Press Pass: Jim Schwartz

He's good safeties like nickel. I mean, if we needed to him, he could go play corner in a in a pinch. Also, he has that in his background. Good tackler, all those things. But you know, being in Detroit for five years, um, I saw firsthand a lot of the tricked up defenses to people use for Calvin Johnson. Um, you know, we saw like look like punt vice on him. Sometimes we saw double we saw you know, all kinds of different things. I don't think I saw boxing one,

which is what I called it. One guy playing man, everybody else playing zone. But they were just targeting him so many times, and he's such a good run after the catch guy. We just wanted to make sure that one person slipping or one person missing a tackle didn't result in a touchdown, you know. I mean we could give up some yards, we couldn't give up a touchdown. Um So in trying to get that in, we'd never practice that before. We practiced a coverage part of it before.

I mean it's just a standard too deep coverage. But to layer all the different things, and there was a lot of different ways we were going to do it, you know, because Jalen Watkins was out, how do we fit everything together? And you know that's that's that's where we ended up. But you know, getting those guys where they were comfortable because on the sideline was important. I wanted everybody to feel comfortable with it because it was

something we hadn't practiced before. So his feedback was very important that way. Jim, in terms of their talent the level of which they're executing, would you say that this Cowboy's offense is one of the better offenses you've seen on the wall time? Um? Well, they're certainly one of

the better offenses this year. Um. You know, they could they put a lot of pressure on you with the run game because they can run it and they can put pressure on you to make big plays in the passing game because they have guys that can make big plays in the passing game. They have guys that can move to chains on third down, um, you know, Beasley and Witton or to the best in the business doing that. And then the quarterback not only can execute the quarterback position,

but he can also scramble for first downs. So that's a lot to defend, you know, defending they're on defending deepass defending in you know, the quarterback, but then also handling a scrambling quarterback. And you know, there's there's not a lot of really good scrambling quarterbacks that are also really good in the pocket, and he looks like he has a chance to be one of those guys. If this is better. Last time speaking with you this season, what's your assessment of the way the defense is this

places you? Yeah, let's maybe there will be a time we can get together. I don't want to. I don't want assess anything during season. I mean, we only get sixteen opportunities, and I think anything that you get ahead of yourself, um before when you still have games to play, doesn't do enough respect to this game and respect for

the game scene. I sort of envy the the NBA the way they can sit guys for a game, and you know, even major League Baseball, you know, you you look up and your name's not in the lineup that day because it's a day game after a night game or something. Football is not that way. And we got to we get to give it all the you know, we got to give each game the respect that it deserves. And that's the only thing our attention is on. But I'm sure it'll be something we can we can do

at the end. Prepared for the unknown this week in terms of all you prepared for dallasis dollars or with the backups, Well, we got to prepare for We got to prepare for both. And we probably have to prepare for three different quarterbacks, you know, not just Prescott who we've already played once and you know we have a lot of film one, but Romo who has a track record. You know, if they if they play him and then Sanchez, So it does spread you a little bit, then a

lot of it goes to the quarterback position. Um, you know, their run game's not going to change regardless of who's getting the ball, but wide receivers and you know how they how they work through those wide receivers. It certainly goes into game plan and um, you know you'd attack each those quarterbacks probably a little bit different, so you know, it's a little bit like facing their offense. It's going

to spread it then our preparational spread. Then we're gonna need a lot of focus this week and uh and be productive in the practice field because there is more than just one scenario that you have to prepare for. Operation, more in the film room, more on the field. Yeah, well it's it's probably more. It's probably more film room because um, you know, you don't have that many reps

to be able to prepare for all that stuff. But over the course, when you know, if this was the first game of the season, maybe it would be a little bit different. Um, you know, I think we can change game plans within a game plan depending on depending on who's out there, because the quarterbacks have different you attack. You know last week we attack different than the week before. In the week before, you build up enough that I

think you can you can change. You can change pictures within a game almost exclusively on a four man rush against the Giants, I've got good pressure on them. Is that the kind of game that kind of shows that that sacks don't really tell an accurate story of the pressure you put on a quarterback. Well, we played nineties eighty nine snaps a lot. I think it was sixty three dropbacks or something like that. It was a lot of a lot of passes to defend um. Yeah, I

think we blitzed one time in the game. We only played eight man front handful of times, maybe three times in the game, so we relied. We relied on the front seven to try to stop the run. I thought, you know, it wasn't a shot out against the run, but we controlled the running game enough that we could devote enough extra to coverage. You know, blitz versus four

man pass rush. There's always that give and take between sending extra guys at the quarterback and having extra guys in coverage, and in this game, we took the approach that we needed to have the extra guys in coverage not just to cover guys, but also for run after the catch, because he does some good run after the catch guys. I was probably the most probably don't three man pass rush very often, but in that last series we had those last couple of snaps at the game

with three man pass rush. You can't play that tricked up coverage we play. I mean you run. I mean unless you got twelve on the field, you can't rush for when you do that. And we got some good pressure at the end. You know that Brooks's interception at the end was due to Vinny Curry. If he had to add more time, I'd hate to see what happens if he has more time to throw that ball, because it can put some pressure on you, you know, when they go to somebody other than Odell Beckham in that situation.

So you know, sometimes it gets overlooked. You know, you get a third down stop or you force an errant pass or something like that, it doesn't really go down in the stat in the staff look. But you know, stopping drives that's what it's all about. And I thought our de line did a good job of doing that

and also playing the run game. Like I said, we didn't have extra guy in the run game pretty much the whole game either interesting dynamic and middle linebacker in that you had basically the guy that was with you for so many years in Tennessee into Troy being here, but you also had him. He also had Jordan kind of here along kind of assuming that role. What was

it about that dynamic of having news two together. I mean, you know the importance of the middle linebacker position in terms of how it relates to the coach Steven allow to do with Jordan's progress. Yeah, I think you'd probably have to ask Jordan that more. Stephen is a very respected guy in our locker room, in our meeting rooms. He prepares every week as though he's going to go play every single play. He works really hard on the practice field. That's one thing you guys don't get to see.

But he takes all the scout team reps and he takes a lot of pride, and he's ready to he's ready to play. Doesn't just pass it off to the young guys somebody. Young guys get a little bit frustrated because you know, guys like commu Um and Cherry sometimes they're standing over a sideline and you know, Cherry's a practice squad player, but sometimes he can't practice because Stephen. Stephen will take all of those Um. He's found a way to contribute to this team even though he hasn't

been on the field a ton. Yeah, but if he needed to be, we'd have full confidence that he could go out and play every snap in a game and be productive. Goes um, you know what, what kind of the mension to see add especially when you go into like a Cover two, it seems like he gets down the field pretty well and team passion. He's a good pass defender. He has good eyes for the football. That's important when you're when you're playing that kind of stuff.

His interceptions have come from Key and the quarterback and making plays. They haven't been in Cover two, but they've been underneath. Um. You know, he also has a good understanding not just his place in the defense, but the entire scheme and he literally is the quarterback of our defense and makes a lot of checks and you know things that go on otistum. And he's had a really good year. But um, you know, some of his contributions maybe go a little bit below the raider. I don't know,

it's a whole lot different than other middle linebackers. But um, he very rarely does the wrong thing. Let's put it that way. Chairs for you guys, since the Cincinnati game, I mean, you guys still given up like a decent amount of points. But the same way, you know, the guys pretty much rallied together and everything. Did you get that since at all? You know, I've been proud of the effort down the stretch. I think our guys do have a lot of pride and they want to go

out and find a way to win games. We haven't won enough games this year, so there's no grading on the curve as far as you know, Well, we've lost, but we our efforts good. I mean, I'd do anything to get a win, and I think our guys are the same way. But um, you know, they have each other's backs and they work. They work hard to show that. And you know, I think Thursday night was a good example of that. Um you know, get that touchdown playing.

They played with a lot of emotion, played with las spirit. That'd say it's hard to play eighty nine snaps. We've had some games where we barely broke a sweat, you know, some of those at forty forty eight snaps or forty five snaps and stuff like that. You know, are you know I come in here and you guys are saying, how come this guy only played you know, twelve snaps or how come Misconny played twenty snaps? Whatever will they? Eighty nine was enough for everybody, and you know, but

but they were up to all those challenges. I'm proud of him for that any moment ago. Obviously the numbers aren't there. Are there enough examples like you mentioned where he's affecting the play and they're not getting his stats. Yeah, I think you know, you look with him. He hasn't finished a quarterback as well as we would like him too, as well as he would like to and and to

be able to finish with getting those sacks. But he's been consistently around the quarterback and he's affected the quarterback when he's in there. Vinney gives great effort. He's really a tough player, you know, and sometimes he and be you know, boling to China closet in a good way, um, you know. And he came through force when we needed him in that game. That was that was big. It's hard to get pressure with three guys. He was able to get pressure. Floated that ball up and you know,

I had you talked about slow motion. That ball was in the air for about a half hour. I thought I thought Terrence was gonna have to fair catch it. Um. But you know, you see so much when you're when you're looking at those plays and you know you're feeling the quarterback and you see the ball go up and you see the flash at that player sort of look like he's open, and then to get that play at the end, and he had a lot to do with that. You've mostly at these types of questions, but there was

a coach fire today. Um, you've obviously been in that chair before. Uh As it relates even too, you know dug in here. I mean, don't coaches need more than one two years to to to be judged properly in terms of how they're going to change things? Yeah, you know, I think that's that's probably a question for people other than um, other than me. Um, But the NFL has changed that way. I mean I've been I think this

is my twenty fourth year. Um, you know, things things that there is there is certainly a more UM, I don't know, I can't really think it the best word to use there, but there's more immediacy to is that a word? Immediacy? Is it? If there is? If it is, we just invented it. Or if there isn't we just invented it. Um? You know, and I think that um, you know that does that does play into it. It's it's it's important to be able to stay on track. But you know, and but I think it all goes

hand in hand. I mean, I was, I was thinking about this the other day. He used to be when you drafted a quarterback, um, and I go back to my childhood, and the adage was it takes five years to learn how to play quarterback. In the NFL, you know, the guy carried a clipboard for a couple of years he was to back up, and you know, the coaches didn't even let the guy play. I mean, coaches hated rookies. You know, there was an adage that you know, every rookie you had, you were going to lose a game.

And you know rookies, rookies were like scorn. They wanted veteran players. They wanted ten year vets. And that was the way the NFL was. Well, now you draft quarterback, they gotta played pretty quick. If they don't play the first year, they got to play the second year. You can't draft a guy and put them on the bench for five years. And the way the salary cap works and everything else, you're gonna have to u You're gonna have to get guys on the field quickly. Schemes have

changed a lot, particularly defensive schemes in the NFL. Because of that, you've got to compartmentalize stuff to get guys up to speed quick you know, it's funny. I think offense has probably got a little bit more complex with different personnel groups and things like that, but defense has maybe been a little bit more streamlined. But I would say coaching probably falls into that same you know, that

same scenario. Everything happens a lot faster now. You know, there's no you know, five year, five year building plan. You know that doesn't exist, you know. I mean I think and I think that's just you know, that's just signed. I mean, it all goes hand in hand and it's just where we are as a league. And um, I think free agency and your ability to to change a team. I mean probably back in the seventies you couldn't change

the team that quickly. You didn't have free agency, you had draft picks, so it took a longer time to build a team. So, um, you know, it does provide some challenges, but that's just a you know, that's just a scenario we live in and we work in your corners were very physical Thursday night. I know they gave up a lot of yards, but were you pretty happy with the way they played. Yeah, there were a couple of big plays. You know. No one made not only a big breakup on the fourth down play, but made

a big tackle on the third down. And during ten there was a there was a big play that was what it was one it was a little bit longer and I think it was it was after the fourth down that. Um. Anyway, we held him to a field goal there and we needed to. Like I said, it wasn't just say they were throwing a lot of quick passes, a lot of short underneath passes, and you better be

a good tackling team. Um, you know when that happens, because the other side of that, if you want to challenge every little thing, you're going to be susceptible to a lot of big plays. And um, you know, we needed to make tackles. I thought our safeties also did a good job of getting that. We got a little loose at times. You know, some of those guys are tough matchups, and you know, I wouldn't want to go

out there and try to tackle uh Odell. He's he's he's hard to handle that way sometimes, but um, it's all about the point you give up. I'd like to avoid that one touchdown, but um, you know, our red zone defense sort of came through and it we gave up a lot of yards, but that was you know, I know that people don't like to hear, but that was that was a very stereotypical Ben. But don't break performance and game. When a guy is has the effort and isn't getting there, what do you tell him as

far as I mean, because you guys can get frustrated. Yeah, you know, but that but that goes for not just rushing the passer. That can go from you know, being a linebacker and trying to make tackles or being a dB and trying to make interceptions. The second that you start playing out of the scheme, the second that you start, um, you know, cheating to try to make a play, you're going to hurt the whole defense. And then he hasn't

done that this year. He's key. He's kept on coming and um, you know I said we'd like his production to be better. He'd probably like his production, and I don't know he's like his production. He's a very very prideful guy. And um, but like I said, he's he's found a way to contribute, and I think this was a good example of it. He didn't get outside of himself, he didn't get outside of the scheme. He just kept plugging away. And what he did he found a way to help us make the play to won the game.

All right, guy,