PHILADELPHIA -- The Eagles' defense had just had a historic performance, and for defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, it was time to strut.

The home locker room was buzzing following Sunday's 31-3 win over the Chicago Bears that lifted the Eagles to 10-1 and put the defense in the record books. It held a top-five rushing attack to just 6 yards on the day (the running backs actually rushed for minus-6), and it was Philly's fewest ground yards allowed in a single game since 1950 and the Bears' second-lowest rushing output of all time.

The Eagles, who yielded only one touchdown on defense in November, are ranked first in opponents rushing yards per game (65.1), second in yards per pass attempt (6.3) and third in both opponents points per game (17.4) and takeaways (22).

The Seattle Seahawks have the reputation, but when it comes to this season, Philadelphia is the one bringing the dominant defense to the party this Sunday night in Seattle.

The maestro behind it all, Schwartz, silently strolled through the locker room amid the post-victory chatter Sunday, shades on and sporting a pea coat, Chelsea boots, and a whole lot of swagger.

His reputation is that of a brash, stone-busting hot head. A lot of that has been well-earned, and can be seen in strands to this day. If there's any talking during his walk-throughs, "he flips," said defensive back Jaylen Watkins. "He doesn't know who it is, he just hears a section, he rips everybody in that section -- coaches, equipment managers, it doesn't matter."

Malcolm Jenkins and the Eagles rank third in the NFL with 22 takeaways. Matthew Emmons/USA TODAY Sports

In the meeting room, Watkins says, Schwartz has been known to take his red laser pointer and shine it on a player who committed a mistake on tape, dramatically singling one of the guys out in front of his brethren (though there hasn't been much of that this season given the circumstances). Other times, it's just a finger point.

"He'll be like, 'On third down and short, don't jump offsides,' " said safety Rodney McLeod, his smile widening. "And they'll be in the meeting and he'll [point and] be like, 'You!' Guys make fun on him about that, too. It's the finger point. If you ask anybody, it's the finger point."

Game days are a quest for perfection. Anything short of that, and Schwartz will let it rip.

"We could be having a great game, guys have negative-6 yards rushing, whatever the case is, but as soon as a play pops open, he's furious, his face turning red," defensive tackle Tim Jernigan said. "You're going to hear it from him."

Jernigan, new to the fold this year, was asked if he finds Schwartz an intimidating coach to play for.

"Nah, not at all. He only 5-foot-5!" joked Jernigan, who is 6-foot-2, 295 pounds. "Nah, he ain't intimidating. But he's like a little Tic-Tac, man -- little, but he pack a lot of power. That's Coach Schwartz. But we respect the hell out of him. I never heard a guy disrespect him or anything of that nature. We've got the utmost respect for him and we love playing for him."

The approach

The "love" part might seem like a stretch given Schwartz's demanding nature -- and, to be fair, affection for him is not universal on the team -- but he has found a way to connect with and get the most out of his group. Veteran defensive end Steven Means went so far as to say, "Coach Schwartz might be my favorite coach of all time."

"I like the way he is as a person. He's a real guy," Means said. "He loves the game. You can tell his passion. He knows when to have fun, he knows when to turn it on."

The softer side of Schwartz comes out in spots during the week. He weaves light-hearted moments and contests into his meetings to break the monotony. Big on fashion, he has what is called the "Superfly Award," given on Tuesdays to the defense's best-dressed player that Sunday. The winner gets put up on the projector screen for the room to admire. A player might also find himself on the screen as the star of Schwartz's new "Back in time" feature, where he finds some of the oldest and most hilarious throwback pictures from a player's college, high school or childhood days for the amusement of their teammates.

"Nobody thinks that he's going to find those pictures. He finds them, somehow," Watkins said. "It's like 20-minute laughter. Someone is going to get picked on the entire time."

Chris Long said he's appreciative of how Jim Schwartz uses input from players in designing his defensive schemes. That has helped the Eagles rank third in the NFL in points allowed per game. Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

Schwartz also has pop quizzes, where he'll single somebody out and, on the spot, have them come up to the blackboard to answer questions from his teachings that week. Ace it, and the room will respond with three claps -- tat-tat-tat. Anything less, and you'll get some mild scolding from Schwartz before being told to take a seat. He'll call on coaches, stars, and practice squad players alike, trying to emphasize that everyone needs to be locked in and up to speed because you never know what might happen during the twists and turns of a season. It's a mentality that has come in handy with key players like linebacker Jordan Hicks and corner Ronald Darby being lost to injury for long stretches.

He pulls on history and pop culture, and might offer a recommendation for a hip-hop documentary or speak at length about unsung heroes of the civil rights movement.

He will well up at times when speaking of his family and his experiences. Last year he got emotional when talking about his son and the pride he feels because his boy watches intently on Sundays, even though Schwartz is not on screen much, knowing his dad is orchestrating the action.

"He gets personal with his family. He gets personal with people that have been real close to him that he lost, and certain stuff that could have almost happened to him," Means said. "And you can tell it's coming from a genuine spot because he gets teary-eyed. He never cries or nothing, but he gets emotional about it and it's something that we all kind of marvel at."

The scheme

Schwartz's style has evolved over the years as he has worked for several teams. He moved from defensive coordinator of the Tennessee Titans (2001-08) to head coach of the Detroit Lions (2009-13) to defensive coordinator of the Buffalo Bills (2014) to his current position. He blitzes less compared to his Titans days, for example, largely relying on talented defensive fronts to generate pressure organically. He typically goes with a single-high safety on the back end, the unit playing mostly Cover 1 or Cover 3.

One of the keys, the players say, is Schwartz's willingness to apply player input and adapt his system to the personnel.

"It's not about him, it's about winning, and I think players appreciate that. He's got as good of schemes as anybody I've played for -- and I've played for some good D-coordinators -- but he also knows when to use the exotic stuff and when to stick to the nuts and bolts," defensive end Chris Long said.

Added safety Malcolm Jenkins: "Everyone contributes, and that's the fun part about it. It's not one of those things where he's just playing Madden with us as players and we have no say or control over the defense. He trusts us, which makes us prepare and take ownership and make sure that we hold ourselves accountable to him. It's a great relationship where he plays to our strength so we're able to go out there and have success. I've been around coordinators that don't like that -- it's more about their scheme and what they want to do, how they want to look."

Led by defensive tackles Fletcher Cox and Jernigan as well as defensive ends Brandon Graham, Long and Vinny Curry, the defensive line has been arguably the Eagles' biggest strength. The numbers back that up. Since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970, only three teams gave up fewer rushing yards per game than the pace of the current Eagles, according to ESPN Stats & Information. Two of those three teams went on to play in the Super Bowl that season -- the 2000 Ravens (won versus the Giants) and the 2010 Steelers (lost to the Packers). They've also wreaked havoc on opposing QBs with 163 pressures/hits and 31 sacks, which ranks seventh in the league.

NFL Films executive producer Greg Cosell points to a sack by Cox against the San Francisco 49ers as an example of how Schwartz's play designs are helping in those efforts.

Photo courtesy of NFL

Cox routinely draws double-teams. Schwartz is charged with trying to limit the amount of double-teams he sees. Here he uses linebacker Nigel Bradham as a threat over the left guard, who otherwise would help the center handle Cox.

"[Bradham] ended up taking two steps forward and dropping out, but he occupies the left guard so the left guard can't help on Cox," Cosell said. "He's doing things to try and create one-on-one matchups."

Cox beats his man cleanly for the takedown.

Photo courtesy of NFL

A staple of Schwartz defenses, the Eagles are a sound tackling team. That is a big reason why they are tied for first in fewest opponents pass plays of 20-plus yards (24) despite missing No. 1 corner Darby for most of the year.

"Normally they play with a physical toughness," Cosell said. "He has kind of got a little edge to him, and I think that comes across. He's edgy, he's arrogant, he's competitive, and he demands that of his players. So the defenses he's with usually play with a little bit of an edge, they're highly competitive. His defenses tend to be like that when he gets his grip on a particular defense."

The moment

It might be fair to say Schwartz has mellowed some since his Detroit days, leaving less of a wake behind him with the throttle down a touch or two. And he has modified his approach as a coach over time.

"I think everybody changes from year to year. It's a different set of circumstances. I mean, that's one of the reasons that you do this business is that every day is not the same. If you were just reliving the same experiences over and over, it would get really boring," Schwartz said. "There is growth professionally in schemes and experiences and facing offenses and things like that. I've been in the NFL a long time, 25 years. That's a lot to build on when it comes to how you're going to play someone, different situations that come up, things like that. But we're all still learning."

If the defense and the team continue to perform this well, he probably will be one of multiple Eagles assistants mentioned as possible head coaching candidates. Whether he actually gets serious consideration for one or more of the openings will depend on fit and preference and whether he can convince a team that the reputation that precedes him does not tell the whole, updated story.

The mantra for the entire Eagles team this season, though, has been about living in the moment. And one of the reasons Schwartz is resonating with the players, McLeod says, is because he's helping them appreciate the ride -- whether that's by reflection or storytelling or simply busting someone's chops.

"Because all you have when you're done is hopefully rings or a trophy and these memories with your brothers," McLeod said. "So, we're just trying to create those memories."