You probably don't want to admit it, but it's time.
Yes, it's time to give Jim Schwartz credit.
The fourth-year Eagles defensive coordinator didn't just have his defense ready for a showdown with the Dallas Cowboys; he authored one of the finest defensive performances we've seen in years.
After back-to-back-to-back weeks of shoddy play, the Eagles defense suddenly morphed back into what it was throughout the end of October and most of November: A winning unit.
Sunday's effort including holding the No. 1 offense in the NFL without a touchdown and 3-of-14 on third down conversions. Dallas came into the day as the top third down team in the sport. They left looking confused, beaten and battered.
Schwartz smartly loaded the box, neutralized Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott and bet on Dak Prescott to beat him with a bum shoulder. Early on, it was easy to see that wouldn't happen. Prescott was off all day. By putting Malcolm Jenkins near the line of scrimmage, Schwartz dared the team with the most explosive plays in the NFL to make him pay with explosive plays. They couldn't.
It's easy to dismiss Schwartz, especially in this town. He doesn't like to blitz. He's into numbers and strategy, not bounties or taking the opponent out of the game with brute force. He'll play a picket fence defense as opposed to sending the house. His defense got torched in the biggest game (Super Bowl LII) the Eagles have ever played. He majored in economics at Georgetown, and often cites old-school Baltimore Orioles during analogies. We're not talking about Buddy Ryan or Jim Johnson 2.0.
But Schwartz's defense works, and that's really what matters. The strategy is sound, even when the Eagles don't have the horses on that side of the ball.
This year, the front office left Schwartz to fend for himself while focusing on building up the offense around Carson Wentz. The team's first three draft picks went to offense. The first defender selected in the draft, fourth-round pick Shareef Miller, clearly wasn't NFL ready. Money was poured into weapons for the quarterback, not extra pass rushers. Trade possibilities for Jadeveon Clowney and Jalen Ramsey went by the wayside. No meaningful fill-in for Malik Jackson ever arrived.
Schwartz didn't have his starting corners until the middle of October, hasn't had the rotation his defensive line needs to excel and has had to go outside his comfort zone by blitzing more this year than ever. The results have been imperfect, but the Eagles have a real chance to finish inside the top half of scoring defense and yards allowed per play. That sounds fake, but it's real. And it's a testament to Schwartz.
Sidney Jones, perhaps the biggest disappointment in Schwartz's tenure, actually served as the perfect barometer for why a win over the Cowboys was the finest hour for this coach. The Eagles, without a single elite player (sorry Fletcher Cox) on the defense this season, have been an exercise in strength in numbers. It's rarely about which Eagles defender dominates the game, but rather how many Schwartz can (or is forced to) use that won't lose it.
Injuries and poor drafting have led to this reality: 32 different defensive players have made tackles for Schwartz this season. Some (Orlando Scandrick) have gone on to burgeoning FS1 careers, some are now at home watching (Zach Brown), some were cut (Andrew Sendejo) for future draft pick capital, some (Duke Riley) you probably couldn't pick out of a lineup.
But all have been coached up, and none have the moment overwhelm them when their number is called upon.
Jones, a should-have-been star, exemplified that in the biggest defensive play an Eagles player has made all year. Schwartz had him, and entire unit of mostly misfit, non-elite, rag-tag players, ready with the Eagles season on the line.
Schwartz is, and has been, a big reason for why the Eagles are on the verge of three consecutive playoff appearances. It's time to recognize that.
