A defensive coordinator typically refers to a coach on a football team in the National Football League (or at other levels of American football) who is in charge of the defense. This position aids the head coach a great many ways by delegating play calling to other coaches and allowing the head coach to focus on overall play and more important issues during games and practice sessions. A defensive coordinator in the NFL typically has a number of assistant coaches working under him; usually a defensive line coach, a linebackers coach, and a secondary coach. At lower levels the defensive coordinator may also coach one or more of these positions, or one assistant coach may be in charge of more than one position. The defensive coordinator oversees all of these coaches and all the defensive players. He is usually responsible for all defensive playcalling during the game; he calls certain plays depending on what the game situation is and what he expects the opposing offense to do, among other factors. A football team is the collective name given to a number of players who play together in a football game, be it association football (soccer), rugby, Australian football, American football, Gaelic football, or other version of football. ... The National Football League (NFL) is the largest and most popular professional American football league, consisting of thirty-two teams from American cities. ... United States simply as football, is a competitive team sport that is both fast-paced and strategic. ... In sport, defense (American English) and defence (British English and Canadian English) is the action of preventing an opponent from scoring. ... The head coach in sports coaching is the coach who is in charge of the other coaches. ...
Conversely, there is the offensive coordinator who is in charge of the offense. An offensive coordinator typically refers to a coach on a football team in the National Football League (or at others levels of American football) who is in charge of the offense. ... In sport, offense (American English) and offence (British English and Canadian English) is the action of attacking or engaging an opposing team with the objective of scoring points or goals. ...
Long regarded as one of the league’s most talented defensive teachers and tacticians, Cunningham came back to Kansas City in 2004 after previously serving as the Chiefs head coach from ‘99-00 and enjoying a record-setting four-year stint as the club’s defensivecoordinator from ‘95-98.
He served as that club’s defensivecoordinator in ‘92 and ‘93 in addition to tutoring the club’s defensive line (’94), as well as coaching the Raiders linebackers (’91).
During both his seasons as the Raiders defensivecoordinator, his defense ranked ninth in the NFL and was among the AFC’s top four units in both ‘92 and ‘93.
The 2003 edition of the Titans defense yielded a number of accolades and successes beyond the rushing defense, including: ranking fourth in the AFC in "red zone" defense (43.9%), fifth in the AFC in takeaways with 34 and recording the most interceptions (21) by a Titans defense since 1995.
In 2002, the Titans defense finished in the leagues top 10 in total defense, despite a number of obstacles, including the loss of All-Pro DE Jevon Kearse due to injury and the addition of six new starters on defense.
Schwartz was elevated from linebackers coach to defensivecoordinator in January of 2001.