Detroit Lions

Lions should be able to exploit Eagles defense

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Former Lions head coach Jim Schwartz is doing a great job as the Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator.

Apr 25, 2013; New York, NY, USA; Ezekiel Ansah (BYU) is introduced by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell (left) and Detroit Lions former player Barry Sanders (right) as the number five overall pick to the Detroit Lions during the 2013 NFL Draft at Radio City Music Hall. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports

While it is a surprise to some Lions fans, Schwartz was always a very successful coordinator back with the Titans, just not quite as successful as a head coach. Most of the key defensive players the Lions have are guys that former GM Martin Mayhew selected for Jim Schwartz and his Wide-Nine defensive scheme. Ziggy Ansah was a guy Schwartz coached at the Senior Bowl and fell in love with. DeAndre Levy, Tahir Whitehead, and Devin Taylor are players he should get some credit for also.

Most of those players didn’t have nearly as much success until Teryl Austin took over the defense. Even with Fairley and Suh pushing the pocket, Detroit was never able to improve in the defensive secondary as much as they needed to in order to become a great defense, other than that 2011 playoff season. The Lions fired Schwartz after a disappointing 7-9 season in 2013.

Schwartz quickly turned around the Bills defense – which was loaded with talent — as defensive coordinator in 2014. He even beat Detroit that season, getting carried off by his players in his first return to Ford Field. When Rex Ryan took over as head coach in Buffalo, Schwartz left due to schematic differences. After a year out of the league, he took over the Eagles defense and has them playing very well. However, they aren’t nearly as talented as that Bills team was, especially up front.

Lions QB Matthew Stafford should be able to pick them apart with the experience he has against Schwartz and his scheme from his five years practicing against it. The scheme can be very effective when they get pressure up front. As Lions fans know all too well, quick passes can expose it. Lions offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter’s offense is predicated on quick passes and taking what the defense gives. They won’t have the same problems Joe Lombardi’s offense had in 2014. Another thing Cooter does differently than Lombardi is he lets Stafford take control as he sees fit. Stafford is free to audible at the line of scrimmage and get out of bad plays.

Detroit Lions wide receiver Golden Tate (15) will need a big game for Detroit to beat the Eagles. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Free agent receiver Marvin Jones has been a welcome addition and pleasant surprise. Yet, it’s Golden Tate that will need to step up for Detroit to have success this week. Tate’s specialty is that he can take quick passes and make defenders miss to neutralize the pass rush. He hasn’t looked like himself so far this season, lacking the explosiveness and reliable hands people have grown accustomed to seeing. He was benched last week for his poor play, even if Caldwell doesn’t want to admit it.

The Lions are more than likely out of the playoff picture as it is — with a 1-3 record against a fairly easy schedule — but another loss could have serious, staff-changing implications. Coach Caldwell is already under heavy scrutiny after starting 1-3. But if Eagles rookie passer Carson Wentz comes to Detroit and outplays Matthew Stafford, that pressure could transfer over to general manager Bob Quinn if he doesn’t try and stop the bleeding.

Caldwell hasn’t done a good job this season. But he’s a guy that’s made the playoffs in 3 of his 5 years as a head coach. He has for the most part shown capable of winning when there’s enough talent (his only bad season in Indy was Peyton’s first missed season of his career and last year the Lions replaced Ndamukong Suh with Haloti Ngata). His players religiously back him, even former players, as Ashlee Palmer told SideLion last week.

Nov 24, 2014; Detroit, MI, USA; Buffalo Bills defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz on the sideline. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports

Jim Schwartz never received the praise from his players that Caldwell did as a head coach. That may be the reason he couldn’t win enough despite having the arguably best offensive and defensive players in the league (Calvin Johnson and Ndamukong Suh). Coach Caldwell won 11 games with the same GM and roster. Once the Lions lost key defensive players, they haven’t looked the same. This year, Ansah and Levy — easily the team’s two best defensive players — have missed most of the season.

So with Schwartz coming to town, Caldwell better get this team’s attention. If Detroit loses and Schwartz is carried off into the sunset like he was with the Bills in 2014, there will likely be two former Lions head coaches in the building Sunday.