BEREA — Jim Schwartz had a canned response throughout his first year as the Browns defensive coordinator when asked about how he thought the defense was playing. It wasn't just how the defense as a whole was playing, but as any individuals were playing.

"We're playing (insert the Browns' record at the time)," Schwartz would say.

The insinuation for Schwartz was that, ultimately, the only number that matters is what the team's record says. So, at the end of the regular season, as far as he was concerned, the Browns had an 11-6 defense, even if it was a defense that was ranked No. 1 in multiple key statistical categories.

"I don't talk a lot about our position or our defensive rankings or things like that because we sort of judge ourselves against ourselves, and just because we were No. 1 in an area or No. 5 in an area, it's all about us and our improvement as opposed to what the rest of the league is doing," Schwartz said after last Thursday's OTA session. "So, you know, coming off of a pretty good year of defense, when you look at the film there was a lot of room for improvement. … We can't get complacent, we can't think that last year is going to mean anything. Right now last year means nothing, everybody's right down to the bottom of the hill again, and you got to climb it again."

Then again, the Browns didn't need Schwartz to walk into the first meeting of the offseason program and make that point. They had it made to them in their last game of last season.

What happened to the Browns' No. 1-ranked defense in Houston that January day, when the Texans hung a 45-14 loss on them in an AFC wild card game, has stuck to them like glue. Despite defensive end Myles Garrett earning Defensive Player of the Year honors and Schwartz being named the Assistant Coach of the Year, the last on-field performance remains one that has resonated the loudest.

That's even to a forward-looking coach in Schwartz. However, he's also trying to spin that result into a teaching tool, even though his defense is loaded with players who are far from rookies.

"I think the message is, 'When you get in those games, it's who can be themselves the best?'" Schwartz said. "And I think that wasn't us when it came to just letting plays come to us. You know, you could see it. You could see it on film quite a bit. Guys were pressing, guys were trying to make the play of the game and, you know, we learned a very hard lesson and we paid a dear price for that. Hopefully we can use that to our advantage as we go forward."

The biggest lesson being imparted? Don't try to do someone else's job.

Schwartz pointed out that the Browns "chased plays in that game," trying too hard to do something out of structure. He mentioned breaking off coverages when Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud scrambled or players running under blocks trying to get a tackle for loss.

"We have an expression on defense, we call it 'don't farm land that's not yours,'" Schwartz said. "And, like I said, we made that mistake. We paid a very dear price for that and we can't do anything about it now, but hopefully we can learn from it and the next time we're in that situation we can play better as a result."

Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on X at @ceasterlingABJ

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Jim Schwartz doesn't want Browns defense to 'get complacent'