Schwartz: 'Only Thing That Matters Is Wins And Losses'
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The Eagles will have a new look on defense this season. Their new defensive coordinator will provide plenty of energy.
The fiery Jim Schwartz is putting his players through the paces in the first week of training camp. Schwartz has had success throughout the league and has put together several strong defensive units. Many believe the Eagles Defense will be vastly improved under Schwartz, but the defensive coordinator is slowing down the pace early on as the rookies continue to go through a learning process.
"I think they have made good progress," said Schwartz. "I wouldn't compare them to any other team. I wouldn't compare them to any other player. Everybody is going to do it at their own pace. I think the one thing we have kept in mind is the home opener is a long way away. Our eye is toward improving every day and correcting little things, not getting too far ahead of ourselves."
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Schwartz has served as an assistant in Tennessee, and Buffalo and also spent time as a head coach in Detroit. The Eagles will switch to a 4-3 alignment this season, and the new formation appears to be a better fit for the Eagles' personnel. However, Schwartz has always tried to work with his players' strengths, and will try to put them in the best positions to be successful.
"All those guys have different skill sets," Schwartz said. "It's all about trying to put them in a position that they can execute the scheme but within the scheme, they can, technique-wise, execute. I think there are some things that probably fly below the radar just from an alignment standpoint but there are a lot of differences between what we're doing right now, to what we did in Buffalo, to what we did in Tennessee or Detroit."
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Many of the veterans are happy to be working with Schwartz. Cornerback Nolan Carroll is one of the selected veterans who arrived early after missing time in mini-camp recovering from a leg injury. Carroll has been impressed with Schwartz during the first week of training camp workouts.
"I like him," said Carroll. "He makes sure you're accountable. That's the biggest thing I like about him. He's a no-nonsense type of guy but at the same time, he just wants you to play and be fast with it."
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A fast turnaround on defense could help make for a successful season in South Philadelphia. While Schwartz would be more than happy to see his defense play at a high level throughout the 2016 campaign, he understands what matters most in the NFL.
"We want to allow less points than our offense scores," Schwartz said. "The only thing that matters in this league is wins and losses. I'll take a 42-41 game. I might not sleep well afterwards, but I'll take it. I'd rather have that than a 7-3 game that you lose."
