Jim Schwartz's time with the Detroit Lions did not exactly end on a high note. The head coach was fired after the Lions failed to make the playoffs yet again despite their impressive roster. While many are also placing blame on discipline issues and Matthew Stafford's poor mechanics, Schwartz is defending his former players as the best options for the Lions moving forward.
Now with the Buffalo Bills, Schwartz is speaking out on his past issues in Detroit and making note that the players did not contribute to the late-season collapse that kept the Lions from making the postseason. Many pointed fingers at Stafford, but Schwartz believes the quarterback remains the best future for Detroit.
"Yeah, you know, we were 2-6 over the last half of last season, and when you're 2-6 nobody is feeling good about their performance, whether you're the head coach, the quarterback or a defensive lineman," Schwartz said, via ESPN.com. "But it's a team game and I wouldn't pin it on Matt Stafford. Matt's an outstanding quarterback. He led us to the playoffs. Just about every record in the Lions offense, total offense and passing offense was set by Matt Stafford in the last three years. He's going to lead that team to many great things in the future. Everybody has some rough spots here and there, and it's up to the rest of the team to pick you up."
Stafford's stats do not really back Schwartz's claims. He tossed 11 interceptions and caused six fumbles in the final six games. Detroit went 1-5 in that stretch. New head coach Jim Caldwell has already stated that Stafford's development will be a priority moving forward.
Another person finding Schwartz in his corner is defensive end Ndamukong Suh. The defensive end has found his character under question over the recent years as many claim he cannot be tamed by any coach. Schwartz disagrees that Suh has any issues that overshadow his talents on the field.
"There were a lot of things that were completely untrue that were said. Somebody said that Ndamukong was constantly late and was doing it to show up the coaching staff and all these different things," Schwartz said. "And I can say categorically, in four years as a player there, he was late zero times in four years, and I know that for a fact. I was there every single day. Ndamukong was one of our first guys in the building every single day, and he matured as a player also."
Schwartz defended Suh's maturity noting the defensive end was voted captain of the team because he was a leader on and off the field. While his NFL fines say otherwise, it is nice to see an NFL coach not throwing former players under the bus.
