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Eagles' Doug Pederson will give Jim Schwartz free rein on defense

BOCA RATON, Fla. - It was clear from Doug Pederson's 69-minute session with reporters at the NFL meetings that Pederson will leave his defense in the hands of coordinator Jim Schwartz, won't try to get involved with how, say, Schwartz deploys his safeties.

"I wanted to find that guy I could trust, that head coach of defense," said Pederson, who has gotten high marks around the league for hiring Schwartz, the former Lions head coach. "He's a guy that you can kind of turn the keys over to and say, 'This is your deal.' "

But it was also clear that Pederson chose Schwartz for a specific reason, and it wasn't just because he has produced highly ranked defenses in previous NFL stops.