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Early Birds: Doug Pederson to "turn the keys" of defense over to Jim Schwartz

For the first time since he coached Calvary Baptist Academy from 2005-08, Doug Pederson will be responsible for more than just offensive players. But even though he’s the head coach, Pederson wanted to find a defensive coordinator who could serve as “head coach” of the defense. That’s why he considered Jim Schwartz such a critical hire.

“I wanted to find a defensive coordinator that I could trust; sort of that head coach on defense,” Pederson said. “He's been that head coach, obviously, but now he's a guy that you can turn the keys over to him and say, 'Hey, this is your deal, because my focus is going to be more on offense.