Not because he's protecting some formula or wanting to keep what happens in football's inner sanctum private, he just isn't the type to bang on about himself nor does he over-analyse his game.
"It's not something I think about or particularly dwell upon, how good or bad I have gone," Swan said. "I don't particularly like talking about my achievements. It doesn't sit real well with me."
On the eve of his 200th game, those achievements are pretty obvious; a premiership, a Brownlow Medal, three Copeland Trophies and four times All-Australian.
It is an honour roll to put him among the greats.
It would be wrong to say Swan doesn't care. He can understand better than most how relaxing watching sport can be, but he will never turn up the hype-meter.
What is less obvious is why he has been so good for so long.
Perhaps his laconic approach works.
While madness swirls around him on the field – as it is likely to have done in his presence once or twice off it – he is impervious to the chaos.
Before the game he is relaxed enough to quip to teammates about what he's seen on the scoreboard and a cheeky smile rarely leaves his face during the warm-up.
Often he is sharing a joke with long time friend Ben Johnson – who unfortunately for Swan will miss Saturday's game with a calf injury.
Although quick off the mark, he runs with the grace of a bloke rushing to catch the last train six hours after he left work for 'just two quick beers' before heading home.
But he keeps getting the ball, averaging 34 possessions in his past four games against Saturday's opponent Richmond.
Not that he'd know the stats - the only reason he realised he was getting close to 50 possessions one day in 2009 against Port Adelaide was when his teammate Shane O'Bree asked him if he was going to raise his bat when he reached 50.
The truth is Swan was one of the first to flourish in the age of increased rotations. He saw the logic in going hard then having a breather, then going hard again.
In 2006 he averaged three interchanges a game. By 2009 it was up to 7.7 per game, the next year 8.4 per game and from then on he has been above 8.5 rotations on average per game.
He has not been below the top 10 in the competition for rotations since 2008 and finished no lower than third in the club best and fairest award in that time.
It's why you can't be too sure whether he is joking or not when he says the proposed introduction of a cap on interchange rotations means he probably won't be around too much longer.
Well, you can be sure he's joking, because self-deprecation is one of his other skills. He actually hopes to play for a few more years yet, even though he knows he will need to adapt.
"Clearly the interchange and the way the rotations started to really speed up six or seven years ago helped my style of game," Swan said.
"It really enhanced the style of game I'm best suited to, so if that gets taken away from me the next couple of years it probably will have a detrimental [effect on] my game. That just means I might have to spend more time forward or look for different avenues to have an impact on the game."
That's another thing about Swan - for all his apparent lack of interest in the endless discussion about the game, he knows how to set a trend and then evolve as style changes appear in the game.
In the past three seasons he has averaged more than a goal a match, showing he has a future as a forward, although given he began as a running defender he has that up his sleeve too – so to speak – when the energy flags.
His instinctive evolution means he is no daft punk despite some attempts to paint him as one.
Being on-off-on-off-on is just as much Swan's habit behind the scenes as when he's playing the game. His approach to meetings is from the textbook of gifted but laconic sportspeople.
"We do have to listen and pay attention because the structures and technical aspects of footy are so important these days," Swan said.
"You do have to pay attention because my attention span is not great. I have to concentrate as long as possible, then have a little bit of a daydream and then try to refocus pretty quickly again."
Typical Swan. Do what you have to do and throw a bit of humour in to grease the wheels.
It makes him good to be around and an influential figure at the club - someone who understands better than most that teams win football games, not individuals.
Only those close to him know whether the scrutiny and rumours affect him. He says it doesn't until it starts to affect those close to him, but even then he has no intention of bowing to others and stopping doing what he loves.
For him, the joy of the game has always come with being around his mates.
"All things being equal I'd like to play on for a couple more years. Once I get to that stage it will probably be one year deals.
"I won't be silly enough to be like Trav ([Travis Cloke] and ask for five year deals – it would be nice if they give me one [but I] certainly don't think that is going to happen," Swan said.
"I'll take it year by year mate and what happens happens - I'm not too stressed about it."
