Wade Phillips and 8 New Coordinators Who Provided Immediate Upgrades in 2011

Sometimes, a change will do you good.

Whether is was on offense or defense, these guys just killed it and helped their teams with progression, not regression.

Isn't that what they are hired to do? And the end result was what mattered.

Wade Phillips was as good a coordinator hire for the Houston Texans as anyone was in the league and his defense responded with a stellar performance all season, which helped head coach Gary Kubiak take the team to their first-ever division title and playoff berth.

These coordinators also had a part in the improvement of the clubs they worked for this season.

Vic Fangio, Defensive Coordinator, San Francisco 49ers

Fangio should be hailed a genius.

The 49ers were going to be better and the defense played over and above itself most of the year.

We all wondered what the team was thinking when they made Aldon Smith, a junior defensive end from Missouri, as the seventh pick in the draft. He played well in situation plays.

The 49ers run defense was one of the best in the league and the passing defense stepped up when needed.

The result was a 13-3 regular season record and the chance to be the "underdog" surprise in the NFC playoffs.

Wade Phillips, Defensive Coordinator, Houston Texans

The Texans had a good offense that moved the ball through the air with three different starting quarterbacks, a good running game and good receivers.

But this team made the playoffs because of the defense.

Wade Phillips molded this unit into a contender. And his mastery of running a defense is one of the reasons when head coaching jobs are open, teams call on him.

Personally, I think he is better at working on a defense then trying to run the entire show.

Greg Roman, Offensive Coordinator, San Francisco 49ers

Roman was given the keys to an offense that had "potential" but no one knew what he could get out of certain components.

Alex Smith was the biggest question mark coming into this season and he responded with the best season of his NFL career.

Michael Crabtree, the enigma at receiver, gave the team flashes of his brilliance.

And Roman made things a lot easier for first-year head coach Jim Harbaugh to do his job.

When everything comes together, success is the only thing that can be achieved.

Jay Gruden, Offensive Coordinator, Cincinnati Bengals

"In Jay We Trust." The mantra of the Cincinnati offense should read something like that.

The Bengals started the offseason with a seasoned passer (Carson Palmer) who did not want to play there any more and held out until he was traded.

The team drafted a quarterback in the second round (Andy Dalton) who had a good season behind center and led the team to the playoffs.

The team also drafted a receiver, who will be among the elite in no time.

And all of this can partially be attributed to Gruden running the offense.

Cincinnati doesn't win six games without him.

Jerry Gray, Defensive Coordinator, Tennessee Titans

Gray was a good defensive player in his day in the NFL.

He has been considered for head coaching jobs in the NFL before.

This season, he showed he can still coach a defense up.

Gray was a great addition to Mike Munchak's staff in Tennessee and Gray figures to be an important piece to the coaching puzzle as long as he is there.

At some point, an NFL team could finally make him an offer he cannot refuse to become a head coach.

Mel Tucker, Defensive Coordinator, Jacksonville Jaguars

I put him on the list because this is the first year Tucker called his own plays of defense.

For years, head coach Jack Del Rio called the plays even with a defensive coordinator on his staff.

The result was a top six NFL defense with injuries and major question marks.

Tucker just re-signed with the team to remain as defensive coordinator, but the future for him is in the head coaching ranks.

Rob Chudzinski, Offensive Coordinator, Carolina Panthers

It helps when you have a great rookie passer in Cam Newton to make the offense better. But Chudzinski's success led to an interview for the Jaguars head coaching job.

Chudzinski has prior experience on the Cleveland Browns coaching staff and if he can continue to mold Newton into a success like he has begun to do, then a future head coaching job for the former University of Miami standout is not out of the question.

It is not out of the question either that the Panthers could be a surprise contender next season thanks to Chudzinski and the Panthers offense.

Dick Jauron, Defensive Coordinator, Cleveland Browns

While he did not have success as a head coach in Buffalo, Dick Jauron proved he is still a great defensive coordinator.

The Browns may have trouble on offense, but the defense improved drastically.

Cleveland could be a better team, even a contender next season, with a top-flight passer and two good receivers on offense.

Pat Shurmur needs to help the offense catch up to the defensive side of the ball.

Dennis Allen, Defensive Coordinator, Denver Broncos

Believe it or not, the improvements for the Denver Broncos have not all rested on the shoulders of Time Tebow, offensive coordinator Mike McCoy and head coach John Fox.

Dennis Allen had a little bit to do with the changes on the team and the improvement of the defensive side of the ball.

OK, he had a lot to do with it.

When Allen took over the Broncos defense this season, they were at or near the bottom of the league, but through aggressive play calling and good draft picks, the team is on the rise and are in the Top-10 in sacks this season.

The defense also is key to the playoff run this team is on right now.