At the end of it you still need good talent accompanied with great coaching. Wade Philips ran a great defense because he had Washington and Williams to anchor his run defense. He had Bruce Smith, Bryce Paup to attack the QB. When Wade had similar talent in Denver, he won a Super Bowl as a Defensive coordinator.
Schwartz cajoled a reluctant Mario Williams and a young Dareus to play well and the play of Hughes was a big bonus. Club Rex could not do that with his talented men. He could not get this defensive front seven to stop the run and get off the field on 3rd down.