As Browns search for a head coach, their elite defense — and its architect — loom large

CLEVELAND, Ohio — At nan extremity of nan Browns’ 20-18 triumph complete nan Bengals successful Week 18, Kevin Stefanski and Jim Schwartz met adjacent midfield and embraced successful a carnivore hug.

It was 2 coaches celebrating a last triumph successful what has been a mostly-difficult season.

• Kevin Stefanski to question and reply pinch nan Giants and Titans this week for their caput coach vacancies
• Browns petition question and reply pinch Aden Durde, Seahawks protect coordinator, for their caput coach opening
• Browns will apt beryllium willing successful John Harbaugh arsenic a imaginable replacement for Kevin Stefanski

But successful hindsight, will it move retired to beryllium a awesome of succession?

Twenty-four hours later, Stefanski was retired arsenic Browns caput coach, and Schwartz has risen done nan ranks arsenic 1 of Browns fans’ favourite candidates.

Among Schwartz’s prima defenders too, location was an early statement connected Monday aft nan news broke.

“Me personally, I person truthful overmuch emotion and respect for Coach Schwartz,” Pro Bowl cornerback Denzel Ward said connected Monday. “Me, I would highly urge Coach Schwartz for a caput coaching job. Here, definitely.

“Like I said, Coach Schwartz, he’s a awesome coach. He’s helped my crippled tremendously, puts america successful awesome positions, awesome leader. I can’t opportunity capable awesome things astir him, but I deliberation he’s a feline that who you want successful a coach and personification to lead a team. And yeah, I cognize he’s a guy, he’s a awesome guy.”

Ever since Schwartz arrived successful Cleveland, excellence connected his broadside of nan shot has followed.

Over that three-year period, nan Browns person been nan only squad successful nan convention to mean beneath 300 force yards per game. They are besides No. 1 connected third-down conversion percent allowed, first downs allowed per game, tackles for loss, and fourth-down conversions allowed.

Star separator rusher Myles Garrett is connected his measurement to winning his 2nd NFL Defensive Player of nan Year Award nether Schwartz, and this twelvemonth group nan NFL single-season grounds pinch 23 sacks.

“I deliberation we’ve had complete nan past 3 years accumulated (the) No. 1 defense,” information Grant Delpit said. “So I deliberation it goes without saying what benignant of coach he is and nan power he brings. Look, I deliberation Coach Schwartz is going to beryllium a great, still sewage it, type of caput coach.

“He’s a fiery feline and I’d vouch for him. So I deliberation that he’s taken our defense and brought it to an elite level and kept it there. So outcry retired to Coach Schwartz.”

For what it’s worth, Browns proprietor Jimmy Haslam said that “we deliberation a batch of Jim Schwartz,” and that they “absolutely” want him to stay pinch nan organization.

GM Andrew Berry besides said Schwartz had “earned nan correct to consideration” for nan vacancy, and they could besides look astatine violative coordinator Tommy Rees.

Schwartz was past a caput coach pinch nan Detroit Lions from 2009-13. His Lions teams went 29-51, but Schwartz took complete aft Detroit’s 0-16 season, and 3 years later orchestrated a 10-6 grounds and nan team’s first playoff berth since 1999. He flipped nan civilization truthful overmuch that 7-9 successful 2013 “became firable,” as he told cleveland.com past month.

As acold arsenic inducement to support him successful Cleveland, a large 1 would beryllium nan truth that not galore coordinators play defense for illustration Schwartz, and this Browns defense has been mostly built successful his image.

Schwartz typically rotates astir 9 D-linemen, and calls nan statement nan motor of his defense. He’ll usage arsenic galore arsenic 5 aliases six down linemen successful definite situations.

There’s been a younker activity up front, peculiarly connected nan interior line, wherever Cleveland has utilized premium draught superior complete nan past 2 years to adhd Mason Graham and Mike Hall Jr. Opposite of Garrett, they’ve developed their ain later-round talent successful Isaiah McGuire and Alex Wright, who conscionable earned a three-year extension.

The Browns don’t usage a batch of two-high information looks, which put an accent connected limiting explosives and creating takeaways, and Cleveland besides runs a man-heavy strategy to unit favorable matchups arsenic opposed to zone.

Part of nan logic nan Browns traded Greg Newsome II for Tyson Campbell this twelvemonth was because they thought Campbell could thrive successful this man-heavy scheme. It was a move Haslam cited this week erstwhile talking astir Berry keeping his job.

“It’s different,” Delpit said. “I don’t deliberation anybody’s really lining up one-high defense for illustration america and doing nan things we’re doing, playing man and disguise-wise and changing it up.

“Maybe we’ll spot much of that complete nan adjacent fewer years because teams person seen nan success. But of people it’s a unsocial defense and I consciousness for illustration 3 years successful it, we’ve molded good pinch it. So why not support going?”

This year, protect coordinators crossed nan convention are going to beryllium immoderate of nan much sought-after candidates, truthful let’s comparison Schwartz’s strategy to immoderate of nan others who are getting traction for caput coaching jobs.

Vikings DC Brian Flores is known for his 3-4 scheme, hybrid fronts and disguising blitzes, and truthful is Chargers DC Jesse Minter. Seahawks DC Aden Durde, who nan Browns requested to question and reply connected Tuesday, runs much area and besides loves to disguise fronts and blitzes. Rams DC Chris Shula runs a zone-heavy strategy too.

49ers DC Robert Saleh runs a strategy akin to nan Browns’ successful San Francisco.

Berry connected Monday said nan Browns won’t overgarment themselves into a area pinch 1 scheme, but acknowledged nan unsocial occurrence they’ve had successful this system.

“One of nan costs of turnover is that players tin benignant of get caught successful modulation betwixt strategy to strategy to scheme,” he said. “We do person a number of players who are possibly a small spot much defense-specific aliases scheme-specific, but I’d besides opportunity that we person a number of players that are beautiful scheme-versatile.

“Ultimately, our thought will be, ‘Hey, let’s find nan correct caput coach. Let’s find nan correct leader,’ because schemes, they really do travel and go. But it is adjacent to opportunity that we’re very pleased pinch wherever that broadside of nan shot is. That group is intact. They’re nether contract. We really do for illustration nan style of play.”

While nan Browns person had plentifulness of issues complete nan past mates of years, their defense hasn’t been 1 of them.

On nan portion of nan players, that desire for continuity is understandable.

Of course, now everything remains up successful nan air, and things would get moreover murkier if nan Browns did opt to prosecute a protect caput coach who isn’t Schwartz.

“I dream we don’t get free of my feline Schwartz, man,” Ward said. “That’s my guy. Like I said, he’s a awesome coach and he’s a awesome portion of this instauration connected this team, I consciousness like, and nan coach that I consciousness could get america to wherever we want to go.”

In a play afloat of questions, nan players look definite astir 1 thing: don’t tear down nan 1 point that’s already working.