MOBILE, Ala. -- At the end of the season, when coach Jim Schwartz said the Detroit Lions could make adjustments to its defensive scheme based on personnel changes, the quote was taken by some in the local and national media as an indication Schwartz could make drastic alterations, potentially scrapping the Wide 9 and installing a 3-4 defense.

Asked if he would seriously consider altering his base defense for the 2013 season, Schwartz definitively shot down the idea.

"We're not going to a 3-4."

As for the Wide-9, the extra wide, angled defensive end alignment the Lions use on most downs, Schwartz didn't see it as the problem last year.

"We didn't have enough sacks this year," he said. "To be able to blame that on the Wide 9, the people that say that really don't know what they're talking about. Every team in league, when it's third down, lines up exactly the way we do it. It puts guys in the best position to rush the passer."

Schwartz will tell you the decision to run the Wide-9 is based on the team's personnel. He feels it best suited the strengths of the defensive ends Cliff Avril, Kyle Vanden Bosch, Lawrence Jackson and Willie Young.

It's also part of his coaching philosophy, something he's not planning to overhaul.

"You always have a philosophy and the philosophy is behind your player acquisitions," Schwartz said. "You always have a plan for every player. You don't just pull names out of a hat and say, 'Hey, this is where you're going to fit him.'"

What you could reasonably expect to see is a reduction in the usage of the wide pass rush, but that will be determined by the skills the 2013 roster exhibits throughout the offseason.

"We predominately play a Wide 9, but we play other fronts," Schwartz said. "I think it depends on the personnel, how we go through our OTAs, everything. We're always working to look at and tweak. You never say never, but that's our base front."

Sticking with the defensive philosophy allows the Lions to keep an open mind with their draft board, looking at both 4-3 defensive ends and 3-4 rush linebackers --players like Georgia's Jarvis Jones -- to play on the edge in Detroit.

"What probably doesn't fit into our scheme is the 300-pound defensive end," Schwartz said. "But the guys that are hybrid outside linebacker types, guys that are 255, 265 pounds, traditionally guys that can run, guys that have good athletic ability, those guys generally fit into a wider-technique scheme."