BEREA, Ohio — What's in a tackle? It seems like a basic concept, but for Browns linebacker Carson Schwesinger, there are some guidelines he follows to execute on the field.
Step one is finding the play.
"One of the things, you just got to want to make the tackle. You just want to get to the ball, and that's the mindset every time I'm going for a tackle is just get to the ball," Schwesinger said.
Step two is refusing to quit.
"And then the next part of it is, once you get there, just hold on," he said.
And step three, tackle everything.
"Not every tackle is going to hit, but get a hand on it, and then we have a saying, 'If it wiggles, tackle it.' So that's kind of my mindset," Schwesinger said.
The Browns' rookie linebacker, who led the FBS in tackles his senior year at UCLA, has 125 total tackles this season, leading the team and holding the record for the most tackles by a Browns rookie since 1999, surpassing linebacker Wali Rainer who set the record with 108 tackles in 1999, and safety T.J. Ward, who notched 105 tackles in 2010.
Schwesinger has also posted six straight games with double-digit tackles, which he's done eight times this season. Schwesinger has the most tackles and tackles for loss of any NFL rookie this season
It's the most basic fundamental in football, but Schwesinger is finding a way to make tackles at a different level. He's taken control of the game so quickly that his defensive coordinator, Jim Schwartz, could only draw one, very flattering, comparison.
"I was with Ray Lewis his first three years in the NFL. I don’t think — and Ray’s obviously a Hall of Famer, maybe the best ever to play in the linebacker position — but the command that Carson has now in a lot of respects took Ray’s third year in the league before," Schwartz said in November. "And middle linebacker is hard. Linebacker is a hard position to play for a young player. You have to have all of the run fits. You have to have the physicality to play there. You have to be a productive tackler. You have to know all the blitzes. You have to have all the coverage components.
"It’s a very difficult position, and he’s been right in the middle of it, and it’s been fun to watch because not only does he do all that stuff well, but he has great command. He’s a great leader for us. He’s our play caller — very rarely makes a mistake."
The Browns are appreciative of Schwesiunger's quick acclamation to the game at the NFL level and attribute his success within the defense to both the physical skillset he possesses and the way that he approaches the game mentally.
"At that age and his experience, it's pretty unique and very impressive. I think it's a great combination of a guy that has really, really impressive physical tools. His ability to run and tackle and drop in the pass game and then the cerebral nature and the way in which he plays, I wouldn’t say a lot of young players possess that type of ability," said head coach Kevin Stefanski.
It's hard to pinpoint what exactly sets Schwesinger apart in how he makes tackles, how he finds the play and makes it, but if you ask him, the answer is pretty simple.
"I think what goes unnoticed a lot of times when you have a lot of tackles is just running to the ball. People are going to miss tackles, and the play's never going to be over. So if you're always running the ball, good things happen. And sometimes it's going to be a tackle, and then sometimes it's going to be, 'Hey, ball pops out,' and you're the one waiting for it. And so really the mindset is as long as the whistle hasn't blown, full speed until that point, and you end up getting a lot of tackles," Schwesinger said.
Tackling is so much about technique. Staying low with shoulder-led contact, driving through with the feet, wrapping up and following through.
But for Schwesigner and the way he's been able to execute tackling at such a high volume, it's become a bit of an art form. He takes a blend of skill and adds his pure passion for the game, and the piece goes on full display on the field on any given Sunday.
"Obviously, you have techniques and stuff like that, but then a lot of it is just heart," Schwesinger said. "It's just, I want to make the tackle, I'm going to make it."
