Cleveland Browns, Jim Schwartz go back to 1990s roots to re-establish strong run defense
BEREA — The genius of Jim Schwartz, the line of thinking when the Browns hired him as the defensive coordinator, was the ability of his defenses to rush the passer. Wherever he had coached, the defenses typically were among the better ones at getting after the quarterback.
What that didn't take into account was the way many of those same defenses stopped the run. Nor that the wide-nine scheme for which Schwartz has become so associated, was originally designed to slow down running backs as effectively as it slowed down passers.
"Go back here when the Browns were leading the league in defense in (1994), and think about under defense with, like, (former Browns linebacker) Carl Banks out there in that same wide-nine," said Schwartz, who was a personnel scout with the Browns at that time. "What we did is we found a way to sort of play a hybrid 3-4 and play nine technique and play wide-fives to set edges. And, No. 1, it puts us in a good position to rush the passer, but also it sets hard edges, makes people funnel the ball back inside. It’s good at taking away the outside run game."
Nearly three decades later, things have come full-circle in a way for both the defense and Schwartz. The Browns are once again leading the league in defense, and they're once again utilizing the wide-nine front.
Where the Browns may have taken the biggest strides forward in a short period of time under Schwartz is in stopping the run, where they're fourth in the league both in rushing yards per game (79 yards) and rushing yards per play (3.46). They'll take those numbers Sunday to Indianapolis, where they will put them up against the league's second-leading rusher in the Colts' Zack Moss (466 yards) as well as now-healthy All-Pro Jonathan Taylor.
"Me, I take a lot of pride in stopping the run because you can't stop and run you don't have to worry about pass rushing, getting the sacks and the quarterback hits because they're just going to keep running the ball," defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson said. "It's always a safer option, so I always take pride in stopping the run. I feel like everybody up front in the front seven, and our safeties, too, they'll come and hit somebody in the 'A' gap like our linebackers, and I don't think I've ever been a part of something like that."
Tomlinson was another piece of the puzzle brought in during the offseason specifically to help fix the run defense. That run defense, through five games a year ago, was 28th in the league at 138.2 rushing yards per game and 30th at 5.3 rushing yards per play.
A major issue for the Browns a year ago in run defense was their defensive tackle group, which ranked among the worst in the league. Tomlinson, Shelby Harris and Maurice Hurst Jr. were all brought in as free agents to help that tackle spot along with holdover Jordan Elliott and third-round pick Siaki Ika.
The underrated additions to the run defense, though, came on the edge. Defensive end acquisitions Za'Darius Smith and Ogbo Okoronkwo were seen, much like Schwartz, as changes to help the pass rush when, in reality, they impacted the run defense just as much alongside Myles Garrett and Alex Wright.
“I feel like it helps sets up a firm edge," Tomlinson said. "And our defensive ends is some of the best players in the league and they always set the edge. And even when we run different stunts, and things like that, we have our (defensive backs) and linebackers coming down here super quick with it.
"So everybody’s just reacting to the ball. And everybody trying to hit somebody.”
Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on Twitter at @ceasterlingABJ
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Browns, Jim Schwartz go back to '90s roots to re-establish run defense
