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.
Similarly, there is the offensive coordinator who is in charge of the offense.
 | This American football–related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |