Eagles' Schwartz has hire aspirations

JIM SCHWARTZ might as well hang a sign around his neck that reads:

"Head Coach for Hire."

Everything he has said and everything he has done since arriving as defensive coordinator in Philadelphia projects a man who is auditioning for the other 31 teams, just in case. That campaigning has ramped up the past few weeks, as should be expected. This is the time of year when owners who are disaffected with their coaches begin to consider who the top candidates might be come January.

Three games into the season, Schwartz has turned a laughingstock into the stingiest defense in the NFL, changing a 3-4 scheme into a 4-3, Wide-9 unit that accentuates the talents of its core players. The Birds battered the Browns, beat the Bears on Monday Night Football and skewered Big Ben and the Steelers. They knocked out big-name quarterbacks Robert Griffin III and Jay Cutler in the first two weeks. Defensive tackle Fletcher Cox and safety Malcolm Jenkins look as if they're going back to the Pro Bowl and defensive end Brandon Graham has finally begun to deliver on his promise.

Schwartz returns to Detroit on Sunday riding high with the league's stingiest defense just two years after he was fired with a 29-51 record in five seasons. That was two jobs ago. He was defensive coordinator for the Bills in 2014 and he worked with the NFL last year. Still, his return to Motown is the story of the week, and he knows it.

His iron is hot. He is striking.

Asked directly whether he wants to be a head coach again, Schwartz gave every indication to the affirmative.

"If you do a good job, if you're a quality-control coach . . . maybe you get a chance to be a position coach, (and) maybe you get a chance to be a coordinator if you do a good job with that," Schwartz said.

And, if a coordinator does a good job?

"The way this league is, you don't have time to think about a whole lot other than doing your job. I'm trying to do my job," Schwartz said, unconvincingly. "I'm trying to put our defense in position to help us win games, and if I can do a good job of that, then I'll be happy."

Rest assured, he'd be even happier as the big boss making the $6 million a year that he got in Detroit.

If he completes the turnaround with this defense he would deserve every penny. First, though, he has to become the sexy candidate. There will be only a handful of openings, so it's wise to begin your candidacy as soon as possible. Schwartz is ticking off boxes.

No-nonsense disciplinarian? Check.

Schwartz on Thursday eviscerated linebacker Nigel Bradham for getting caught with a loaded gun in his backpack as he went through the security line at Miami International Airport last weekend.

Self-promoting system defender? Check.

When asked about the Eagles' tremendous time of possession advantage after two games (a sore spot in Philadelphia during Chip Kelly's up-tempo tenure) Schwartz immediately pointed out that his defense deserved just as much credit for getting the opposition's offense off the field. He also makes sure to tout the Wide-9 aspect of his defense, and Thursday went so far as to defended Jim Washburn's indefensible stint of insubordination and ineffectiveness as the Eagles' defensive line coach in 2011 and 2012.

Sound-bite generator? Check, check, and check.

All season Schwartz has been a one-liner machine. On Thursday, for instance, he called Bradham a "dumb ass" and, when considering the possibility of becoming a head coach again, said, "I'm just trying to keep my ass off the hot seat."

The big "but" with Schwartz has been his ability to professionally represent an organization. To that end, Schwartz seems to be less confrontational with the press than he was in Detroit; a little more glib, a little less condescending and dismissive.

His alpha-dog conduct in the halls of the NovaCare Center evokes a contagious swagger that old NFL dogs such as offensive coordinator Frank Reich recognize.

"He's just got a way about him; you can tell he's been around the block. He's very comfortable in his own skin. Well-spoken," Reich said, and smiled. "Yeah, he's got a little bit of that 'it' factor. A little bit of charisma."

He carries himself like a co-head coach . . . but what else would you expect? Schwartz has worked with Bill Belichick and Ozzie Newsome; has coached Albert Haynesworth and Ndamukong Suh; has been to the Super Bowl; and has been assaulted by Jim Harbaugh.

He's kind of a big deal.

Schwartz even attended head coach Doug Pederson's introductory news conference . . . then held his own press conference.

Philadelphia was the perfect situation for a coach in Schwartz's shoes. Kelly and his defensive coordinator, Billy Davis, had been run out of town and painted as schematically incompetent. Their replacements could hardly lose. The bones of the defense were sound - Cox, Jenkins, Graham, end Connor Barwin, tackle Bennie Logan, linebacker Jordan Hicks - and end Vinny Curry was likely to sign an extension.

"I don't think this was the worst defense in the NFL last year," Schwartz said.

Well, it was the worst against the run and lousy in pretty much every other relevant category, but there's a glimpse of Schwartz practicing diplomacy. He is smart - he has a degree in economics from Georgetown - and he can be funny, and he knows his business. He worked is way up in his 10 seasons on the defensive staff in Tennessee, the last eight as coordinator, before leaving to resurrect the Lions from 2009-13.

His single season in Buffalo, 2014, was excellent. The Bills led the league in sacks and third-down conversions, were second in points allowed and fourth in yards allowed. It ended when Rex Ryan was hired as head coach in 2015.

Schwartz spent his bridge year as a consultant for the NFL, working with the league's officials. How many head coaches can see the game through a ref's eyes?

The timing of his "Hire Me" effort cannot be overstated. The Lions' are 1-3. Their offense is unremarkable.

By contrast, after the Eagles' trip to Detroit, their schedule considerably stiffens. Schwartz can read.

This might be his best, and only, chance to market himself. But, yes, Schwartz is viable. And, yes, Schwartz is shameless. That's OK.

Its not as if there's a LinkedIn for NFL head-coaching candidates.

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