BLOOMINGTON, Minn. — Jim Schwartz understands nothing the Cleveland Browns ran in 1993 will be of much importance in Super Bowl LII. But everything he learned there will.

The Eagles’ highly successful defensive coordinator will match wits Sunday with his first football mentor, Bill Belichick, trying to outthink the game’s greatest thinker. The man who first opened the door to the NFL for him is the one who gave him the foundation for all he has accomplished since, a fact Schwartz willingly acknowledges while pointing out that the X’s and O’s have changed since those days, but the approach to them has not for either of them.

“None of our players care that in 1993 he hired me as an unpaid intern in Cleveland,” Schwartz said this week. “Those were my formative years in the NFL and the lessons I learned certainly carried me forward as far as preparation and system go. But if you go back and look at the schemes teams used back then, including the Cleveland Browns, there’s not a whole lot of overlap with what the Philadelphia Eagles are doing now or even what the New England Patriots are doing now.

“I do think the ability to change, to stay up with the times, were certainly important lessons (from Belichick). That’s one of the hallmarks of Bill Belichick. He adapts to the times. He adapts to his players. That was a great lesson to learn.

“At the time you don’t really think about special people you’re around. You’re in the moment. You’re working. It’s one of those things you look back 20 years later and see the success everyone’s had (from a staff that included Nick Saban, Ozzie Newsome, Kirk Ferentz, Pat Hill, Eric Mangini, Thomas Dimitroff, Scott Pioli, Mike Sheppard and Mike Tannenbaum). It wasn’t by mistake. We all owe it to Bill Belichick. He shaped everyone’s career. We’re all better at our jobs because of the program Bill had in place.”

Belichick has gone on record long ago about his respect for Schwartz, but was effusive Monday night, saying, “I can’t say enough good things about Jim Schwartz. He’s one of the smartest people I know . . . A good, good football coach. I couldn’t say a bad thing about Jim Schwartz.”

The truth behind that is in the numbers, numbers that appear to make Super Bowl LII a dogfight between equals, both on the field and in the coaches’ booth. Of the 51 Super Bowl champions, 40 ranked in the top 10 in the league in defense. Forty-four ranked in the top 10 in scoring defense. The Eagles rank fourth in both with Schwartz as coordinator.

Since Carson Wentz went down with a knee injury in Week 14, his defense in the last four games has not allowed more than 10 points in a game. They have given up only 17 points in two playoff wins.

Belichick’s defense also ranks in the top five in scoring defense but is 29th in total defense, the second lowest ranking of any Super Bowl finalist. More ominously, the lowest was the one belonging to the 2011 Patriots. That unit was 31st in total defense but was powered by an offense that had scored 513 points. It was beaten by the New York Giants, 21-17. The Giants’ calling card was defense.

For the Eagles to do what the Giants did demands Schwartz prove the lessons he learned in Cleveland and beyond have not been forgotten. It is highly unlikely a backup quarterback, even one as proficient as Nick Foles, will beat Tom Brady if a shootout develops. That’s why he keeps reminding his players this game is not solely about the Patriots. It’s about them.

“They’re not going to start them with seven points because he’s got five Super Bowl rings,” Schwartz said of Brady. “We can’t make it all about our opponent. The team that’s able to play within their personality best is going to be the team that comes out victorious. Every game stands on its own. The team that plays best Sunday will win, not the team that’s built the best resume.”

The words were Schwartz’ but you could hear the echo of Belichick in them. It’s not about who you’re playing, it’s about how you play. Do your job. Stick to your beliefs in the face of adversity while at the same time being open to change.

No, success Sunday will not be just about the X’s and O’s. It will be about the rest of what he learned 25 years ago in Cleveland.

“We didn’t experience a whole lot of success but Bill was on the right track,” Schwartz said. “He’s proven that. The biggest thing was preparation. Bill taught us everything that touched the team was important. There’s no detail that’s unimportant. You need to plan for every possibility.”

Schwartz started in Cleveland as a gofer, as most of Belichick’s disciples have. He soon graduated to football tasks, beginning in personnel, then working for Saban after the latter realized he had some coaching experience. To work for free, Schwartz passed up several small college coaching opportunities. That was a choice that changed his life.

Now, 25 years since he first arrived in Cleveland and was handed the keys to a van and a list of smokes to go purchase, Jim Schwartz is preparing for the biggest game of his life. Scowling back at him will be his professor, a guy some call a genius. It’s a term Schwartz blanches at.

“One thing I don’t like about that label ‘genius’ is it makes it seem like it comes easy,” Schwartz said. “Bill’s a product of a lot of hard work. I saw it firsthand.”

What Schwartz also saw were sides of Belichick his mentor tries to hide. One is wide knowledge of things outside football.

There was the day one offseason when Belichick was leaving the office to go coach his young son’s soccer team.

“I asked him what he knew about soccer,” Schwartz said. “He said, ‘More than a 4-year-old.’ That’s one misperception about Bill. He has a lot of depth to him. He knows a lot about a lot of things.”

So does Belichick’s pupil, but what he knows best is how to coach defense. Sunday night we’ll find out how well the student absorbed the master’s lessons.