At about 1 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon, defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz entered the Eagles' cafeteria and saw an offensive player wearing a shirt without sleeves.
So he tapped him on the shoulder and told him he needed to get out and put on something different because it's a rule of Doug Pederson's that players aren't allowed in the cafeteria with sleeveless shirts.
That was the example Schwartz gave on Tuesday to show that he is submissive, yet also an enforcer, as an assistant coach under Pederson in the wake of a Philadelphia Inquirer report on Sunday that Schwartz was "trying to undercut" the head coach and had designs on his job.
"I'll say this and I'll say this unequivocally: I am very comfortable with my relationship with Doug Pederson," Schwartz said. "And I know he's comfortable in his relationship with me."
For his part, Pederson on Monday said he didn't feel the need to talk with Schwartz specifically about the report, saying the two have "always had a great relationship."
Schwartz said he just simply tries to run the defense and do his job the way Pederson outlined it when he was hired.
Throughout the last year and a half, it has seemed like Schwartz — at least publicly — has been very careful to not undermine Pederson. Whenever he's asked a question about his time as a head coach or how he would handle something as a head coach, he quickly sidesteps.
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On Tuesday, though, he did harken back to his days in Detroit. This time, he used the story of the sleveless player in the cafeteria as an example of acting the way he would have wanted his underlings to act back then.
"I know when I was a head coach, when I served that, I wanted people around the building who were enforcing my rules and I did that for him," Schwartz said. "I respect that position. I'm going to execute the job the way he outlined it for me. I think anything else we can't really worry about."
A big part of the Inquirer report, which Schwartz admitted he didn't read, was about Schwartz's persona. One unnamed Eagles player said Schwartz walks around the NovaCare Complex like he's the head coach.
On Monday, Pederson addressed that part by saying he loves Schwartz's swagger.
"Look, I can be brash — check," Schwartz said on Tuesday. "I can be in your face — check. It's the only way I know to coach defense. As long as Coach Pederson's fine with it, I'm going to continue that — and he is."