A new Coach and Era for the Lions in 2009

Thursday, January 15, 2009
Lions pick Schwartz
Detroit News staff

Jim Schwartz is the new coach of the Lions.

"After an extensive search that included several highly-qualified coaches, we are thrilled that Jim Schwartz will become our team's head coach," team president Tom Lewand said in a statement released Thursday afternoon. "Martin (Mayhew) and I believe that Jim's qualifications and vision will lead this organization on the field toward our goal of becoming a championship football team."

Schwartz, 42, first interviewed with Lions officials in Nashville on Jan. 3, then visited the Lions' offices in Allen Park this week.

Schwartz has served as the Titans defensive coordinator the past eight seasons, and was runner-up to Mike Nolan for the San Francisco 49ers head coaching position in 2005. In January, 2008, he interviewed for head coaching positions with the Washington Redskins, Miami Dolphins and Atlanta Falcons.

Lions hire Jim Schwartz

By NICHOLAS J. COTSONIKA • FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER • January 15, 2009

The Lions have hired a new coach: Tennessee defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz.

The Lions will hold a news conference Friday at Ford Field to introduce him.

“After an extensive search that included several highly qualified coaches, we are thrilled that Jim Schwartz will become our team’s head coach,” president Tom Lewand said in a released statement. “Martin (Mayhew) and I believe that Jim’s qualifications and vision will lead this organization on the field toward our goal of becoming a championship football team."

Schwartz, 42, was one of two finalists the Lions unveiled to the media this week. The other was Miami secondary coach Todd Bowles.

Lewand and general manager Martin Mayhew have said they wanted a strong, smart coach who fits their philosophy and respects the personnel process.

Schwartz has an economics degree from Georgetown. He is an avid chess player who uses a lot of statistical analysis in his preparation. He said he believes in building teams to run the ball and stop the run.

And he got his start as a college and pro scout in Cleveland, working with executive Scott Pioli and coach Bill Belichick, who went on to win three Super Bowls and participate in another with New England.

After three years with the Browns, Schwartz spent three years as a defensive assistant with Baltimore. Then he moved up the ladder in Tennessee -- defensive assistant in 1999, linebackers coach in 2000, defensive coordinator the past eight seasons.

His defenses are known for two things the Lions’ aren’t: stopping the run and getting off the field on third down.

In a news conference Monday, Schwartz said the Lions have “obviously some holes in the roster,” but he said they were no different than probably half the teams in the league at this time of year.

Though Miami and Atlanta went 11-5 this year, after going 1-15 and 4-12, respectively, last year, Schwartz said he wouldn’t look too far ahead.

“I think if you talk about a quick turnaround, it’s probably not going to happen,” Schwartz said. “If you talk about getting better every single day, then you have a chance to be there.”

But he said he isn’t afraid of taking over a team coming off the NFL’s first 0-16 season. The Lions are 31-97 since 2001.

“I don’t shy away from a challenge, and I think that it’s important in the NFL to have that kind of attitude on yearly basis,” Schwartz said. “Where we were in Tennessee last year was not where we were a few years ago, and one of the best feelings in sports is turning something around. Obviously, the system in the NFL affords us the capability of turning something around.”

ESPN reports that Schwartz "has agreed in principle to a four-year contract."

More to come.

No M's in his name

I rather see Nolan get hired as coach


Last head coach to wear a suit on the sidelines for SF last year


Jack Del Rio didn't wear one this year


I got a feeling we won't see it again

I'm surprised Schwartz would want to come here. The Titans have a hell of a defense. Schwartz's career is over. No Lions coach ever goes anywhere afterwords. Poor guy.

Maybe that will change



I hope so


GO LIONS!

gs78 wrote:

Maybe that will change



I hope so


GO LIONS!

Or maybe he'll become Joe Paterno-like and stay with the Lions for a very long time. That would also be good.

I hope this guy does good for his sake, he seems like an excellent coach and it would suck if the Lions got him no where.

The Detroit sports radio station guys seem to like him, the last few days.

GoGetEmTigers wrote:

The Detroit sports radio station guys seem to like him, the last few days.

How long before they turn on him?

They just had the introduction news conference for the new coach and the front off, coach and news people all seemed on the same page! Maybe we will see some good change in the team!

NICHOLAS J. COTSONIKA'S BLOG
Lions coach Schwartz: 'I’m a blue-collar kid'

By NICHOLAS J. COTSONIKA • FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER • January 16, 2009

The Lions' new coach, Jim Schwartz, was introduced this afternoon in the Atrium at Ford Field. He wore what he said was one of two suits he owns. He also wore a white collar, but said he was not a white-collar guy.


“I’m a blue-collar kid,” said Schwartz, the son of a police officer. “I’m happy to be here in Detroit.”

Schwartz takes over a team that just suffered the NFL’s first 0-16 season but seemed undaunted.

“I can’t speak of the past,” he said. “I’m not here to exorcise any ghosts. My dad would be disappointed if I backed away from a challenge.”

Besides thanking Lions owner William Clay Ford Sr., the former defensive coordinator for the Tennessee Titans said he needed to thank two people in particular: Bill Belichick, who initially brought him into the NFL, and Jeff Fisher, his boss for a decade with the Titans.

“Mr. Ford made me feel incredibly welcome,” Schwartz said.

Some of his other comments:

• On how his defenses change each season: “I’ve developed my own style, so to speak, and not married to one blueprint. … Too much is made of scheme.”

• On declining to say who, the team should take with the No. 1 pick: “There are baby steps to be taken first.”

• “A good quarterback can hide a lot of holes on your roster. … First of all, your quarterback needs to be your hardest worker.”

• “I understand what this city is going through. As I kid, I was a tremendous sports fan. I lived and died with the Baltimore Colts and Orioles. … A lot of places, 0-16 might not have hurt as much as in Detroit. That’s a good thing. … Some cities might not have cared as much.”

• “There are a couple of good, young players here.”

• “I don’t think this team needs to be built as a ‘dome team.’”

• “If I had known it was this cold, I would have asked for a lot more money!”

NICHOLAS J. COTSONIKA'S BLOG
Report says Schwartz favors Jeremy Bates, Brian Schottenheimer as assistants

By NICHOLAS J. COTSONIKA • FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER • January 16, 2009

The Broncos' Jeremy Bates and the Jets' Brian Schottenheimer are new Lions coach Jim Schwartz's preferred candidates to become offensive coordinator, ESPN reported.

From the ESPN story: "Bates signed a three-year contract extension with the Broncos before Mike Shanahan was fired and new coach Josh McDaniels, who will run the offense in Denver, likely would grant Bates his release.

"Schottenheimer remains a strong candidate for the Jets head coaching position and may ask out of his contract if he is bypassed for the job in favor of Ravens defensive coordinator Rex Ryan or Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo. However, the Jets are not obligated to release Schottenheimer and sources say they would prefer that Ryan or Spagnuolo, if hired, retain much of the offensive staff."

Lions players give their new coach thumbs-up

BY NICHOLAS J. COTSONIKA • FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER • January 16, 2009

When cornerback Travis Fisher heard the Lions hired a new coach Thursday, he admitted he didn't know much about him.

"What's his name again?" Fisher asked.

But Fisher said he didn't need to know much about Tennessee defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz to be excited about his hiring.

"Honestly, I just like the way Tennessee plays defense," Fisher said, laughing. "That's a good one. I think that'll be a great head coach for us."

The Lions just suffered the NFL's first 0-16 season. They had one of the worst defenses in history. They allowed 517 points, second-most all-time, and intercepted only four passes, a record-low for a 16-game season.

In eight years as the Titans' defensive coordinator, Schwartz built one of the best defenses in the league. The Titans ranked second in scoring defense in 2008, allowing 14.6 points per game.

Schwartz has agreed to a four-year contract and will be introduced today at Ford Field.

"After an extensive search that included several highly qualified coaches, we are thrilled that Jim Schwartz will become our team's head coach," president Tom Lewand said in a released statement.

General manager Martin Mayhew "and I believe that Jim's qualifications and vision will lead this organization on the field toward our goal of becoming a championship football team," Lewand said.

Schwartz, 42, has never been a head coach, though he has interviewed for a few jobs. Lions left guard Edwin Mulitalo said it doesn't matter.

"He's been in a winning organization," Mulitalo said. "I think that's huge. Being under Jeff Fisher and being groomed in that aspect and then finally obviously getting a shot here in Detroit, to me, that's definitely something positive and something that the town and the community can be excited about.

"I think every coach has his start. I think the organization is showing that they trust what he's been doing for the last 10 years over there in Tennessee."

Schwartz is an avid chess player and known for using a lot of statistical analysis in his preparation. Unlike former coach Rod Marinelli, who tried to fit players into the Tampa Two system and teach them to execute it snap to snap, Schwartz will mold his approach more to the situation.

"The best way I could describe our defensive philosophy is multidimensional," Schwartz said in a news conference Monday. "Do what it takes to win that week. ... If it's a good run team, force them to throw the ball to win. If it's a good pass team, force them to run the ball to win. In order to do that, you have to have multidimensional players. We'll do what our players do the best."

The Lions got a good look at Schwartz's defense on Thanksgiving Day. The Titans forced the Lions to fumble in the first minute and went on to blow them out, 47-10.

"Definitely going from how that defense was playing, he's got to know what he's doing," Lions right guard Stephen Peterman said. "For sure, I think that's a good hire. It's sad to see Rod leave and see what happened happen, but sometimes change is good."

Fisher likes Schwartz's scheme.

"They run a lot of man coverage in Tennessee, and I'm more of a man coverage cornerback," Fisher said. "They like to get after the quarterback, and that's what I'm all about. When someone's getting after the quarterback, I can do my thing."

In some ways, the Lions' players are happy just to know who the new coach will be so they have a better idea where the team is headed and what it might mean for them. The Lions can't get rid of everyone, but they obviously will make major changes.

"It's probably good just because of the uncertainty there," said Peterman, about to become an unrestricted free agent. "There's a lot of guys that are free agents, guys wondering, 'When is the off-season going to start up? Who's going to be back? What coaches are going to be back?' There's definitely a lot of uncertainty there, and this is a step in the right direction getting a head guy and seeing what coaches he brings in with him."

"I think having a guy in there is great," center Dominic Raiola said. "I think you needed to put a guy in there sooner than later. A lot of this stuff is starting to pick up, especially going down to the Senior Bowl, because that's the main thing. We obviously need people to help us. Hopefully he'll do a good job doing that."

The new guy


Who: Jim Schwartz, age 42; born June 2, 1966, in Baltimore.

College: Four-year letterman at linebacker at Georgetown, where he earned a degree in economics. He also received Distinguished Economics Graduate honors at Georgetown and earned numerous honors in 1988, including Division III CoSIDA/GTE Academic All-America, All-America and team captain.

Family: Wife, Kathy; twins Christian (7) and Alison (7), and Maria (5).

Experience: Ten seasons on coach Jeff Fisher's staff in Tennessee, the last eight as defensive coordinator. Schwartz got his start in the NFL doing
research for Bill Belichick on the Cleveland Browns staff in the mid-1990s and followed the team to Baltimore.

Statistically speaking: The Titans ranked in the top seven in yards allowed each of the past two seasons and finished second in points allowed per game at 14.6 in 2008. Schwartz's 2003 defense ranked first in the NFL in rushing defense and led the league in third-down defense at 27.7% -- the lowest since the 1998 Oakland Raiders.

Notable: Runner-up to Mike Nolan for the San Francisco 49ers head coaching job in 2005. An avid chess player, he analyzes football-related statistics, looking for tendencies, then has the ability to relay what he has learned to players.

Good Luck to him, I kinda like the guy.

Friday, January 16, 2009
Schwartz pledges to rebuild tarnished Lions
By John Niyo The Detroit News

DETROIT -- It wasn't the warmest of receptions, but it had little to do with the questions Jim Schwartz faced Friday at his introductory news conference in the sunlit atrium of Ford Field.

Outside, the sub-zero temperatures were a rude awakening for the 42-year-old Baltimore native who'd spent the last 10 years as an assistant coach with the Tennessee Titans.

"If I'd have known it would be this cold," he joked, "I would've asked for a lot more money."

With his wife, Kathy, and their three children looking on, Schwartz didn't hide his sense of humor as he took questions Friday, many of them focused on the Lions' struggles. The franchise is coming off a record-setting 0-16 season and owns a league-worst 31-97 record the last eight seasons.

"I'm not here to exorcise any ghosts," Schwartz insisted, though he did address how he hopes to change the football fortunes in Detroit.

"We'll put a team on the field that you'll be proud of," he said.

Schwartz touted his blue-collar roots as the son of a policeman and one of nine children growing in Baltimore.

And noting that he'd just held a Monday news conference during a second interview with Lions officials in Allen Park, he also joked about his attire, saying he was done showing off his wardrobe since he only owns two suits.

"This," he said, "is who I am."

As for the challenge turning around a team that didn't win a single game in 2008, Schwartz says bring it on.

"There's no better feeling in football than turning a situation around. That's what drives me here."

The Lions badly want the one-time Georgetown University economics major to come up with a formula to fix a franchise coming off an 0-16 season, an eight-season stretch that has been the worst in the league since World War II and a run of more than 50 years with only one playoff win.

Friday's coming-out party for Schwartz was the culmination of years of hard work in the NFL.

He began as a scout in Cleveland, moving on as an assistant in Baltimore, then became one of the league's best defensive coordinators in Tennessee.

Schwartz, who singled out New England coach Bill Belichick and Tennessee coach Jeff Fisher as mentors, replaces Rod Marinelli, who was fired two weeks ago after he went 10-38 in three seasons, dropping Detroit to 31-97 since 2001 when former team president Matt Millen took over a mediocre franchise and turned it into a laughingstock.

The Chicago Cardinals, who won just 23 percent of their games from 1936-43, are the last team to perform as poorly as Detroit has over an eight-season span.

Detroit News wire services contributed. You can reach John Niyo at (313) 982-3810 or john.niyo@detnews.com

Cardinals should have stayed in Chicago


Or even St Louis