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Mitchell may anchor right side of Browns' line
By Steve Doerschuk
CantonRep.com staff writer
Posted Jul 24, 2012 @ 09:00 AM


Even the leader of an offensive line tends to be Captain Anonymous, but it’s time Browns fans got to know rookie tackle Mitchell Schwartz.

Certainly they can relate to the fact fourth-year Brown Alex Mack was a Cal senior on a Golden Bears line that was breaking in a freshman named Schwartz.

But consider this:

Schwartz earned Cal’s Brick Muller Award three times in each of the last three seasons while Mack was off making his NFL fortune. Mack won the award only once.

“The Muller” honors Cal’s best lineman on either side of the ball. Its namesake hit Ohio State like a truck in the Buckeyes’ first trip to the Rose Bowl.

Here’s what happened on Jan. 1, 1921, with Cal leading the Buckeyes 7-0.

Quarterback Charley Erb called “the dead man’s play,” an elaborate ruse on which the center faked an injury and limped toward the line, then quickly descended on the ball and whipped it to end Pesky Sprott.

Sprott ran around one end, screeched to a halt, then fired the ball backward and across the field to none other than Brick Muller. Brick passed it to a wide-open Brodie Stephens for a long touchdown.

The play broke the Buckeyes and led to a 28-0 Cal victory.

That was 90-plus years ago. It only seems that long since the Browns weren’t two bricks short of a load on the offensive line.

Enter the three-time winner of the Brick Muller Award. The Browns drafted Schwartz in a spot — No. 37 overall, just two picks later than the Bengals got quarterback Andy Dalton in 2011 — that pegs him as The Rock at right tackle.

Part 2 of the Mitchell Schwartz introduction: He comes to Lake Erie via the big ocean. He grew up in West Los Angeles.

He was a freshman at Palisades Charter High School when a movie named “Freaky Friday,” starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan, was filmed there. He was a junior when Hollywood again stopped by to make “Havoc,” starring Anne Hathaway and Bijou Phillips.

The list of male Pacific Palisades residents past and present is extremely glamorous: Ronald Reagan, Tom Hanks, Anthony Hopkins, Sugar Ray Leonard, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Ben Affleck, Kobe Bryant, Adam Sandler, etc.

Schwartz recalls a son of Hanks being at a camp he attended, but he says he lived a normal childhood encouraged by caring parents.

He was always one of the biggest kids in school, but he didn’t play football until he was a Palisades freshman. His first love in sports was baseball. He was a pitcher and first baseman.

Football grew on him, and the Browns love the way he applied a cerebral, blue-collar approach at Cal.

Pro Football Weekly analyst Nolan Nawrocki called him the “kind of dumpy looking guy.” Somebody has to do the dirty work.

In a sense, Mitchell is the glamour guy in his family. His brother, Geoff, was a mere seventh-round pick by the Carolina Panthers in 2008. As a high second-round choice, Mitchell is an instant millionaire, in line for a contract in the four-year, $5 million range.

The Browns aren’t worried about money and fame going to Schwartz’s head.

He was a straight-A kid at Palisades Charter who entered Cal with an ACT score of 32 and hits the NFL with a Wonderlic mark of 35. Those items are to cognition what a 4.3 40 is to the Combine.

He has brought a pragmatic approach to Berea.

“The draft pick is great and all,” he says, “but you’ve got to be able to go in there and prove you can do it on the field. I’m ready to get out there and see if I can win the spot.”

On Cal’s website, he spoke of a possible career in sports psychology, revealing some of what makes him tick:

“It’s always been interesting to me how people develop. When people are born, it’s kind of a blank slate. But how do people come out so different? That’s obviously one of the mysteries of life.

“You see twins, and they’re very different, but also very similar. That kind of stuff has always interested me.”

The grand plan calls for Joe Thomas, signed to a huge contract extension last year, and Schwartz to be Cleveland’s twin tackles for years.

Thomas has taken Schwartz under his wing and is clearly fired up about having him on the line.

Coincidentally, Thomas and Schwartz both have had Steve Marshall as a position coach. Marshall tutored Thomas in 2007 and 2008 with the Browns. Marshall washed out with the Romeo Crennel regime and found work as a line coach at Cal.

“When Coach Marshall came,” Schwartz said, “he brought a lot of Cleveland tape with him.”

Schwartz studied Thomas on the big screen.

“Joe makes it look so effortless out there at times,” Schwartz said. “It looks like he’s not even trying.

“It was impressive how he did it so quickly in the NFL. Obviously, you want to try to copy that success.”

Schwartz hasn’t been a right tackle since Cal’s 2009 season. He was a second-team, All-Pac 12 left tackle in 2010 and made first team on the left side in 2011. The Browns need him to be the answer on the right side.

“Honestly, I think it’s pretty much the same,” Schwartz said. “The skill set is very similar. The mentality is very similar. You’ve got to be able to run block well, pass block well and have a balanced offense.”

There is no Brick Muller Award in the NFL.

“The guys you’re facing in the NFL,” he said, “are going to be the best guys you faced in college. But you’ll be facing them every week.”

The Browns bet a few gold bricks that Schwartz is up to the task.
___________________________________________
Summer break take

Early on in spring drills, fourth-year pro Oniel Cousins got some work at right tackle with the No. 1 offensive line.

Mitchell Schwartz joined the “ones” early on and quickly impressed teammates and coaches as the obvious starter in waiting at the position.

Schwartz will have to prove he can walk the walk when the hitting starts, but he seems well grounded and unfazed by the challenge of NFL trench warfare.

He projects as a clear upgrade over what the team has received from the right tackle position since Ryan Tucker’s career wound down about five years ago.

— Steve Doerschuk
Mitchell Schwartz file

Size 6-foot-51⁄4, 320 pounds.

Born June 8, 1989

College Started all 51 games in which he was eligible to play at California, one short of Syd’Quan Thompson’s school record. ... Helped Cal to a 7-6 season in 2011, capped by a 21-10 bowl loss to Texas. ... Started as a freshman on a line that included Alex Mack for a 9-4 team in 2008.

High school Played for Palisades Charter in Pacific Palisades, Calif. ... Named Los Angeles City Offensive Lineman of the Year, playing guard, in 2006.

Personal Graduated in December with a degree in American studies. ... Brother, Geoff, was a Round 7 pick by Carolina in 2008 who started 16 games in 2010 before spending 2011 on injured reserve and recently signed with the Vikings.
Drafting a line

How the Browns’ projected 2012 starting offensive line arrived in Cleveland:

Left tackle Joe Thomas, No. 3 overall pick, 2007

Left guard Jason Pinkston, Round 5 pick, 2011

Center Alex Mack, No. 21 overall, 2009

Right guard Shawn Lauvao, Round 3 pick, 2010

Right tackle Mitchell Schwartz, No. 37 overall, 2012

I love when names that are in the article are misspelled in the subject. The Smelley thread also fits this description.

Thanks lol I fixed it. It just comes from knowing people with same pronunciation but different spelling.

I really really really hope that Schwartz is the answer for us at RT.

An offensive line is only as strong as its weakest link. Since Joe Thomas was draft the weakest link has been the RT almost every year. I have been pounding the table to draft a RT early and shore that position up.

Now we have. And if it works out I'll be giddy.

I can't overemphasize how important this could be and how much it would help every skill position player on this team.

crossing fingers.

I am excited about the upside. If he can hold his own and stay healthy, as a line gels, it should improve as a unit (or most of it). Want to see how he does when the banging starts; make sure he draws up that flea flicker too!). Here's looking for greatness. Good luck!

I am pretty pumped over this offensive line. I think this could be the best offensive line in the league in the very near future especially with a QB that does like to get the ball out in a hurry along with the big time threat at RB. I see 5 guys that compliment each other very well and when they come together they will be a very special group.

we have to wait-n-see on Schwartz, but I like "how" this OL has been developed.

high picks at OT and OC. mid-round picks at OG. that is the smart way to build the OL. I have more faith in Pinkston than Lauvao, but if we have to have a weak link, then I'll be happy it's RG instead of another spot (and Ryan Miller may have something to say about it before all is said and done)

And just because:

A mog named Barf.

Hemingway couldn't pen a better mascot for the Browns.

Beer drinking Mog as a logo would be very fitting.

I'm not worried about Mitchell Schwartz. If Shawn Lauvao is an average guard this year then the Browns will have a top 5 line. If he isn't, the line will struggle.

I think Lauvao is going to have a good year. He progressed as the season went on, and he has a nasty streak that I like.

Everything I read about Schwartz, I like. A four year starter, I think he'll adapt quickly with his experience and be durable in the long run.

However, the first year for linemen always worries me in the strength department. First year linemen, without a full year under a professional strength training program, may be underpowered against seasoned vets. Studs like JT can overcome that regardless, but I definitely saw that impact Mack his first year, and I expect it will affect Schwartz as well.

Still, very optimistic about him over the long haul. Just think he'll look a little underpowered at times this year.

Browns rookie Mitchell Schwartz ahead of learning curve as he adjusts to NFL

By Nate Ulrich
Beacon Journal sports writer

Not long after the Browns drafted Mitchell Schwartz in April, he caught the attention of his new teammates on the offensive line.

But it wasn’t his massive build — 6-foot-5 and 320 pounds with size 18 shoes — or his resemblance to the WWE wrestler “Big Show” that made the greatest impression. It was his intellect, which allowed him to score 34 on the ACT.

“He’s in the meeting room already making calls and answering questions that, frankly, as a rookie, I’m kind of surprised he knows the answers to,” Browns Pro Bowl left tackle Joe Thomas said last month.

The Browns are counting on Schwartz to immediately become their starting right tackle, a position they have had trouble solidifying in recent years. They signed Tony Pashos in 2010 and hoped he could become the solution, but he battled injuries for the past two seasons and was cut in March. General Manager Tom Heckert then picked Schwartz in the second round (37th overall), expecting him to give the offensive line a reliable force opposite Thomas for the foreseeable future.

Schwartz’s ability to master concepts with ease should only continue to help him adjust to the NFL as the Browns’ rookies participate in their first practice of training camp today. He’s confident it will give him an edge.

“It’s being able to pick up the playbook quick,” Schwartz said. “It’s being able to go out there and know the plays. You don’t have to get up there and think, ‘Oh, who do I [block] on this play?’ What you should be saying is, ‘What is the defense doing? Why is the defensive end tighter? Maybe he’s going inside.’

“It’s getting past the first layer of what you should be thinking about, what you should know, and it’s getting to the second layer where you already know what you’re supposed to do. ‘Now let’s go ahead and see if we can pick up any cues from the defense.’ That’s kind of where [intelligence] comes in. If a guy has trouble learning the playbook, you hear the guy plays slower till the playbook gets picked up. I think it’s just ‘cause you’re thinking about all the other stuff that should be kind of innate.”

Making the transition

After redshirting as a freshman at the University of California, Schwartz started all 51 games — 35 at left tackle and 16 at right tackle — of his collegiate career. But Schwartz played left tackle for his final two seasons, meaning he’ll need to grow accustomed to the right side again.

“The hard part is when you get into the team situation, everything’s live and you’re going fast, you’re not thinking about the technique, whether it’s gonna stick,” Schwartz said. “It’s all muscle memory, and that’s why you practice so much, just getting that stuff down, continuing to work at it every single day until it becomes so engrained in you that you don’t have to think about it. That’s, I think, where the transition comes in. I was fortunate to have some pretty good offensive line coaches in college who had NFL experience, so I learned a lot of different techniques.”

Jim Michalczik coached Schwartz as a freshman at Cal, left for a job with the Oakland Raiders and then returned as Cal’s offensive coordinator and offensive line coach last season when Schwartz was a senior. Steve Marshall, the Browns’ offensive line coach from 2007-08, coached Schwartz at Cal during his sophomore and junior seasons, then took a job at the University of Colorado.

Neither of Schwartz’s mentors believes he’ll have trouble switching back to right tackle.

“I really don’t think it’ll be a big problem,” Marshall said. “I think one of Mitch’s strengths is his versatility. Obviously his body type and speed and things like that will lend him to play more right tackle in that league. He was one of the better left tackles in the Pac-12. But at the end of the day, he’s really suited for right tackle in the NFL.”

And both of them think Schwartz, 23, will prove himself as a starter right off the bat. Having older brother Geoff, 26, an offensive lineman for the Minnesota Vikings, as a resource certainly won’t hurt Schwartz as he adapts to the next level.

“He’s a guy that can step right in and is gonna pick things up,” Michalczik said. “He’s a rookie that’s got a mind a little bit closer to a veteran. I think it’s a combination of his intellect and having Geoff as his older brother, someone he trusts to really learn from. And I also think it’s part of his preparation and work ethic. He’s prepared for this. He knows what he’s getting into. He knows what he has to do.”

Support system

Before reporting to the Browns’ headquarters on Tuesday, Schwartz spent a couple of weeks at his brother’s home in Charlotte, N.C., so they could work out together. The Schwartz family is based in Los Angeles, where parents Lee Schwartz and Olivia Goodkin live, though Geoff moved to the East Coast after the Carolina Panthers drafted him in the seventh round (241st overall) in 2008.

So far, Geoff’s advice about life in the NFL proved to be invaluable in the spring during minicamps and organized team activities.

“I didn’t have as many surprises just because I kind of knew the general outline of stuff, how things go, what to expect,” said Schwartz, who graduated from Cal last year with a bachelor’s degree in American Studies. “So it wasn’t like it was a completely terrible new situation because I’ve had someone to talk to who has been through similar things.”

How often do the two brothers communicate when they’re apart?

“We text pretty much at all hours of the day, unless we’re sleeping,” Schwartz said. “But even then, usually one of us wakes up to a text from another. It’s just a never-ending dialogue of random things.”

Lee and Olivia’s tight-knit sons are two of only a handful of Jewish players in the NFL. They’re also the first pair of Jewish brothers to play in the league since Ralph and Arnold Horween in 1923, according to Tablet Magazine.

“It’s cool to be part of a smaller group of people that have been successful and have those things in common,” Schwartz said. “It’s hard to put a direct, quantitative stamp on that, but it’s definitely cool to be a representative of that. There are a lot of kids that don’t have too many role models in the NFL or in baseball or basketball to look up to. The fact that we can do that for them is great.”

Not only is Lee proud to have two sons who are living their NFL dreams, but he’s also thankful they share such a strong bond.

“My wife and I think we’re the luckiest parents in the world to have two sons love each other, care for each other,” Lee said. “It’s been that way forever.”

Those who know Schwartz have no doubt his support system will increase his chances of succeeding with the Browns.

“The physical tools, he’s got,” Marshall said. “But it’s the work ethic, it’s studying film, being consistent every day, and that’s what you’re gonna get out of this guy. That’s what you want from an offensive lineman. I think Mitch, no question, will be that kind of guy in the NFL. He was brought up right. He’s got great parents. He’s got an older brother who knows how it’s done.”

The younger Schwartz will know soon enough, too. After all, he’s a quick study. web page

considering his brother plays for a team that uses the same OL schemes that we run that is an extremely useful resource.

I really like this pick. This was another guy that I really didn;t know a whole lot about, but when I read up on him, I liked everything I read.

He's smart, learns schemes and adjustments very quickly, has great ability, if not the greatest athletic build, understands his craft, and can play either side of the line, and do it well. When I read that he was the most impressive lineman at the Senior Bowl, and handled the premiere pass rushers like it was nothing, I got even more excited.

I said it before, and I'll say it again .. this draft has the opportunity to be our "turn-around draft". We could get our QB. RB, RT, WR, and OLB out of this one draft. If we get really lucky, we'll have a WR, LG, and TE from last year's draft. When you add that to the RG from the 2010 draft, along with Pro Bowlers at LT and C ...... this could be quite a nice offense. (and mostly very young) I know that anything and everything can go wrong(and often has for us) but I just have this feeling that we're finally on the right track, and that we're going to hit on most of these guys.

Schwartz will be tested right away in the 1st 3 weeks.
week 1 vs Jason Babin. probally one of the most underated DE's in the NFC.
Talk about a career resurgance with the Eagles.
18 sacks last year. 30 in the last 2 years. I bet the Titans are kicking themselves in the hiney for letting him go. His motor is the best in the NFL.
he's thriving in that wide 9 technique. But the wide 9 isn't new..just the term is.
Sheard should watch this guys film.

week 2 he's going up against Carlos Dunlap. This guy is seriously good.
when he's healthy,he a force. He could put Jevon Kearse numbers if he stayed healthy. 1st RD talent who dropped to the 2nd RD. 6'8 with a huge wingspan.

week 3 vs Chris Kelsay/Mark Anderson. Anderson had a huge year in 2011 and the Bills made him a priority in FA. He's been a feast or famine kind of producer.
Kelsay is a blue collar guy lunch pail guy. both guys combined for 15 sacks in 2011

If Schwartz can bring a good punch and is able to withstand your typical bull rush.. I'll be happy..

I think he will be a solid fit over at the RT spot.

I'm hoping Sheard schools him in camp, and then he learns from his mistakes QUICK!! similar to how Wimbley did Joe Thomas initially !!!

Just clicking

Generally, for the first time in a long time, I'm actually excited about the Oline. I mean, Mack and Thomas were solid from day one, Stieny did his job pretty well, but we seemed always to be in need on the right side.

Now we have a 2nd year man at LG and a 2nd or 3rd year man (not sure how to count his first year in the league) at RG and a promising rook at RT.

Put that with what's supposed to be the best RB to come out and a strong armed but inexperienced QB... an improved Little, maybe a dash of Gordon and Full off season to prepare with a strong OC, damn this could get interesting in a hurry.

but I do expect some bumps in the road along the way... Buckle up folks,,, its almost time for Football..

It's called "SYNERGY" baby... lol.. and the guys we put on the field will "battle!"

Nice angle, Kendall. Actually, Mario Williams is playing LDE for Buffalo, so it's even worse.

Great article. Thank you.

He gets it.

Can't wait to see what he's got.