The Panthers signed Dom Capers, previously the defensive coordinator for the Pittsburgh Steelers, as their inaugural head coach.

After Seifert was fired following the disastrous 2001 season, the Panthers hired New York Giants defensive coordinator John Fox as the team's third head coach.

Rivera was previously the defensive coordinator for the Chicago Bears and the San Diego Chargers and was a linebacker on the 1985 Bears team that won Super Bowl XX.

Though the Bengals ran it with some success, like the West Coast Offense the scheme became more successful elsewhere, in this case with the rival Pittsburgh Steelers, where LeBeau has served two stints as defensive coordinator.

Weaver ultimately narrowed his choices down to three: Mike Shanahan, an assistant coach for the San Francisco 49ers, Tony Dungy, defensive coordinator for the Minnesota Vikings, and Tom Coughlin, head coach for Boston College.

He was formerly the Carolina Panthers ' defensive coordinator, bringing the team's defensive ranking from 30th to second.

Del Rio was succeeded by defensive coordinator Mel Tucker on an interim basis.

On January 13, it was announced that interim head coach Mel Tucker would remain on the staff as defensive coordinator / assistant head coach and that former Falcons quarterbacks coach Bob Bratkowski would become offensive coordinator.

Interestingly, Shula got his first NFL coaching job from then-Detroit Head Coach George Wilson, who hired him as the defensive coordinator.

After serving as the interim head coach for the final six games of the season ( finishing with a 3 – 3 record ), defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier was officially named the head coach on January 3, 2011, after signing a three-year contract.

After a lengthy investigation conducted by the National Football League's security department, the league alleged on March 2, 2012 that 22 to 27 defensive players on the New Orleans Saints maintained a " pay for performance " program that included " bounty " payments administered by then-defensive coordinator Gregg Williams during the 2009, 2010 and 2011 seasons.

In a change that would prove crucial in the coming years, he was replaced by the team's defensive coordinator, Bill Parcells.

Following the season, the Giants fired first-year defensive coordinator Bill Sheridan, and replaced him with the former Buffalo Bills interim head coach, Perry Fewell.

* Jim Johnson, defensive coordinator, 1999 – 2008

In the ensuing offseason, massive changes occurred to the coaching staff, as offensive coordinator Cam Cameron left to become the head coach of the Miami Dolphins, while defensive coordinator Wade Phillips would fill the head coaching vacancy with the Dallas Cowboys.

Because of injuries to defensive linemen ( at the beginning of the season the Dolphins were down to four healthy defensive linemen ) defensive coordinator Bill Arnsparger created what he called the " 53 " defense, in which versatile Bob Matheson ( number 53 ) would be used as either a defensive end in the standard 4-3 defense or as a fourth linebacker in a 3-4 defense, with Manny Fernandez at nose tackle.

In 1974, however, their offense was hurt by injuries to Csonka and the offensive line, and the defense was hurt by the departure of defensive coordinator Bill Arnsparger who became the New York Giants head coach.

Other Hall of Famers who participated in the game were from Dallas: GM / President Tex Schramm, and defensive coordinator Ernie Stautner, who actually was a HOF defensive tackle for the Steelers.

The only defensive players ranked ahead of Lilly were Dick Butkus and Lawrence Taylor.

Originally, rumors swirled that former Chicago Bears defensive coordinator and Philadelphia Eagles head coach Buddy Ryan would be hired as the team's coach ; ultimately, Hall of Fame linebacker Dick Butkus was hired for the position.

It was decided by the founders of IDPA ( Bill Wilson, John Sayle, Ken Hackathorn, Dick Thomas, Walt Rauch and Larry Vickers ), which included some of the founders of IPSC, that IPSC competitions had become too far removed from the reality of defensive shooting situations, using extensively modified guns, handmade ammunition, and speed-draw holsters that were impractical for self-defense.

Among the players chosen over him, defensive forward Dick Duff ( inducted in 2006 ) was singled out by Vancouver sports journalist Tony Gallagher in The Province as one Bure deserved recognition over.

Shula's first coaching position was as a defensive backs coach at the University of Virginia in 1958 where he coached under head coach Dick Voris.

While his teams occasionally featured power hitters such as Dick Allen, Rusty Staub and Reggie Jackson, they depended just as heavily on hitters adept at getting on base through contact hitting and patience at the plate, such as Rod Carew, and on strong defensive play by such stars as Bobby Grich and Bob Boone.

Pittsburgh Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau is widely regarded as the inventor of the zone blitz.

Figuring prominently in the book are linebacker Wayne Walker, quarterback Milt Plum, defensive tackle Alex Karras, cornerback Dick " Night Train " Lane, and star player ( head coach in the movie ) Joe Schmidt, among others.

Smith starred in the short-lived television series Blue Thunder, partnering with Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive star Dick Butkus, with whom he frequently costarred in advertisements for Miller Lite beer.

* Dick Jauron ' 73, Yale Running Back and former head coach of the Chicago Bears and Buffalo Bills, currently defensive back coach for Philadelphia Eagles

Johnson was drafted over the objection of head coach Dick Vermeil, who wanted to select a defensive player, and despite the lack of recent NFL success by Penn State running backs.

Richard " Dick " Lane ( April 16, 1927 – January 29, 2002 ) nicknamed " Night Train ", was an American football player, best known as a defensive back for the Los Angeles Rams, Chicago Cardinals and Detroit Lions.

Charles Richard “ Dick ” LeBeau ( born September 9, 1937 ) is a National Football League Hall of Fame defensive back and football coach.

Prior to his role at Texas, he was defensive coordinator for three teams in the National Football League: the Kansas City Chiefs under Dick Vermeil, the Denver Broncos under Mike Shanahan, where his team won two Super Bowl championships in 1997 and 1998, and the New York Jets under Pete Carroll.

When he became head football coach at Auburn, he retained assistants Shot Senn ( linemen ), Joel Eaves ( defensive ends ), and Dick McGowen as head freshmen team coach, all former Auburn players who had assisted Jordan's predecessor, Earl Brown.

Dick Drago earned the save for pitching innings of shutout ball for Boston while Carl Yastrzemski made two great defensive plays at left field and collected two hits.

The player who inspired the NFL to develop a 15-yard penalty for grabbing the face mask was former Los Angeles Rams and Detroit Lions defensive back Dick " Night Train " Lane, who would frequently tackle opposing players by the face mask before it was illegal.

After their third consecutive loss, this one a 37-0 blowout against the eventual Super Bowl Champion Baltimore Ravens, Coslet resigned the next day out of frustration and handed control of the team to defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau.

While with the Bengals, Bullough also tutored Dick LeBeau who, not only would succeed Bullough as defensive coordinator but, is credited as the innovator of the 3-4 zone blitz scheme.

Brooks returned to the NFL in 1974 as defensive backs and special teams coach for the San Francisco 49ers under Dick Nolan, then went back to UCLA in 1976 to coach linebackers under first-year head coach Terry Donahue, where he helped the Bruins to a top-20 final ranking.

* Charles Richard LeBeau — Pittsburgh Steelers defensive coordinator

Considered an “ innovator ” and “ defensive football genius ”, LeBeau created the " zone blitz " when he was defensive coordinator of the Cincinnati Bengals in the late 1980s.

In 1976, LeBeau coached the defensive backs for the Green Bay Packers under Pro Football Hall of Fame QB Bart Starr, in his first season Willie Buchanon, Johnnie Gray, Steve Luke and Perry Smith combined for 10 interceptions.

In 1984 LeBeau was promoted to be the Bengals defensive coordinator.

In 1995 LeBeau was promoted to be the defensive coordinator and the 1995 Pittsburgh defense ranked third in the league in total yards allowed after they had finished as the second ranked defense in 1994 in that same category, so the drop off was minimal with LeBeau at the helm.

In 1997 LeBeau took a lateral move as defensive coordinator of the Cincinnati Bengals.

Though the zone blitz has become common throughout the NFL, the 3-4 defense-3 defensive linemen, 4 linebackers-lends itself particularly well to this style of play, and LeBeau continues to utilize it today.

A very good example of this defensive scheme by LeBeau is the 100-yard interception return for a TD by James Harrison in Super Bowl XLIII.