PRESEASON EditiON - Detroit Lions

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rushing yards allowed (sixth, 93.9), passing yards allowed (second,
161.0), third down percentage allowed (6th, 35.0) and sacks (fifth, 44).
Tennessee’s defense was one of only six teams to finish among the
top 10 in the league in both rushing yards and passing yards allowed.
As the Titans’ defensive coordinator, Schwartz’s defensive unit
held firm in two major categories that factored significantly in the
team’s overall success: rushing defense and third down conversion.
From 2001-08, Tennessee ranked fifth in rushing yards allowed per
game (103.5) and sixth in third-down conversion (36.1). The Titans
allowed just nine 100-yard rushers in 64 home games.
During his tenure as defensive coordinator, the Titans claimed two
AFC South titles (2002 and 2008), earned two other AFC Wild Card
spots (2003 and 2007), and in four seasons finished with 10 or more
wins, including 2002 (11-5), 2003 (12-4), 2007 (10-6) and 2008 (13-3).
In Schwartz’s last two seasons (2007-08) in Tennessee, the
Titans claimed 23 wins - one of only three teams (New England and
Indianapolis - with 23-or-more wins, and their winning percentage
of .719 (23-9) was the third-best in the NFL. From 2006-08, their
record was 31-17 (.646) - tied for the fourth-best record in the league.
The Titans’ 2007 defense helped rejuvenate the team and led the
team’s return to the playoffs. Among the NFL’s rankings, Schwartz’s
defensive unit completed the season among the league best in the
following categories: total yards allowed (fifth, 291.6), rushing yards
allowed (fifth, 92.4), passing yards allowed (tenth 192.2), defensive
points allowed (17.3, seventh), first down yards per play allowed (4.34,
first), sacks (40, seventh) and takeaways (34, sixth).
The Titans limited three teams in 2007 under 200 total offensive
yards, and All-Pro RB LaDainian Tomlinson was held to the lowest
rushing total of his career (42) with 20 or more carries in the Titans’
playoff game at San Diego.
Schwartz managed a defense that, much like the rest of
Tennessee’s team, was in transition during the 2005 and 2006 seasons.
That unit replaced seven regular starters from the 2004 squad with
new and, often younger, talent. Schwartz’s defense held their own
throughout the process, and one example of that was when Tennessee
held the Super Bowl Champion Indianapolis Colts high-powered
offense in 2006 to a combined 31 points in both games, the lowest tally
allowed by a Colts division opponent in the history of the AFC South.
In 2005, the Titans’ defense was one of the youngest defenses in
the NFL with their average years of experience being only 3.5 years.
That defense included two starting rookie cornerbacks for only the
second time in the team’s 46-year history, and the unit ranked eighth
in third down percentage allowed (35.5), ninth in sacks (41) and second
in three-and-out drives (31.3 pct.).
For just the second time in franchise history, and first since 1993,
Schwartz put together a defense that finished first in the NFL in
rushing defense. Finishing in the top 10 in rush defense extended the
team’s streak of nine consecutive seasons ranked in the top 10. That
nine-year streak was also the longest streak in the league at the time.
As remarkable as it was for the Titans’ defense to finish first
in rushing yards allowed, it was even more remarkable of a feat
considering the talented rushers they faced nearly week-in and
week-out. That year, the Titans faced eight (total of 10 games) of the
NFL’s top 13 rushers who combined for 12,018 yards on the season.
The Titans’ defense dominated the league’s leading rusher, Ravens
RB Jamal Lewis who rushed for over 2,000 yards that season, in the
AFC Wild Card game as the team held Lewis to just 35 yards. It was
Lewis’ second-lowest career single-game rushing tally as a starter
in the NFL through that year.
Combined with the stellar rushing defense was the team’s
strong effort on third down, once again proving a common theme of
Schwartz’s defense, as the Titans led the NFL by allowing an opponent
conversion percentage of 27.7. It was the lowest in franchise history
and the lowest in the NFL since 1998 (Oakland Raiders, 26.3).
The Titans defense also ranked fourth in the AFC in red-zone
defense (43.9 pct.), fifth in the AFC in takeaways (34) and it recorded
the most interceptions (21) by a Titans defense since 1995.
In just his second-year as the Titans defensive coordinator,
Schwartz’s defense finished in the top 10 as they persevered through
a season which they lost All-Pro DE Jevon Kearse to injury and added
six new defensive starters. In 2002, the Tennessee defense finished
fifth overall in defensive points allowed (282).
Prior to his eight seasons as the Titans’ defensive coordinator,
Schwartz was the Titans’ linebackers coach, where he also coordinated
the team’s third down package in 2000. That year, the Titans led the
NFL in opponent third down efficiency by allowing a league-low 30.8
percent. He also was instrumental in the integration of newly-acquired
linebacker Randall Godfrey into the Titans’ defensive scheme, as he
set career highs in tackles (169) and interceptions (2).
Schwartz originally joined the Titans in 1999 as defensive
assistant/quality control. That season, the team claimed the AFC
Championship and earned a berth in Super Bowl xxxIV.
Pro footBallology
Schwartz’s first job in the NFL was with Cleveland Browns from
1993-95, where he worked in the Browns player personnel department,
serving as both a college and pro scout. During his time with the
Browns, he also assisted Head Coach Bill Belichick and the coaching
staff with film breakdown and scouting reports.
After the Browns moved to Baltimore following the 1995 season,
Schwartz made the transition from player personnel to coaching,
spending three years (1996-98) as a defensive assistant/quality
control coach and also coaching the outside linebackers.
coaching in thE collEgE ranks
In addition to his pro coaching and scouting experience, Schwartz
worked on the college level for four years before moving on to the
NFL. He began his coaching career as a graduate assistant coach at
the University of Maryland, tutoring the Terrapins’ linebackers from
1989-90 and then served as graduate assistant at the University of
Minnesota (1990-91). He became a position coach in the secondary
at North Carolina Central (1991-92) before moving to Colgate (1992)
as linebackers coach.
collEgian on gridiron
The Baltimore, Md., native was a four-year letter winner as a
linebacker at Georgetown University, where he earned a degree in
economics. He received Distinguished Economics Graduate honors
at Georgetown, and in 1989 he earned numerous honors that include
Division III CoSIDA/GTE Academic All-America, All-America and
team captain.
off thE fiEld
In the community, Schwartz supports the Juvenile Diabetes
Research Foundation International and stresses the importance of
giving back through entities like Detroit Lions Charities. For the
past four years, Schwartz served as chairman of the Detroit Lions
Invitational Golf Tournament, and he was the co-chairman for the past
two Lions Celebrity Bocce Ball Tournaments. In June 2012, Schwartz
and the Lions launched the team’s first-ever Detroit Lions/Kevin
VanDam Charity Fishing Tournament presented by Bass Pro Shops
that support both Detroit Lions Charities and Kevin VanDam Charities.
Schwartz and his wife, Kathy, have twins Christian and Allison
along with a younger daughter Maria.
schwartZ' s hEad coaching rEcord
rEgular sEason
year team g w l t Pct result
2009 Detroit Lions 16 2 14 0 .125 4th NFC North
2010 Detroit Lions 16 6 10 0 375 3rd NFC North
2011 Detroit Lions 16 10 6 0 .625 2nd NFC North
totals 48 18 26 0 .375
PostsEason
year team g w l t Pct Playoff Berth
2011 Detroit Lions 1 0 1 0 .000 NFC Wild Card
totals 1 0 1 0 .000
ovErall g w l t Pct
Regular Season 48 18 26 0 .375
Postseason 1 0 1 0 .000
totals 49 18 27 0 .367
schwartZ' s coaching Background
Detroit Lions .......................................................................... 2009-
Head Coach ...................................................................................................2009-
Tennessee Titans .............................................................1999-2008
Defensive Coordinator ........................................................................... 2001-08
Linebackers Coach/Third Down Package .................................................2000
Defensive Assistant ......................................................................................1999
Baltimore Ravens ................................................................1996-98
Defensive Assistant ............................................................................... 1996-98
Cleveland Browns ............................................................... 1993-95
College/Pro Scout .................................................................................. 1993-95
Colgate University ....................................................................1992
Linebackers ....................................................................................................1992
North Carolina Central ..............................................................1991
Secondary .......................................................................................................1991
Minnesota ................................................................................1990
Graduate Assistant .......................................................................................1990
Maryland..................................................................................1989
Graduate Assistant .......................................................................................1989