Spotlight shines on Schwartz

Jim Schwartz was the third person Nigel Bradham said he called after he was arrested for carrying a loaded gun in his backpack at Miami International Airport last Sunday. Eagles executive Howie Roseman and head of security Dom DiSandro were the first two, but after the linebacker spoke to both he called his defensive coordinator.

It was Bradham's second arrest in about as many months and he was prepared for Schwartz - whom he called "a father figure," and who he said was primarily responsible for his being an Eagle - to deliver a scolding.

"He was obviously disappointed," said Bradham, who said he had forgot to remove his Glock 40 before packing for his return trip to Philadelphia. "I'm one of his guys. But it happened and now I have to deal with the consequences."

Bradham said that Schwartz's message was essentially the same as the one the coach publicly gave when asked if he felt some responsibility since he vouched for the player before the Eagles signed him to a two-year contract in March.

"You do dumbass things," Schwartz said Thursday, "pretty soon you're going to be labeled a dumbass."

Schwartz, Bradham said, then told him to call coach Doug Pederson.

"He was upset," Bradham said of Pederson, "but obviously he understood it was a mental mistake."

Pederson's public response was similar in meaning to that of Schwartz, but he was more diplomatic, and the difference in tone was reflective of their disparate coaching styles and personalities.

"Guys have got to make better decisions when they are away from the building," Pederson said. "It's unfortunate. It's outside of my hands now. It's still a legal matter. But you just got to use your head and be smart in those situations."

In coaching, there are many ways to skin a cat, as Schwartz is often fond of saying. When he was the head man with the Lions, he was a "small-stuff- sweating guy." Schwartz was a grinder, but he could also grind on players and after five years of .363 football he was out.

His return to Detroit for Sunday's game is not his first trip back as a coordinator, but the event does come at a time when Schwartz may be at the apex of his post-Lions career. The Eagles are 3-0 and his top-ranked defense has played a significant role.

If this were the offseason, Schwartz would likely be among the candidates for head coaching vacancies. Premature or not, and there is still a question as to whether a team would be willing, Schwartz would likely accept if tendered an offer.

He danced around the question Thursday, understandably so, but almost everything else he had to say during an introspective news conference suggested that Schwartz hopes to get another opportunity.

"I think I probably enjoy myself in the moment a little bit more now after that experience," he said of his first head coaching stint. "I think it's a lesson you can only learn if you're in it."

Schwartz mentioned the difficulties of sustaining success in the NFL and he named four head coaches-Andy Reid, Tony Dungy, Bill Belichick, and Pete Carroll - who were fired at their first or second stops only to have later success. The latter three eventually won Super Bowls. It was likely not a coincidence that he named those four.

The 50-year-old Schwartz has mostly avoided the microphone since the Eagles hired him in January. He has talked during his league-mandated weekly new conference but has declined to answer questions after games.

If the plan was to be deferential and to keep from overshadowing Pederson, it has worked, although last week's news conferences gave a glimpse of how Schwartz's alpha dog personality could eclipse that of the more restrained head coach.

The spotlight was on the coordinator this past week and it didn't take much for Schwartz to jump back into the limelight. He has a natural ease with taking the lead. Cornerback Ron Brooks said that the coordinator approaches his job "as if he was the head coach."

"He takes care of his defense and he makes sure that what we're doing is right, but he also goes over to the offensive side and asks guys questions," Brooks said, "just to see how our offense is functioning, how things work, just to make himself better, help players out, and make us better as a team."

The Pederson-Schwartz dynamic has seemingly worked because the former is willing to cede responsibility in areas outside his expertise, but also probably because he isn't territorial when others sticks their beaks into his business.

But there are also similarities. Both brought with them players from past teams. Pederson had quarterback Chase Daniel and eventually practice squad quarterback Aaron Murray follow him from Kansas City. Schwartz led cornerbacks Leodis McKelvin and Brooks and linebackers Stephen Tulloch and Bradham to Philly.

"Those guys have track records of being able to execute and being able to make plays, and I think that's the important part of it," Schwartz said. "You know, and I think attitude probably means a little bit, also."

They play with swagger and are a reflection of Schwartz. The best defenses seem to always take on the character of their coordinator. Bradham, who is also being charged with felony assault after allegedly assaulting a Miami hotel employee, was in Detroit two years ago when Schwartz was carried off the field after the Bills beat the Lions.

"I owe a lot to him. Even just him bringing me here I already owed him a lot," Bradham said. "And I let him down."

He can start by paying him back on Sunday.

"He probably wouldn't tell anybody how much it means to him or stress that importance because it's a personal deal," Brooks said of Schwartz. "But you can just tell."

jmclane@phillynews.com

@Jeff_McLane