According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, there has been significant traction in the New York Giants’ pursuit of a new head coach.
Giants submitted request to interview Eagles' DC Jim Schwartz for their HC job, and the interview is expected to occur this weekend in Philadelphia, per sources.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 3, 2018
Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz has been a reported target for quite some time and it appears as if Schwartz will indeed interview for the very attractive position this weekend. Here’s a brief summary of his career so far, taken from our in-depth coaching carousel guide published earlier this week.
One year removed from a complete turnaround where Schwartz shifted the Eagles defense to his renowned 4-3 scheme, Schwartz has done nothing but draw positive attention to himself. A defense filled with playmakers ran rampant this season as they earned the title of the league’s best rushing defense.
During his 10-year stint with the Titans, Schwartz helped Tennessee reach a Super Bowl and win three divisional titles. It was this path to success that led him to his first and only Head Coaching role to date with the Detroit Lions.
Taking over an 0-16 team is no easy task, but Schwartz would guide the team to its first playoff berth since 1999 with a 10-6 season in 2011.
After parting ways with the team in 2013, Schwartz would find himself in Buffalo, directing a Bills defense that allowed the second-fewest points in the NFL (16.9 ppg), notched a league-high 54 sacks, held opponents to a league- best 33.2 percent third-down conversion rate and allowed the second-lowest cumulative quarterback rating (74.5). Schwartz would take one year away from coaching only to land in the City of Brotherly Love where his defense has been anything but loving.
Bringing back the hard-nosed mentality that fans have longed for, Schwartz guided the Eagles defense to finish third in red zone defense in his first year. In 2017, things were only amplified. The addition of Timmy Jernigan and a revamped secondary gave Schwartz plenty of new toys to play with. More blitzing, more NASCAR packages and a lot more production on the back end, Schwartz has bailed the offense out on countless occasions over the last few weeks.
When asked about the potential moves in the front office, Doug Pederson had a very simple response.
“Having gone through it a couple years ago myself, the one thing going for these two gentlemen is the fact that this is a bye week for us. We’re not game planning specifically for a game this weekend, so it’s a little bit easier from the standpoint of that.
The challenge is having themselves prepared for a potential interview. That’s the challenging part.
At the same time, they have to balance the job they have here and making sure that we’re ready for practice tomorrow and the next day. That’s first and foremost.
Listen, they put the Eagles first anyway and will continue to do that while they’re here. It’s a little bit of a fine line, but having an off week helps.”
It’s going to be a very interesting bye-week for the Philadelphia Eagles.
