browns. At the end of the day, although we will surely talk about them throughout the year, what the defensive units of San Francisco and Dallas did in week one I think they were able to catch very few people by surprise at this point. However, the performance that the Browns gave in front of their fans, almost completely canceling one of the most complete attacks in the competition, that of the Cincinnati Bengals, was not anticipated by many. In addition, leading the group is a veteran who returns to the top of the NFL after a couple of years in the shadows as a consultant with the Tennessee Titans. We are talking of course about Jim Schwartz, defensive coordinator who won a Super Bowl with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2017.. Let’s see what he’s cooking in his new project in Cleveland.
Schwartz is not the new kid in the building. He began his career in the NFL back in 1993 with Bill Belichick when he was in his first stage as head coach. Where? On the Cleveland Browns. The head coach even said of his pupil that “He is one of the smartest people I know. She is a very talented person. “There’s not a single bad thing I can say about Jim Schwartz.” In his different spells with the Titans, Lions, Bills and Eagles, he popularized the “Wide-9” front line to counteract the impact that the zone ground attacks of Mike Shanahan in the Denver Broncos and Peyton Manning in the Indianapolis Colts were generating in the league. Additionally, he outlined opposing passing games, including quarterback protection, to plan his pass-rush. Let’s just say Schwartz has always been the perfect coordinator if you’re a defensive lineman. Players like Albert Haynesworth, Ndamukong Suh, Marcell Dareus and Fletcher Cox have had the greatest success of their respective careers playing for him. Now on the Browns he may have the greatest talent he has ever coached, Myles Garrett, and from what we saw last Sunday the results could be scandalous.
The number 1 pick in the 2017 draft is considered by many to be the most intimidating defensive end in the league. At 1.93m tall and weighing almost 125 kilos, he is capable of running the 40 yards in 4.64 seconds and bending his body at angles impossible for the rest of us. It’s no surprise that he has racked up 74.5 sacks in his first six seasons as a pro. Schwartz is not going to limit his big star to playing on the outside, but he is also going to provide him with favorable matchups on the inside as we saw from the first drive. With No. 5 linebacker Anthony Walker (blue circle) embedded in the line as another rusher, the Browns feature a five-man front that forces the line of scrimmage into 1v1 matchups. Garrett’s (yellow circle) against Cincinnati’s center is one decidedly leaning toward the defense side.
2023-09-15 07:49:00
#Jim #Schwartzs #Browns #defense
