NFL Week 10: Report Card for All 32 Defensive Coordinators

In the NFL, coordinators on both sides of the ball receive an incredible amount of attention. Some, like Rob Ryan of the Dallas Cowboys, are brash and arrogant. On the other hand, an NFL legend like Dick LeBeau of the Pittsburgh Steelers is quiet and rarely garners national attention.

Often, a defensive coordinator is praised for elaborate blitzes and exotic schemes. But in the end, the only number that matters is on the scoreboard. No, production isn't the only relevant tool for evaluation, but it is the most valuable one.

Though many defensive coordinators don't utilize complex schemes, some of the most innovative defensive minds aren't as good as their more simplistic counterparts. In week 10, what defensive coordinators stood out, positively or negatively?

Jim Haslett (Washington Redskins)

Against one of the NFL's worst offenses, Jim Haslett and the Washington Redskins allowed 20 points. However, Miami gained just 303 yards and wasn't dominant by any stretch of the imagination.

Rookie linebacker sensation Ryan Kerrigan racked up two more sacks against the Dolphins, and Haslett's 3-4 defense is still effective. Washington just couldn't keep quarterback Matt Moore and the Miami offense out of the end zone enough to win.

Grade:  C

Juan Castillo (Philadelphia Eagles)

Arizona Cardinals quarterback John Skelton was up and down, but allowing him to throw for 315 yards is an embarrassment for the Philadelphia defense. Surprisingly, the Eagles did completely shut down running back Beanie Wells, limiting him to an unimpressive 62 yards on 23 carries.

Despite the Eagles's high-priced and well-known cornerbacks, Arizona wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald had a dominant performance. Even with the Cardinals' awful offensive line, Philadelphia racked up just one sack. Allowing 21 points isn't something to be ashamed of, but against this Cardinals team, it's not impressive either.

Grade:  C

Perry Fewell (New York Giants)

Facing the Giants' dominant pass rush, neither quarterback Alex Smith nor the 49ers' run game was able to do much. Smith didn't have a bad game, but he didn't do anything special either.

Surprisingly, New York's run defense was actually better than its pass defense. San Francisco is far from being elite offensively, but the team still managed to score 27 points. Fewell's star pass-rushers struggled some against an excellent 49er offensive line, managing just two sacks.

Grade:  C

Rob Ryan (Dallas Cowboys)

Often, Ryan's words are nothing more than talk. Against the Buffalo Bills, however, Ryan backed up his words and dominated the Buffalo offense. The usually effective Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick threw for just 146 yards and turned over the ball three times.

Though Ryan's pass defense was superb, the Dallas Cowboys allowed Fred Jackson to run for 114 yards on a meager 13 carries. Dallas' run defense has been a bit of an issue for a while now, and Ryan needs to fix it somehow. Other than that, Ryan did a superb job against the Bills.

Grade:  A-

Raheem Morris (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)

While the Texans do have an excellent offense, this was an awful performance for Tampa Bay. Texan starting offense Matt Schaub only had to throw 15 times as the team's three-headed running attack annihilated the Buccaneers.

Without wide receiver Andre Johnson, Schaub was still brilliant, completing more than 70 percent of his passes. Running back Arian Foster had another huge game, gaining 186 all-purpose yards.

In other words, the Buccaneers were completely unable to stop the run or pass.

Grade:  F

Gregg Williams (New Orleans Saints)

Against the New Orleans Saints, Atlanta Falcon quarterback Matt Ryan continued to play at an average level. The New Orleans defense shut down wide receiver Roddy White but struggled to contain running back Michael Turner and wide receiver Harry Douglas.

Though the game did extend into overtime, the Saints surrendered 481 yards. In the final minutes of regulation, Williams's aggressive blitzes allowed the Falcons to march down the field. Often Williams's blitzes work well, but against Atlanta, they did not.

Grade:  C

Sean McDermott (Carolina Panthers)

In what was by far his best game of the season, Tennessee Titans' running back Chris Johnson lit up the Panthers for 130 rushing yards and a touchdown. Carolina did a good job of limiting quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, but still allowed 30 points.

The Panthers did shut down the Tennessee passing attack, but lost the game because of the Titans' rushing attack. McDermott's defense accumulated just one sack and was dominated by the Tennessee offensive line.

Grade:  D+

Fred Pagac (Minnesota Vikings)

The Vikings play the Packers on Monday Night Football and this article will be updated after the game has concluded.

Dom Capers (Green Bay Packers)

The Packers play the Vikings on Monday Night Football and this article will be updated after the game has concluded.

Gunther Cunningham (Detroit Lions)

Though the score indicates otherwise, the Chicago Bears' offense didn't dominate the Detroit defense. 21 of Chicago's 37 points came from special teams and defense. In fact, the Lions' defense actually did a good job of containing quarterback Jay Cutler and running back Matt Forte.

Forte has been one of the NFL's best running backs this year but gained just 67 yards against Detroit. Cutler threw 19 times but completed just 9 passes for a grand total of 123 yards. However, the Lions were able to sack Cutler just twice despite the Bears' awful offensive line.

Cunningham's defense did a good job of stopping the run and pass, but once again, Detroit's defensive talent deserves credit.

Grade:  B-

Rod Marinelli (Chicago Bears)

After struggling in recent games, Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford had his worst game of the season. Though Stafford threw for 329 yards, he threw four interceptions. Lions wild receiver Calvin Johnson once again had a solid performance, gaining 81 yards.

Marinelli's defense did an excellent job of limiting Stafford and Johnson's playmaking ability. Though the Lions have an occasionally dominant offense, Marinelli completely shut down their passing attack. With a weak run game, Detroit didn't have anything to fall back onto.

Grade:  A

Brian VanGorder (Atlanta Falcons)

Though New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees shredded the Atlanta secondary, the Falcons did a good job of containing an explosive offense. Running backs Mark Ingram, Pierre Thomas and Darren Sproles were unable to accomplish anything on the ground, and were complete non-factors.

Against a good offensive line, however, the Atlanta pass rush failed to bring Brees down for a sack. VanGorder didn't do anything special against New Orleans, but he was able to limit the Saints to 23 points in regulation.

Grade:  B-

Gus Bradley (Seattle Seahawks)

Against Seattle, Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco had an unspectacular performance. And for whatever reason, Ravens running back Ray Rice carried the ball just five times. Though Seattle does have a good run defense, they don't deserve the credit for Rice's lack of production. That falls on the Ravens' offensive coordinator Cam Cameron.

Bradley's defense did a good job of containing Baltimore's many offensive weapons. No receiver gained more than 79 yards and Flacco threw for a total of 255. The Seahawks' pass rush still wasn't anything special, but the team's results can't be denied.

Grade:  B

Vic Fangio (San Francisco 49ers)

The 49ers' defense once again had a great game, limiting an impressive Giants' offense to just 20 points. New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning has been excellent this year, but San Francisco forced him into throwing two interceptions.

Without running back Ahmad Bradshaw, New York struggled to run the ball, gaining just 93 yards against an outstanding San Francisco run defense. Fangio didn't do anything fancy, but the 49ers just went out and beat the Giants in nearly every aspect of the game.

Grade:  A-

Ken Flajole (St. Louis Rams)

Though Cleveland has struggled to run the ball with good running backs, its running back Chris Ogbonnaya of all people rushed for 90 yards on 19 carries. Quarterback Colt McCoy had surprisingly good numbers despite not playing very well, and the Browns should have had considerably more points than they did.

Though Flajole's pass rush did a good job of rattling McCoy, the Browns' receivers were often so wide open that it didn't even matter. Watching the game, it didn't seem like McCoy was doing anything special, but he completed 20 of his 27 passes nonetheless. The Saving grace for Flajole was his team's defense as the Browns approached the end zone.

Grade:  C+

Ray Horton (Arizona Cardinals)

The explosive Philadelphia offense struggled to do much of anything against the Cardinals. Eagles quarterback Mike Vick did gain 79 yards on the ground, but he completed less than 50 percent of his passes and threw two interceptions. Vick's 128 passing yards on 34 attempts wasn't overly impressive either.

The always lethal Eagles running back LeSean McCoy was held to 81 rushing yards, though he did have just 14 carries. Horton's effort isn't quite as impressive with no wide receiver DeSean Jackson to contain, but he still did a good job of confusing Mike Vick.

Grade:  B

Mike Pettine (New York Jets)

After struggling recently, New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady torched the Jets in a big win. The Patriots didn't even really try to run the ball, but when they did, they were successful. Running back Danny Woodhead gained 38 yards on 7 carries and three other running backs also saw some action.

As has been the case all year, the New York pass rush struggled to make much of an impact. Brady had all day to throw, and even cornerbacks Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie weren't good enough to cover receivers forever. Pettine has tried to mix it up defensively, but he isn't reaching the high expectations of the New York defense.

Grade:  C-

Mike Nolan (Miami Dolphins)

The Dolphins held Washington to just nine points, but it's difficult to give Nolan's defense too much credit. After all, Rex Grossman was the starting quarterback for the Redskins.

Though Grossman did throw two interceptions, he also completed 21 of his 32 passes. Nolan and the Dolphins did a decent job of stopping the Redskins' rushing attack and also recorded three sacks.

Grade:  C+

Mel Tucker (Jacksonville Jaguars)

A huge surprise to everyone, the Indianapolis Colts' offense was awful against the Jaguars. Colts quarterback Curtis Painter threw 19 passes for 94 yards before being replaced by Dan Orlovsky, who didn't exactly light it up either. Running back Donald Brown wasn't awful on the ground, but he wasn't good either.

Though Mel Tucker's defense lacks a strong secondary or pass rush, he does have two excellent defensive tackles. Tucker doesn't get too complicated defensively, and against an offense as bad as Indianapolis's, this is often the best strategy.

Grade:  B-

Bill Belichick (New England Patriots)

The Jets' offense is pretty awful, but the Patriots did surprisingly well nonetheless. Mark Sanchez struggled, barely completing 50 percent of his passes while throwing two interceptions. New England's poor run defense did allow Shonn Greene to have some success, but he didn't dominate by any means.

The Patriots' pass rush was unusually active, picking up five sacks. Andre Carter once again proved to be an outstanding addition, bringing down Sanchez four and half times. Belichick didn't do anything fancy defensively, but the New England defense just outplayed the Jets' offense.

Grade:  B

George Edwards (Buffalo Bills)

Against a talented Cowboys' defense, the Bills were annihilated. Tony Romo was 23 of 26 for 270 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. DeMarco Murray even rushed for 135 yards on 20 carries. In other words, Edwards and his defense were awful.

Manhandled by the Dallas offensive line, Buffalo did not sack Romo once and was murdered in the run game. Though the Bills' 3-4 defense lacks any great pass rushers, their pass defense was absolutely embarrassing.

Grade:  F

Jerry Gray (Tennessee Titans)

In the midst of a brilliant rookie year, Cam Newton struggled some against the Titans. Tennessee sacked Newton five times and also forced an interception, while allowing zero touchdowns. Gray did an excellent job of blitzing the Panthers, as only two of the team's sacks came from defensive linemen.

The Carolina run game hasn't been as good as in previous years, but the Titans still did a good job of shutting down DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart. Newton did have some success on the ground, but he was unable to do much through the air.

Against Carolina, Gray was able to do what few defensive coordinators have done this year: Shut down Cam Newton.

Grade:  A

Larry Coyer (Indianapolis Colts)

It's actually kind of sad that Blaine Gabbert needed the Colts' defense to complete more than 50 percent of his passes for the first time in four weeks. Gabbert still didn't have a good game, but he wasn't as awful as he has been lately.

With Maurice Jones-Drew also tearing up Indianapolis, it is obvious that the Colts need a new defensive scheme. The Tampa 2 is no longer working, and Indianapolis will continue to be killed until they scrap the scheme. Coyer doesn't have much talent, but his scheme is idiotic regardless.

Grade:  D

Wade Phillips (Houston Texans)

Once again, Wade Phillips and the Houston defense had a dominant performance. Josh Freeman was just 15 for 33 and threw three interceptions to one touchdown. Even LeGarrette Blount gained an abysmal 34 yards on 10 carries.

Against a decent offensive line, the Texans recorded four sacks. Tampa Bay's offense hasn't been nearly as good as it was last year, but they should be able to score more than nine points. The transformation of the Houston defense shows just how good Wade Phillips is.

Grade:  A

Dick LeBeau (Pittsburgh Steelers)

The Bengals offense is nothing special on a good day, but LeBeau really did a great job, per the usual. Though the Steelers didn't sack Andy Dalton once, they did limit him to completing 15 of 30 passes for 170 yards and two interceptions.

Cedric Benson also struggled, gaining just 57 yards on 15 carries. LeBeau obviously had Dalton confused, and the Pittsburgh secondary did an excellent job of limiting big plays.

Grade:  A

Dick Jauron (Cleveland Browns)

Sam Bradford didn't exactly tear apart the Browns, but Steven Jackson did. Though Cleveland has two massive defensive tackles, the team has really struggled against the run.

Against an awful St. Louis offensive line, the Browns still recorded just one sack. Bradford didn't make Cleveland for this lack of a pass rush, but a more talented offense could have shredded the team's secondary.

Grade:  C-

Mike Zimmer (Cincinnati Bengals)

Once again, the Bengals' defense did a nice job of limiting an explosive offense. Ben Roethlisberger has been on fire as of late, but Cincinnati held him to just 245 passing yards, while also causing an interception.

Though it shouldn't be a big surprise, Rashard Mendenhall once again struggled. Zimmer's defense sacked Roethlisberger five times and didn't allow Mike Wallace to make any huge plays.

Grade:  B+

Romeo Crennel (Kansas City Chiefs)

As was expected, Tim Tebow was awful throwing the ball. But I think the credit here goes less to Crennel and the Chiefs than to Tebow's awful passing ability. Though Tebow completed just two of his eight passes, he and the Denver running backs ate Kansas City alive on the ground.

Despite Tebow's lack of pocket presence, the Chiefs weren't able to sack the former Heisman winner a single time. It's nice that Crennel was somehow able to limit Denver's passing attack, but the team's run defense is unacceptable.

Grade:  C

Chuck Pagano (Baltimore Ravens)

Though Seattle won the game, they didn't really do anything special offensively. Tarvaris Jackson played reasonably well but didn't have any touchdowns. Though Marshawn Lynch rushed for 109 yards, he didn't have an impressive yards-per-carry average.

Despite scoring just one touchdown, the Seahawks were able to produce 22 points. Pagano's excellent pass rush sacked Jackson just one time, and this is not at all an endorsement of Seattle's offensive line. For whatever reason, the Ravens weren't quite as dominant as usual defensively.

Grade:  C+

Greg (San Diego Chargers)

To put it bluntly, the San Diego defense did not have a good night. On the surface, allowing 24 points doesn't look terrible. Then you see the 489 yards Oakland gained...

Without Darren McFadden, the Raiders still rushed for 191 yards against Manusky's defense. Meanwhile, Carson Palmer completed 70 percent of his passes for nearly 300 yards in what was easily his best game of the year.

The Chargers' defenders looked soft and were dominated by Oakland's offense. San Diego may not be loaded with defensive talent, but Manusky needs to do something.

Grade:  D

Chuck Bresnahan (Oakland Raiders)

Against the Chargers, Bresnahan unleashed the defense and the Raiders sacked Phillip Rivers on six different occasions. Rivers continued to struggle as he has all season, and San Diego's two-headed run game wasn't able to accomplish much.

Despite Rivers's struggles this year, the Chargers' offense isn't bad, and Oakland did a good job, allowing just 17 points.

Grade:  B

Dennis Allen (Denver Broncos)

Not surprisingly, the Chiefs weren't able to accomplish anything offensively. Matt Cassel completed just 13 of his 28 passes for 93 yards. Though it wasn't as bad, the team's run game wasn't much better, gaining just over 100 yards.

Allen continued to blitz effectively, and rookie sensation Von Miller added two more sacks to his already impressive resume. Denver's four sacks wasn't incredible, but it is a solid number against a decent offensive line.

Grade:  B-