Jim Schwartz agreed with a questioner Tuesday who referenced the Eagles’ expected defensive improvement, but Schwartz also emphasized that now the players and coaches have to go out and make good on those expectations, for them to mean anything. The Eagles open their season with a visit to NFC East rival Washington on Sunday.
Asked if he feels pressure after a first season in which he moved the Eagles’ moribund defense into the NFL’s top 15, Schwartz said: “There’s always pressure … Please don’t put on my resume that I elevated this defense to a top 15. That’s a participation trophy, in my mind … The stat that we care about the most is points allowed.