Earlier in the week, the Baltimore Ravens compiled a list of 30 coaching candidates they have sought permission from the league to interview. On that list are a number of burgeoning coaching assistants like Jason Garrett, Tony Sparano and Josh McDaniels (although McDaniels has declined the Ravens’ interview request).
These assistants, along with long time Tony Dungy assistant coach Mike Caldwell, will likely interview with the Ravens this week, as their teams have byes.
One coach whose team does not have the bye this week is Tennessee Titans defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz. Schwartz’ name has been lost in the shuffle amidst all of the sizzling names that have been talked about as possible replacements for Brian Billick.
Schwartz is a sleeper candidate. If you turn on SportsCenter or NFL Total Access, his name is never mentioned as a possibility for any of the three coaching vacancies around the league. In fact, his name has rarely been brought up over the past couple of seasons since losing the opportunity to coach San Francisco in ‘05, although he has been a successful, tenured coach in the league.
Unlike the young guns like Garrett and McDaniels, Schwartz has coached for more than three or four seasons, despite being only 45 years old. In fact, Schwartz has been an NFL coach in some capacity for 12 years. He’s been with the Titans for nine of those seasons, the past seven of which were as the team’s defensive coordinator.
What is more intriguing about Schwartz is that he got his professional coaching start in Baltimore. Schwartz was the team’s quality control coach during the team’s first three seasons in Baltimore. In addition, he worked with the linebackers. Eventually, he turned around and guided the Titans’ linebacker corps once he flew down south to Tennessee.
Schwartz moved to Baltimore when the franchise uprooted from Cleveland. Back then, he was a part of the Cleveland Browns’ personnel department, serving as both a pro and college scout for quite some time. So clearly, Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome knows Schwartz, and knows what he brings to the table, not only from a coaching standpoint, but also from the personnel side.
But Schwartz should not be considered for the head coaching post simply because he may evoke feelings of nostalgia for some members of the organization. He should be considered because he has been a solid coordinator for the Titans since he took over for Gregg Williams in 2001.
His defenses have consistently been among the top 10 groups in the league, especially against the run. In ‘03, the Titans were the No.1 run defense in football. The Ravens know about that defense first hand, since it stifled Baltimore’s record-breaking ground attack in the postseason.
Through the years, Schwartz has helped to develop a number of young stars in the league, such as Keith Bullock, Jevon Kearse, Albert Haynesworth and current Raven Samari Rolle. In fact, unlike other assistants, Schwartz has not had the chance to work with a lot of veteran defenders. Last season, Schwartz had to keep one of the youngest defenses in the league upright.
Philosophically, Schwartz would likely adhere to some of the same approaches that the Ravens have. After all, he is schooled as a Jeff Fisher disciple. Like Fisher, Schwartz believes in tough, physical and determined players. As a coach, he is an aggressive play-caller who demands precise gap control play from his defense.
It will be interesting to see if Schwartz is truly considered by Baltimore in the coming weeks. Selecting the next head coach to take over for a football team can be as much of a crapshoot as selecting a quarterback to run the offense. There have been more misses than hits.
However, if it comes down to picking someone amongst a group of green assistants looking for their first crack at being the next Vince Lombardi or Bill Walsh, here’s hoping that the former Georgetown graduate from Baltimore gets some serious consideration for the position.
