Over the course of his coaching career, new Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz has been strongly associated with 4-3 fronts playing in a wide-9 alignment.
On his first day in his new job, Schwartz said that he isn’t married to either concept when discussing what the Eagles defense will look like in 2016. Schwartz said that his evaluations of the personnel will determine what shape the defense takes in Philly because he’s always believed in “playing to your player’s strengths.”
“Scheme-wise, I’m a system guy,’' Schwartz said, via NJ.com. “I don’t like being labeled. In Buffalo, we didn’t do the same things we did in Detroit and we didn’t do the same things in Tennessee. We do what we’re good at doing.’'
There were differences in each stop, but there were many shared traits with all three teams so there’s likely to be some carryover even if the alignments aren’t exactly what they’ve been in the past.
Among those traits was building a stout front that allowed the defense to avoid blitzing as much as possible, which should make Schwartz happy to have Fletcher Cox as a piece at his disposal. He’ll also get a chance to coach linebacker Kiko Alonso, who missed Schwartz’s lone season with the Bills after tearing his ACL, and his arrival could increase the chances that the Eagles hold onto impending free agent Vinny Curry as an option at the point of attack.
