The Buffalo Bills and Denver Broncos have both gone defensive in the pursuit of NFL success, hiring defensive co-ordinators as head coaches.
The Bills plumped for Carolina Panthers no-nonsense defensive coordinator Sean McDermott to lead their charge, the Broncos going for Miami Dolphins defensive coordinator Vance Joseph.
McDermott, who turned the Panthers into one of the NFL's top ranked defences, takes over from Rex Ryan, who was fired with one game remaining in the regular season.
Buffalo finished the season with a 7-9 record, missing the playoffs for the 17th consecutive year.
McDermott, who has no previous head coaching experience, spent six seasons as Carolina's defensive coordinator and before that filled various positions with the Philadelphia Eagles for 12 years.
Joseph signed a four-year deal with the Broncos, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.
"Becoming head coach of the Denver Broncos is a dream job for many reasons," Joseph said in a statement.
"The Broncos have an unbelievable winning tradition and great fan support."
Joseph, 44, was the last of three candidates to interview for the Broncos following Kansas City Chiefs special teams coordinator Dave Toub and Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan last weekend.
Gary Kubiak, who was plagued by a complex migraine condition, announced his retirement from coaching following a season-ending 24-6 victory over Oakland.
